I crave film photography. I live for it. The texture, grain and quality of every frame makes it feel so sacred. Every photograph shows a different perspective of the world of what breathed and loved. The process behind each picture takes dedication and precision. From loading the film into the camera to the anticipation of waiting for scans back. The patience and thought process behind every image. To observe. To think. And just like film, journalism trained me to notice the overlooked. To listen in and hear the stories of my classmates who I am surrounded by.

My love for journalism and film photography is intertwined. Film has taught me to observe before capturing a photo, while journalism has taught me to listen before writing. Waiting to get scans back is the same feeling as putting a story together after interviewing. With film and journalism they both hold the truth. Photography forces us to see what is happening, capturing reality and life we would’ve never imagined. Writing allows us to understand the image, to hear the voices and facts. 

My parents married each other in the early 2000s in Amman, Jordan. Their wedding photos were all shot on film. 25 years later, I hold their pictures in my hands. The delicate strips of negatives with a few scratches on them. Behind being able to physically grasp onto film is a feeling of something else. I am holding the history and memories. Now, it is my duty to continue preserving stories. I owe it to the past journalists who spent their lives running around cities photographing and writing the life that was at their feet. 

I try to use film any chance I get. My photograph “Reflections” became a state medalist, but not because of the perfection, but because it was raw and true to itself. Just like journalism, good journalism. Where it is authentic, not changed or altered. I’ve learned that every photo matters despite being overexposed or not in focus. It is about the story behind it. The reality of it. 

Film tells the stories that deserve to be seen. Like the articles I write to give a voice to the voiceless, I photograph life to remember what others will forget. Feeling connected to both writing and photography, they remind me to pay attention to the little details and to care. Especially to focus on what I love and to continue. 

I hope one day, people will see my photographs and remember the life that stood behind them. That they would also feel what I felt. Every photo and story I write or take deserves love and to be treated with honor and care.