Quarantine Film Diaries

The past few months have been a weird time for a lot of us. I mean transitioning from a carefree lifestyle to one that now requires us to always be aware of our surroundings while social distancing ourselves from loved ones is unusual. These circumstances have left us feeling hopeless and unsure of an end date to this Coronavirus nightmare. And as we remain in our homes by order of a state wide quarantine, we tend to feel lost, questioning the significance of certain tasks. As unfortunate it is to have the 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic written as a part of our history, it is important we make the best of these times and document the good that came out of the bad. In years to come, many will ask if we remember what quarantine was like and what we did during this time, so what better way of telling these memories than showing them through film.

Disposable cameras were first developed in the late '80s, yet have become more popular with today's crowd due to the appeal of vintage filters and time stamps. While you can use your phone to take limitless pictures and edit them on a disposable camera app, using a film camera makes capturing candid moments more special because a disposable is one and done. I've been taking film on disposable cameras for about three years now and have only grown happier with the results of my pictures. Out of all the disposable cameras, I highly recommend using the Kodak FunSaver 35mm Single Use Camera. Not only does this camera capture natural light best and result in sharper images of warm tones, it's the most affordable. Compared to cameras like the Fujifilm QuickSnap Flash 400 Disposable 35mm Camera that has 27 exposure 400 iso film and flash, the Kodak FunSaver has 27 exposure 800 iso film and flash resulting in images of fatter grain, a style I prefer. But we all have different preferences of how we want our pictures to look so the one thing to keep in mind is the lower the film speed, the finer the grain; the higher the film speed, the fatter the grain.

Whether it's baking new recipes or picking up new hobbies, document the activities you do and capture the memories you make during quarantine. I mean with all this free time why not try new things. Not only will the film you develop remind you of "that one time we were in a statewide quarantine," but also the history you were a part of. Yes-a pandemic was definitely not the way we hoped to be written into history textbooks, but it's one of many historical events that will remind people how important it is to live life and make memories with the ones you love.

*Images taken on Kodak FunSaver prior to COVID-19*

There are countless things you can do with your quarantine film once developed. Whether it's posting the pictures to social media, making prints to put up on your walls, or creating a book of what life was like during the pandemic, having these pictures to look back on will be the best way of remembering "that one time we were in a statewide quarantine."

PS: The Kodak FunSaver 35mm Single Use Camera is sold on Amazon in singles for $14.98 or doubles for $29.28 and currently can be developed at stores like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, etc.