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A photo essay from Willem Verbeeck on shooting candid moments in central California with the new reusable Long Weekend 35mm film camera.
Herein lies my bittersweet love/hate relationship with disposable cameras. I adore their straightforward charm; they are widely accessible tools for film photography, offering everyone a chance to pick it up and use it. They can be tossed on sandy shores or left by a lake's edge without a worry as you go in for a swim. The soft aesthetic of their images harkens back to the albums of my childhood, lending a nostalgic hue to recent captures.
Yet, my frustration with disposable cameras comes from the fact that each completed roll demands the disposal of the camera itself (hence, the name). And while there's a faint hope that a dedicated photo lab may recycle it, the reality is less green. My love for cameras stems from their tactile nature, so this practice feels wasteful and utterly counterintuitive.
We made the Long Weekend reusable camera for precisely this reason. Its affordable price point and nostalgic-esque images bring all the fun and straightforward benefits of a familiar disposable without the environmental cost. It invites photographers to explore different film stocks' various tones and textures at an accessible price range. Simple to use — with just a flash to toggle and a shutter to press — it’s the quintessential beginner's film camera.
Below is a gallery of personal images taken from a 4-day trip to Yosemite with good company, a testament to the camera's very core. The camera was a nearby companion tucked in my jacket pocket throughout the adventure, ready to capture the spontaneous fun nestled between planned shots. I sometimes gravitated towards this $50 point-and-shoot over the prestigious Leica I’d usually shoot with.
There’s no pressure to try and create anything extraordinary; instead, snap away at all the beautiful nature and silly in-between moments with good company without worry. The camera’s limitations became its strengths: its lack of features and functions simplifies the shooting experience. Instead of worrying about the nonsensical features or high-tech prowess, it brings back the tactile nature of photography to its very core.
