All About Mimz: March 2012

I would like to dedicate my first, real post (I consider the last post more of an introduction) to a subject that I hold near and dear to my heart: the art of the disposable camera.

Alright, I admit that disposable cameras are a thing of the past. I can only assume that when our generation reflects on the subject, faded elementary school snapshots and old summer camp photo albums come to mind (awkward solo shots, anybody?). After all, with the massive SLR's and the miniature point and shoot cameras that are available in todays age, why waste time with such an archaic device?

I will tell you why. Disposable cameras are awesome. First of all, there is the look. Don't get me wrong, I love high-quality, sharply-pixelated pictures, but unless you have money to buy an expensive camera (which I certainly don't), you don't come across those professional-looking photos very often. To be honest, I am not fond of the look that regular digital cameras produce. They are bland and one dimensional, and no matter what you do, there is always a little bit of red eye (ugh). Disposable pictures have so much character to them. They carry this vintage, worn look that evokes a certain sophistication in the subject, no matter how unclassy the pictures are. Disposable cameras have an absolute air of naturalness to them. They are almost always candid. Even when you tell your subjects to get together and smile, the shutter speed (wait, there is no shutter on disposable cameras? oh well) is so fast that the pictures come out fabulously unposed. And, to make things even better, with disposable cameras you don't have that annoying person asking to see the picture after you take it. Sorry ladies and gents, there is no playback mode with disposable cameras. In a world of instant gratification, I find this aspect of the disposable camera incredible refreshing. What you take (literally) is what you get. Not to mention, the thrill one receives when picking up the printed pictures from the photo kiosk! You have no idea what your about to unveil! It's true that half the time the pictures are a lot uglier than you expected--and I will acknowledge the occasional figure-over-lens and forget-the-flash mishaps that ruin a disposable picture--but, in spite of these setbacks, the pictures always come out great. Lastly, I must point out the simple convenience of the disposable camera. They are perfect for people who are prone to lose and/or break things (now you know why I was re-introduced to the art of the disposable camera in the first place). Of course you are not going to bring your $900 SLR to a frat party, but can you bring your $9 disposable camera? Sure! And if you lose it, the sadness of lost memories does not sting nearly as bad as the torment of lost property.

Now, for some visual entertainment, some of my most cherished disposable pictures...