Los Angeles-based photographer Kaitlin Maxwell was raised in South Florida and experienced the passing of her father at a young age. Photography has been a way for Maxwell to navigate the world, find meaning and a sense of identity. Using natural light and a medium format film camera, Maxwell's practice is an intimate study of the human condition, rooted in a desire to understand what it means to be seen.
Film photography is having a renaissance, but most point-and-shoots on the market are either vintage relics with unpredictable quirks or new models that miss the tactile magic of analog shooting entirely. For anyone who wants the joy of film with the reliability of modern tech, the search can feel endless and frustrating. Most cameras force you to choose between nostalgia and convenience, never delivering both at once.
It's been a while since Kodak launched a new film, and even longer since it actually distributed its own. But the company caught people by surprise yesterday when it announced two new film products - Kodacolor 100 and Kodacolor 200. Just as important, it announced that it would be distributing them itself, rather than going through Kodak Alaris, which has handled distribution since the company split following bankruptcy proceedings in 2012.
That's how I got into film. At some point over the last decade, reviewing phones morphed more or less into reviewing cameras with touchscreens on the back. For a writer with no photography experience, that started to become a problem, and I realized that I needed to learn enough about cameras to hold my own. I was having to take my own product photos, too, so I needed to get better at the practical side of photography, not just the theory.