The photos are grainy, poorly lit or pixelated. The flash has washed out the subjects or illuminated only a portion of the scene. There may be a tiny orange time stamp in the bottom right-hand corner.
But the photographers don害羞草研究所檛 mind; it害羞草研究所檚 what they害羞草研究所檙e going for, said 20-year-old Anya Chigak.
害羞草研究所淚t captures the vibe a lot more than a clean photo taken by your phone.害羞草研究所�
Like many of her peers, Chigak has embraced compact digital cameras 害羞草研究所� a token of the past she hopes will keep her tethered to the present.
The marine biology student from Cambridge, Ont., pilfered one from her mom and purchased the other second-hand for $10. Neither can produce the quality of the camera built into hersmartphone.
Chigak was in Grade 10 when she started using her mom害羞草研究所檚 old digicam from the mid-aughts, wary of the allure of her phone害羞草研究所檚 notifications and looking for a way to capture memories while staying in the moment.
The results also match her esthetic sensibilities.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 very into antiques and vintage,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 work at an antique store and I collect records and vintage clothes and cassettes, so I害羞草研究所檝e always liked the older look of photos better.害羞草研究所�
They remind her of the contents of her parents害羞草研究所� old photo albums, which she always preferred to the well-lit, perfectly crisp and immaculately edited pictures that populated her social media feeds.
Selma Purac, a professor at Western University害羞草研究所檚 faculty of information and media studies, said the digicam is just the latest in a long line of out-of-date technology to capture the youth zeitgeist: vinyl, yes, but also disposable cameras and instant cameras, reminiscent of old Polaroids.
害羞草研究所淭hese are artifacts of an earlier time, and I think that makes them kind of transportive,害羞草研究所� Purac said.
Her students and those younger than them, the ones embracing the digicam trend, came of age during the COVID-19 pandemic and are entering a precarious future shaped by climate and cost-of-living crises.
害羞草研究所淎nd then there害羞草研究所檚 the mental health crisis that害羞草研究所檚 been brought on by their engagement with digital media,害羞草研究所� Purac added. 害羞草研究所淪o this desire to reach to a mythical past, a more positively framed past, kind of makes sense.害羞草研究所�
That framing of the past is a key ingredient to nostalgia, she said.
READ MORE:
害羞草研究所淭here is a real simplification underlying most nostalgia. Nostalgia is memory that necessitates forgetting. It害羞草研究所檚 memory that necessitates erasure, because what we害羞草研究所檙e doing is we害羞草研究所檙e reaching back to a perceived simpler time.害羞草研究所�
Emma Soper, a 23-year-old linguistics student in Hamilton, can put an exact year to that time: 2011, when she was nine years old and got the digital camera she still uses today.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 comforting to go back to a time when there was less responsibility and things felt more like someone else was deciding for you 害羞草研究所� it害羞草研究所檚 kind of a break from the mentality of: 害羞草研究所業害羞草研究所檝e gotta figure this out on my own,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 she said.
She also likes that the photos she takes with the digital camera aren害羞草研究所檛 necessarily for sharing.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not like, 害羞草研究所業害羞草研究所檓 gonna upload this to VSCO and adjust the contrast and the sharpness and the saturation and make sure I have a nice caption,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 Soper said. 害羞草研究所淚t was just, smile for the camera, and that害羞草研究所檚 it 害羞草研究所� even though I know full well I will likely post some of those pictures on Instagram.害羞草研究所�
Cedrick Pizarro has perfected his process for sharing the photos from his digital camera.
The 20-year-old flight services student from Toronto has become his friend group害羞草研究所檚 de facto photographer 害羞草研究所� and unlike Chigak and Soper, he害羞草研究所檚 editing his pictures. He uploads them to Darkroom, an app in which he害羞草研究所檚 created preset filters to enhance the retro feel.
Then, Pizarro shares the photos to his Instagram stories so his friends can see them and ask for copies.
But Pizarro is using more than just his digital camera: he also takes photos with his phone and an Instax instant camera.
The phone is good for videos and immediate sharing, while the Instax photos feel more spontaneous.
害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 no second take,害羞草研究所� he said of his digicam. 害羞草研究所淲ith the digital camera, you can take more and more, while Instax only has 10 (sheets of film.)害羞草研究所�
In that sense, the digital camera is unlike the phone and the film camera, he said.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 so fun taking photos without knowing the outcome,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淵ou can see it in the camera, but it害羞草研究所檚 so small害羞草研究所f you take a photo on your phone and then you see it, you害羞草研究所檒l want to redo it.害羞草研究所�
An added bonus?
害羞草研究所淲hen I was a kid I wasn害羞草研究所檛 able to use the digital camera because it could be broken easily,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淪o now I get a chance to take pictures whenever I want.害羞草研究所�
Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
