A Process of Pleasure by Mackenzie Yoshida

There’s just something about capturing an image of the ocean on film that gets me. Film photography of the ocean has made me re-fall in love with photography and it’s something I highly recommend to any photographer who loves the ocean.

The photo process starts before you even load film in the camera. It’s all about finding the perfect location and moment to get the photo, but what film will best fit the conditions? When I’m shooting with film I rarely shoot more than one photo per wave. I visualize the wave, trying to predict when both rider and wave will align, making the perfect photo. Not only does this make shooting more intimate, but it teaches you a lot about the ocean, its movements and how people navigate through them. Shooting with film means no viewable test shots, you need to observe everything that can affect the photo and decide if you are in the right spot with the proper settings before you commit. Sometimes I go through whole sessions, following wave after wave through the viewfinder, and only end up with 3 photos.

Once a roll is complete, I mark it with a date or details on the session, and then add it to the pile of finished rolls waiting to be processed. When it’s time to get the rolls processed I drop it off at the local lab and excitedly wait… luckily they take only about an hour for most jobs. Finally the moment has come, the results. Regardless of if you take the roll in the same day or a month later, the stoke of seeing and holding the final photos is always the best. Whether you come out with one good photo or a whole roll of good photos, it’s always a satisfying learning experience. The best part is that your photos are ready to be shared with the world. No time’s spent editing photos, just on to the next roll and back to shooting!

Aloha and Mahalo.

Mackenzie Yoshida