Top Tips with the Kodak EC35 Film Camera - Sample Shots on a Disney Cruise

This is not our first - or even our second! - blog post showing film photos from Disney locations. And that is probably because Disney has a special gift (a.k.a. lots of money and very strict brand guidelines) for creating photogenic atmospheres, and guiding their customers to the perfect spots to capture them.

This summer I was curious as to how this principle would translate onto their Disney Cruise ships, and to help me capture all the colour of an ocean-trip to Spain I decided to take along a Kodak EC35 film camera. Specifically...the yellow one 😂

This gave me a great opportunity to put the EC35 through its paces in situations that seem well-suited to its design. I'd be grateful for its robust build* and sliding lens cover; its in-built flash for indoor shots and 'focus free' lens allowing me to capture everything from 2m-infinity.

(*I'm aware that there was a QC issue with the first batch of these cameras, meaning that some of them were released into the wild without a functioning shutter 🫣 That has now been fixed, and fortunately for my holiday I happened to get a camera that behaved impeccably throughout)

So let me show you the results fresh from the WonderLab and then I'll summarise my top tips for getting the best out of this camera:

Top Tips for the Kodak EC35

1. Expect some light leaks! 🔆 You can see on a couple of the portraits I got some gorgeous unexpected light bouncing around. Personally I like this as a classic analogue addition to a photo, but if you want predictable outcomes then it's something to know about this camera
2. Strong colours and shapes come out best. 🌈 In fairness this is a generally good tip for photography - but it's particularly true with a point-and-shoot like the EC35 where you can't control depth of field or tight zoom to isolate details. So to avoid a cluttered image make sure your composition is clean.
3. Effective flash distance is <2m. 🔦 There were several images I tried to take of groups or something across the room - and the flash is not powerful enough for that. On the plus side I love the level of light supplied when your subject is close - you've not going to get blown out highlights.
4. Take it everywhere! 🏃🏽‍♀️ This camera is especially portable - the form is smooth and slim. I could easily pop it into my shorts pockets without feeling like it stuck out from my side, and you can open it one-handed if (for example) you're holding a cocktail...

I knew that a Disney cruise was likely to be VERY heavy on primary colours - hence my choice of Kodak Gold 200 - so my next experiment is going to be with a black and white emulsion. As we approach darkening days and worse weather I'm intrigued how the small aperture and low-power flash can cope with the changing season.