I had been looking at point-and-shoot cameras for a while, and I might have hinted to Joseph a few times that I wanted the Ricoh GRIIIx HDF. He was sweet enough to get it for me for Christmas. ♡

Before the Ricoh, I hadn’t touched my film camera (a Nikon FM2) in a while. I really love shooting with it, but developing the film is a hassle. I either have to go to the photo shop or develop it myself, both of which are too expensive and time consuming nowadays. Also, when it came to my iPhone, I started to feel like shooting photos with it is a dirty business. My Photos app currently has 40,598 items, and I suspect 80% of them are just photographs.

And this brings me to the pitiful state the phone has reduced me to. Technically and creatively, I’ve become lazy. To start with, it took me a few days to get familiar with the sensation of a camera around my neck again, and having a specialized tool that can’t do twenty different things. It expects dedicated attention. It is not so much that a point-and-shoot can’t be used on auto, but to get a deliberate image, I have to be prepared to work with at least the aperture, shutter speed, and—shoutout Ricoh!—focus distance. I am not even considering the peculiarities of the GRIII, which I still don’t fully understand.

On the creativity and pleasure side, I’ve taken so many shots with my phone that the act itself started to feel mundane. Which is disappointing, because I used to be excited to go out and deliberately ‘look’ for something to photograph. On my iPhone, even with 'manual' and 'no process' apps like Moment and Project Indigo, I still have less control and focus than with a dedicated camera. I’ve been the designated photo-taker of the friend group, and at this point, I can feel that I just don’t like doing it. My friends probably think I’ve become lazy or don’t care that much. But vanity often gets in the way of the photo, and I find that disheartening. Instagram and TikTok are always where the photos end up, like ends in themselves, and considering I don’t even use those apps anymore, trying to check all the requirements for a good IG story gives me the ick.

But I have started to regain that focus. For the first time in years, I can feel the ominous presence of the iPhone fading. There were times when I didn’t see a reason to take photographs. Now I feel comfortable shooting my dog/partner/friends/trips in all the aesthetically displeasing ways I want. The photos may not see the internet, but they will definitely see a photobook. I put a lot more intention and care into them than before.

Anyway, I am starting to use the camera every other day, if not daily when I go out during the week. It fits in my pocket easily, does amazing in low light, and has film simulations, which makes it a pleasure to experiment with. Similar options to my second contender, the Fujifilm X100VI, but less chunky. These past three months have been turbulent, and I haven’t had the chance to enjoy it to its full potential yet, but I am looking forward to warmer days and more free time. I'll be back in a couple of months with some more images.