EP269: A Lot Happened After Coming Back — Minolta AF-C 35mm f2.8 with Fujifilm 400 (US Version)

Roll 269

Film: Fujifilm 400 (US version, airport X-ray scanned inside a lead bag)
Developed & scanned: DEP Lab 2025/8/5
Camera: Minolta AF-C 35mm f2.8

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I don't think I mentioned this before, but a lot has happened since I came back from the US. Nothing bad, so no need to worry.

It has mainly been work. I have been extremely busy, but in a way that feels fulfilling. I have not experienced this kind of satisfaction from work in a long time. This is probably the best working state I have had since becoming a father.

Because I work mostly from home, my home is essentially my studio. Lately, I often find myself taking cameras out of the dry cabinet just to handle them. At this point, my cameras, lenses, and gear no longer fit into my three dry cabinets.

I have thought about selling everything I do not use, but at the same time, I really value this current state of being fully immersed in work. In the past, especially during my first one or two years of shooting film, I would often get distracted. While working, I would browse camera listings, take photos of gear, sell one, and then buy another.

That changed after I decided I no longer wanted to argue with strangers online about film photography. I deleted all of my posts and accounts related to it. I stepped back and re-evaluated everything. For me, what truly matters is the outcome of my work. Film photography is inherently subjective. If I like it, that is enough. There is no need to discuss it endlessly or seek validation from others.

Since then, I have been working very seriously.

In the past, when I could not sleep, my first instinct was to write, to work on these film journals. Now, I still do that sometimes, but there is also a chance I try to go back to sleep. If I can get enough rest, I go for a morning run after sunrise. And if I really cannot sleep, I allow myself to do some work. I used to think working during insomnia felt a bit too lonely, almost tragic. Now, I see it differently. I simply do what I want to do.

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This roll mainly documents a day in Chicago in July 2025, when my family and I visited the "Field Museum of Natural History."

Founded in 1893, the museum is now over a hundred years old. That is something difficult to fully grasp from a Taiwan perspective. In 1893, China was still in the Qing dynasty, and just a year later, the First Sino-Japanese War broke out. At a time when our region was still in transition, Western countries had already begun developing institutions centered around knowledge and education.

For me, the Field Museum is my favorite museum, without question. If I ever return to Chicago, I will definitely visit again. The scale of the museum is enormous. We probably saw less than half of it that day. To truly take everything in, it would likely take at least three full days.

Highly recommended.

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#1
During my time in Chicago, we stayed at my brother's place. I am very grateful for his hospitality.

 

#2
The kitchen setup felt almost like a control panel. There was a built-in trash drawer, and the sink had a garbage disposal system. For someone used to traditional apartments in Taiwan, this was a completely new experience.

 

#3
The main destination of the day, the Field Museum. Naturally, you would assume the founder's name was Field. In fact, Marshall Field was the primary financial supporter. Without his contribution, the museum would not exist.

 

#4
I took a lot of photos of traffic signs in Chicago. It was hard to look away from their clarity and visual strength. In a way, it feels like another form of "faithful representation."

 

#5
Walking into the main hall, you are immediately confronted with large fossil displays. In such a vast space, they make you feel the smallness of humanity, the brevity of our history, and the importance of respecting nature.

 

#6
For many families, the most practical camera is still a smartphone. But I continue to use film to document important family moments, because images captured on film tend to feel more enduring.

 

#7
The Megalodon was real. I used to think it only existed in movies.

 

#8
There were so many trilobite fossils. I had no idea there were so many variations.

 

#9
In any country, the dinosaur section of a museum always draws excited children. That seems universal.

 

#10
The Minolta AF-C 35mm f2.8 has one drawback, it does not have a safe shutter speed mode. This is a photo of my son with Sue, the museum's most famous Tyrannosaurus rex.

 

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