Film Favorites: A National Park Roundup

A couple of years ago, I attended a nighttime campfire talk in Mesa Verde National Park. The event was hosted by a veteran park ranger who had married his wife, another fellow park ranger, on the rim of the Grand Canyon. He said they had lived in some of America’s best zip codes because of their work with the National Park Service. He talked through the history of the park, then pulled out his guitar and we all sang “This Land is Your Land” together under the stars.

Visiting new national parks and revisiting old favorites has been such a fun part of my adult life, but it’s moments like that night in Mesa Verde that really stick out to me. Being outside in nature, surrounded by friends and strangers in collective appreciation for the beauty of the earth, has been such a spiritually connecting experience for me.

So in honor of the National Park Service’s 106th birthday today, I rounded up my favorite film photos that I’ve made in America’s best zip codes. I’m grateful today and every day that this land was made for you and me. ♡

Film Favorites: Maine 2022

Maine has been on our bucket list for a long time, and it definitely lived up to its “vacationland” tagline. We did a five day road trip along Maine’s coast, stopping in a bunch of little towns, including Portland, Bar Harbor, and Acadia National Park. Every town was so cute and charming, and the drive was beautiful—Maine is definitely in my top three favorite east coast destinations! Here’s a list of the best things we did on our trip:

Portland: My favorite part of Portland was the Portland Head Light. We went in the afternoon to avoid rainy weather later in the day, but I’d love to go back someday for sunrise or sunset (and hopefully fewer crowds!). We loved climbing down on the rocks to the right of the light house and sitting while listening to the waves come in. We also walked along the cliff path to the left of it, which in my opinion, delivered the best views for photos. We got donuts at The Holy Donut for breakfast and checked out the nearby town of Kennebunkport for lunch.

Acadia National Park: We went to Sand Beach and Thunder Hole, biked the Carriage Roads, got popovers and blueberry lemonade at Jordan Pond House, and hiked Beehive Loop Trail.

Bar Harbor: We rented a room at The Central House, which ended up being the perfect location. It was within walking distance from everything we wanted to do in town. Bar Harbor had my favorite main street of all the towns we visited, with plenty of shops, restaurants and ice cream places. There’s also a beautiful park that overlooks the harbor. We watched sunset from the docks one night, and walked The Shore Path overlooking the water.

Pentax 645n and Nikon F100 on Kodak Portra 400 and Ilford HP5 film.

Five Tips for First Time Film Shooters

One of my favorite things about film is that it has limitations. When I shot exclusively digital, I carried a camera around like it was a third arm. I felt pressure to capture every waking moment, and while I enjoyed it at the time, looking back, I actually missed out on a lot because I was more focused on documenting the moment than I was on actually living it. When I started shooting film, a lot of that pressure went away. I no longer felt the need to take a picture of everything, because each frame was costing me money and I had to be more intentional about when I chose to click my shutter. Now that I shoot more film than digital, I feel a lot more present.

There are a lot of things to love about film, but it can be nerve-racking to take the dive and start shooting. Here are five things I wish I would have known (or that helped me) when I was first starting out with film photography.

1. Stick to one film stock at first

Every film stock has its own nuances in terms of color and ideal lighting scenarios, so I’d recommend sticking to one film stock at first to isolate extra variables and focus on learning. Kodak Portra 400 is a great film stock for first time shooters if you’re interested in color film, or if you’d rather go for black & white film, I’d recommend Ilford HP5 Plus 400. Both of these film stocks can handle various lighting scenarios and aren’t as finicky as other film stocks.

2. Don’t shoot color film at box speed

Fun fact: shooting color film at box speed is a really good way to get underexposed photos! A good rule of thumb is to cut your box speed in half. So if the box speed is 400, shoot it at 200 ISO. This overexposes your film, which sounds risky if you come from a digital background, but it’s actually a lot easier to underexpose film than it is to overexpose it. Some film stocks need even more overexposure. For example, Portra 800 does really well at 200 ISO.

3. Download a light meter app

Some camera internal meters aren’t very reliable, so downloading a free smartphone light meter app is an easy way to avoid exposure mistakes when starting out. I use Lux with my camera that doesn’t have a working meter: I set my ISO in the app, choose my aperture, then tap my phone screen so that the yellow box highlights the most important shadow in my scene. Then I adjust my camera settings to match the app readings. Just make sure your shutter speed is 1/60 or faster (anything slower than 1/60 while hand-holding a camera can cause blurry images). If you need to, you can adjust your aperture in the app so that it gives you a faster shutter speed.

4. Try to shoot mostly in open sunlight

Film THRIVES in open light. There are definitely ways to get good results in overcast light or indoors, but I’d just avoid tricky lighting scenarios altogether when you’re first starting out and opt to shoot outdoors under blue skies. This will help eliminate some of the factors that lead to underexposure and color shifts, so that you can focus on learning the basics.

5. Keep notes of your settings

I was required to keep notes on my first rolls of film in school and it felt a little tedious, but in retrospect, it was so helpful. Even now I wish I had taken better notes on rolls I’ve shot and loved so that I could more easily replicate those results again. In photo school I kept notes by hand in a worksheet format with the ISO and film stock at the top of the paper, and spots to record my aperture, shutter speed, and notes about lighting conditions for each frame. You could do something similar with a note on your phone. Then when you get your images back after development, you can go back and see what your settings were and how they might have influenced shots you loved or frames that didn’t turn out how you hoped.

