Analog Series: A Mystery Disposable Camera Roll

My granny loved to create photo scrapbooks, and by the end of her lifetime, she had dozens of them meticulously organized on a shelf. Each 3-ring binder had pages of photos she took with disposable cameras, and I offered to teach her how to use an SLR camera or even a point-and-shoot, but she stuck to disposables purchased at the pharmacy. Now, I kinda love that it was her preferred choice of gear. People fall for photography for many different reasons, and Grandma Kay never saw herself a sa photographer she just wanted to document her life and hold on to important memories without any frills or complications.

I was with her in hospice when she passed away in 2017 and brought back a few special things to remember her by. I also discovered a few rolls of film and a disposable camera, but in my grief-stricken state, I left them in a box at my mom’s house.

Last year, I was back in Florida, and the box of granny’s things and there was the disposable camera, waiting for me. I hoped the disposable camera had a bunch of her photos on it, like a long-lost message in a bottle that would give me one more memory with my beloved grandma. Instead, most of the frames were still unused, so I thought, why try and see if the film was still any good?

Granny loved reading and gardening in my mom’s yard so I documented her favorite swamp lily, she also loved taking afternoon walks around the lake so, that’s just what I did. She also had a particular fondness for cypress trees which subsequently became the subject of most frames. Without a clue whether or not it would work, I shot this whole role quickly and with whimsy.

The fact that the brand that made the camera went out of business 20 years ago was a sign it probably would not work out, but… to my surprise, the film wasn’t ruined! The chemical decay gave some funky dreamy effects. There were a few very really foggy frames of plants that I suspect granny had taken herself. I love that in a way, we got to finish this disposable camera together.