Author: sarahshu

“Oh well,” I said as I noticed that some shots were completely blacked out because I had accidentally exposed some of the film to the Sun. I didn’t think too much about it and moved on. I gave my best shot and thats enough.

I was excited for more after developing this roll. What more can I learn and do? I thought.

1. Film slows me down, in a sense that before I even to pick up my camera. I have to think of the shot carefully and meticulously and consider the limitations of my camera. What shutter speed? Hm the aperture? So during fall break when my friends and I headed to Upper Peninsula, I stood out looking into the view of Pictured Rocks, wondering if I truly really wanted this shot.  It made me think twice abt picking up my camera. Most importantly, I just enjoyed being present.

2. Film is also not easily lost. With digital, there are always too many pictures and it’s mostly usually stored in cloud storage or laptops. There is a risk of losing them if the system were to crash or accounts get hacked. My negatives are always with me in physical copy (assuming the lab doesn’t cut your negatives). You can also rescan your films and make something new out of them.

3. Its creative and fun! The various and tedious process of film is what makes it interesting and different. You can double expose your pictures, use different chemicals for processing your negatives (if you’re photographing it in black and white). If you get really into it and take more and more pictures, you can buy a kit and do all the developing yourself.

4. You become a better photographer faster: I’m not sure to what extent this is true since I have yet to see it reflected in my digital photos but two of my friends who have had film cameras for awhile remarked this to me. They claim that they take better digital photos now after using film cameras for awhile.

5. You don’t necessarily need batteries. Depending on the camera model, some can be used without batteries depending on whether you can judge the lighting conditions and adjust the aperture and shutter speed to suit the shot. This requires a lot of skill but it’s possible!

6. You enjoy moments better, when you’re not always thinking abt ooh how pretty I must capture this! You live in the moment, not in the future reminiscent you who says awh hey remember the good times when I went here?

(taken using Pentax K1000/ Kodak colorplus; developed in Camera Mall, Ann Arbor)

Watching house shows, from Fixer Upper to Selling NYC, are always a great watch for me. I usually like to watch the process of buying a house rather than fixing up a house, since the couples/family usually have to prioritize what features of a home that they would like in their newest buy. You also get to compare houses and if you’re like me, you’re always hoping that they choose the house you like. 

After watching many of these shows, I start to notice more features that I wouldn’t normally notice in a house. Features such as popcorn ceiling, Jack-and-Jill bathrooms, baseboards and skylights are new terms I learnt whilst watching these shows. Even my youngest sister once pointed out whilst we were driving near the neighborhood that one of the houses had “character”.

Some of the shows feature tiny houses, such as the show Tiny House, Big Living. They typically showcase a house which is sort of like a trailer, it can be hooked up to a car and moved around. These houses would have a kitchen, bathroom and bed, all at an average size of 180 square feet. Some of these houses feature a composting toilet, a type of toilet I know exists in the Dana building but have yet to set foot in it. Besides that, I find it fascinating that people elect to live in a small space, acknowledging that most of their time will be spent outdoors anyway. Another perk of living in a tiny house is that you won’t be tied to a hefty mortgage in the years to come as they cost anywhere between $10,000-$180,000, a whole lot less than what typical houses cost.

In the future, I hope watching these house shows help me decide what kind of house I would want when buying one. A lesson I learnt from watching these shows is: location, location, location!

(Image credits: Google Images)

Three pairs of socks, two pairs of pants. Easy. The real dilemma are the scarves and tops. 

Here, my existential crisis and questioning of beliefs begin (or at least it did whilst I was packing). What do I want to look like when I travel? Do I want to plan my outfits to look cute/pretty? Do I want to stick to my usual outfits? Why aren’t all my clothes prayer-friendly? Prayer friendly clothes are supposed to be full sleeves, no sheer clothes and are long enough to cover everything except your face, hands and depending on a Muslim woman’s personal beliefs, feet.

I interrogate myself in these moments. Firstly, who am I wearing nice clothes for? To please people or to please God? And secondly why can’t all my clothes be prayer-friendly without requiring another cardigan, under sleeves or extra garments in general? I have to pack scarves on top of that too.

Mostly I am furious that I have to bring more clothes. If I were a guy, I would have not needed to bring so many of them.

These are struggles I still have to come to terms with as a Muslim woman wearing a scarf. I remind myself that I chose to put this scarf on. And because I chose this, I have to be okay with the other things that come along with it. I still whine and whinge especially in 80 degree summers but above all, I still want to stay true to my faith.

When I find my faith wavering, I remember these verses;

“By the morning brightness and by the night when it grows still,

your Lord has not forsaken you[Prophet],

nor does He hate you,

and the future will be better for you than the past;

your Lord is sure to give you [so much] that you will be well pleased.” (Quran 93:1-6). 

And it brings me comfort.

(Picture: Google Images)