Why Film? Project Vol. Two: the Hemingway Cats
Trust, uncertainty, and twenty-four frames
Some photo projects take months to shape. Others just appear.
This one began when I left my digital camera behind and carried only a Rolleicord III and two rolls of Kodak Ektar into the bright, humid afternoon at Hemingway’s home in Key West. One hour, twenty-four frames, and no second chances. The camera was seventy years old, the film slow, the light uneven—but that combination of trust and uncertainty felt right.
Every shot demanded focus, literally. I read the light with a handheld meter, set exposure, and found sharpness through a dim waist-level finder before my feline subjects wandered off. The cats chose the moments; I just tried to keep up. That tension between precision and instinct is what I love most about film.
When I saw the results, they were everything I’d hoped for and come to expect from Kodak Ektar in medium format—rich color, strong light, and a cohesion that comes from working within limits. Each frame feels both deliberate and unpredictable, shaped as much by circumstance as by intent.
Why Film Project, Volume 2 is now available.
Click Here to download a free pdf.
BUT, a project like this deserves to be held in hand, not just seen on a screen. If you like what you see and want to add the real ‘zine to your library,
Click Here to order it on Blurb.
keywords:
film photography, analog photography, medium format, Kodak Ektar 100, Rolleicord, Hemingway House, Key West, creative process, photo zine, Why Film Project, artistic discipline, photography projects
Drafted with input from ChatGPT