Obsessions: Disposable Cameras
At Umbrella we appreciate the details. So we understand when our readers are into something – really into something. In this instalment of our regular Obsessions feature, photographer Gordon Armstrong reveals his love for single-use film cameras.
It all started back in 2008.
My digital camera packed in just before I was due to head to California for a three-week adventure, so I purchased three disposable cameras, foolishly thinking they would last me the duration of the trip. Little did I know that I would end up using them up in the first three days.
I returned from the States and got the films developed. It felt like Christmas with every set of prints I got back.
I kept using disposables and racked up a further 20 cameras before deciding that I would carry a camera around with me everywhere and take at least one photo a day for a whole year.
This is how my Disposable Diaries project was born: a tangible collection of snaps that document the life of a man addicted to capturing his existence through the window of a flimsy, single-use camera.
I got into a routine carrying a disposable around with me, just in case I left my camera at home and spotted something amazing. I snapped all sorts, from pizzas to punk gigs to Iggy Pop’s backside. I captured 1468 photographs that year and put them in a book, a book of everything – and nothing.