It can be easy to get paralyzed by all the do’s and don’ts of film and be too afraid to start. It’s scary shooting without being able to look at an image right after you’ve taken it, especially when each frame is costing you money! But film photography is really one of those things you learn by doing. Plan to shoot a roll of film on your next vacation or weekend out, dedicate an afternoon to taking photos of your kids playing outside, or ask a friend if they’ll model for a practice shoot. Keep your expectations low and just look at it like a learning experience! You’ll only get better with practice.

Film Favorites: Shenandoah National Park 2022

Spending a few days outside in nature for Memorial Day weekend made for the perfect getaway. We usually stay in towns close to National Parks (unless we’re camping), but we ended up staying in the park at Big Meadows Lodge. It was so fun waking up inside the park each day! The longer we were there the more I liked Shenandoah. And for a holiday weekend, it really didn’t feel that busy. The cabins were somewhat rustic, but they were pretty budget friendly, and definitely a step up from camping. We ate dinner each day at the lodge’s restaurant and it was surprisingly good for park food. Wild blackberries grow throughout the park later in the summer, so a lot of the menu items had blackberries worked in.

If I had to describe Shenandoah in two words, it would be “hikes” and “overlooks”. The main park road is like a big long spine with tons of hikes and overlooks branching out from it. When it comes to hiking, I’m all about putting in the least amount of effort for the most amount of payoff, and all of the hikes we did are ones I’d recommend. They’re all around two miles, not a ton of elevation gain, and the trails or view points were really pretty. We did the Appalachian Trail Hike, Dark Hollow Falls Hike, and Stony Man Hike. I’d recommend doing all three if you have the time, but if I had to choose just one, Stony Man Hike delivered the best views. My favorite overlook to stop along the road for photos was Range View Overlook.

Pentax 645n and Nikon F100 on Kodak Portra 400 and Ilford XP2 film.

Boston Mini Guide

I’ve only been to Boston a few times on short weekend trips, so I’m calling this a “mini” guide. Here’s a list of things I’ve done and liked when I’ve gone:

Things to do in Boston:

Freedom Trail: A 2.5 mile walk that connects sixteen Revolutionary War historic sites. If you ever get turned around, just look for the red brick line that cuts into the middle of the sidewalk and you’ll know you’re heading in the right direction. We followed a map online when we went, but it would be cool to download a walking tour podcast to listen to.

Boston Public Garden: A beautiful spot in the city. It would be fun to do a picnic lunch here! Don’t miss the Swan Boats at the pond if you’re there in summer months (you can actually ride them and it’s not that expensive! I’ve never ridden them before but it looks like it would be a fun experience for little kids). There’s also a Make Way for Ducklings sculpture based on the children’s book, since the story is set in the garden and other parts of Boston. Boston Common and the Boston Public Library are also within walking distance from the garden.

Harvard Square: There are lots of fun restaurants and shops in this area, and Harvard’s campus is just across the street. We liked visiting Harvard Book Store and grabbing lunch at SOURCE.

USS Constitution Museum: Another free activity! The USS Constitution is the oldest ship in the world still afloat. You can walk through all the levels of the ship and hear from guides about its history.

Kayak the Charles River: The best thing we’ve done in Boston. You can rent canoes or paddle boards as well, but we rented a double kayak and got a lower rate by going in the evening. This is a really fun way to see the city, especially if you’re going during the summer months.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Not your average art museum! Although I like visiting art museums, the interior of the building itself is what first made me interested in going. Then I learned that the biggest art heist in modern history took place in this museum in 1990. Thirteen works of art were stolen and the thieves just cut the canvases out from their frames. The mystery of who stole the art has never been solved, and the art has never been recovered. You can still see the empty frames from the robbery on the walls. There’s a documentary on Netflix about it if you want to check it out before going. Tickets for the museum are $20/adult. Book your time slot online in advance.

Fenway Park: Most things in Boston are the oldest in America, and Fenway Park is no exception. I’m more of a Yankees fan (if we’re being honest, I’m not much of a sports person in general), but it was still cool to see the oldest MLB ballpark. 60 minute guided tours are $25/person, and you can book your tickets online in advance. Download the MLB app to show your tickets, and report to the gift shop across from the stadium about ten minutes before your tour’s start time.

What to eat in Boston:

Flour Bakery + Cafe: This is a great spot for a quick breakfast, or to grab some snacks for your day. Their brioche au chocolat and parmesan chive scone are our favorites. They have a bunch of locations throughout the Boston area.

Levain Bakery: My favorite NYC cookies are now in Boston! I love the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip flavor.

Sweetgreen: This chain isn’t unique to Boston, but it’s still one of my favorite lunch spots when I’m in a city that has one. They have really good salads and bowls if you’re looking for something lighter to fuel your day.

SOURCE: Their pizza was really good, and we also liked the blueberry souffle pancakes for brunch. Be sure to make a reservation online in advance.

TIPS:

Street parking is free on Sundays—you don’t have to pay the parking meters (although actually finding street parking is another issue entirely, be sure to give yourself ample time before you plan to be somewhere to find parking). Boston also has a subway system if you want to avoid driving or need to give your legs a rest.