27 Frames – Molly Steele

27 Frames

Molly Steele

By Matt Titone

April 24, 2016

We sent 27 single use cameras out to some of our favorite photographers, they shot stuff with it, then mailed it back to us. We developed the film and are sharing the results with you (and the photographers) now. In this instant, digital age, we want to pay homage to a snapshot photo process we grew up with ourselves — waiting for the film to develop and being surprised by the results. These 27 Frames belong Molly Steele.

Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself.

Molly Steele, LA resident, North Florida native. Went to school as a botany and sustainable agriculture major, came out a photo-journalist.

How did you first get into photography?

Traveling a lot introduced me to settings and communities that were intriguing and worth more than a memory. Photography helped me extend the life of what I was seeing and experiencing, so that I may interact with the subjects long past departing.

Film or digital?

So far, only and always film.

When was the last time you used a single use (disposable) camera?

Other than for this project, I haven’t used a disposable in probably 12 years since I went to homecoming. I do however tend to give disposable B&W Agfa cameras as gifts.

What did you decide to shoot with your camera for this project?

I took this camera with me when I hopped a freight train from LA to Portland after Christmas, and to the Oregon coast where I camped on New Year’s Eve.

Did you have any interesting experiences along the way?

This particular train ride was the most trying of my experiences. We rode for three days through a blizzard, below freezing temperatures, heavy incessant rain, and through times of focused concealment. Using any camera on a train is difficult as is. Perhaps a setting where digital may be the best option, but I prefer to have my camera in my hand for the least amount of time possible so that I have more room for the experience itself, and the disposable was perfect for that.

What was the biggest challenge (if any) you had with the project?

Looking back on my images, it appears my biggest challenge was using the camera itself. It doesn’t lend itself well to movement, so a real on-the-go feel is consistent throughout the roll.

What was your favorite image from the roll?

I think the image from the Oregon coast is doing it for me the most. The shapes and the soft texture of the photo evoke the ethereal quality of that coastal hillside.

Check out more of Molly’s work here:

MOLLY STEELE

Special thanks to Dexter’s Camera in Ventura for developing all of the film for the 27 Frames project. If you are a photographer who loves film and have never visited their shop, go there now, they’re the best.

Matt Titone

A goofy-footed graphic designer who hails from the first state, Delaware. After attending Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL then graduating from SCAD in Savannah, GA with a BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration, Matt moved to NYC and found work as a freelance designer and art director. In 2006 he moved west to Venice, CA where he co-founded ITAL/C Studio and now resides a bit further north in Oxnard.

Molly Steele