A Camera Changes Hands
I was just going to the movies. That was the whole plan.
I AM AVAILABLE - A Sign Found in Local Vintage Store
The night before, I saw a Nikon F90X listed on Facebook Marketplace. Cheap, local, no real backstory attached. I messaged the seller, drove over the next morning, and bought it before I'd even decided what I'd use it for.
A Retro Car in Fort Langley, captured by Nikon F90X with AF 50mm f1.8, Kodak Kodacolor 200
After the movie, I had some time left, so I wandered into Fort Langley with the camera loaded and no real plan. Turns out it was BC Day, the streets were packed, vendors out, families everywhere, that whole holiday crowd energy. Not exactly the quiet small-town wander I'd pictured.
But there's something about the town that doesn't fully give in to the noise. The old buildings just sit there, white walls holding the afternoon sun, worn wood facades that have clearly seen a hundred busier days than this one. Underneath all the foot traffic and the noise, Fort Langley still felt still, somehow, like the crowd was just passing through something that stays quiet regardless.
A Doggo with Balloons on its Top, captured by Nikon F90X with AF 50mm f1.8, Kodak Kodacolor 200
On my way to get coffee, I passed an antique shop with two Buddha statues sitting out front, both from somewhere in Asia, worn in that way old stone gets worn. Out of place and completely at home at the same time, just sitting there in the middle of all this small-town BC scenery. I stopped and took a few frames before moving on.
Two Statues of Buddha in Fort Langley, captured by Nikon F90X with AF 50mm f1.8, Kodak Kodacolor 200
I started shooting almost out of habit, or should say testing the camera, and then just kept going, mostly drawn to those walls, that light, the parts of the town that weren't paying attention to the holiday.
Wild Flowers in Fort Langley, captured by Nikon F90X with AF 50mm f1.8, Kodak Kodacolor 200
I didn't go there to take photos. But once I had the camera in hand, it was hard not to. Ended up missing more time than I meant to, just walking around shooting film in a town I've probably driven past a hundred times without stopping.
