EP265: Flying to Chicago — Konica Big mini HG BM-300 35mm f3.5 with Fujifilm Superia Premium 400 (Expired Color Negative)

Roll 265

Film: Fujifilm Superia Premium 400 (expired September 2024, shot at ISO 400, airport X-ray scanned inside a lead bag)
Developed & scanned: DEP Lab 2025/8/5
Camera: Konica Big mini HG BM-300 35mm f3.5

Sponsored by @tai_hung_kuo, thank you.

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Following the previous roll, after my son's kindergarten graduation ceremony, our family flew to Chicago the next day as a graduation trip for him.

At first, I was actually quite reluctant about going to Chicago. The flights were expensive, around 60,000 NTD per person for a round trip. For a family of three, that meant about 180,000 NTD just for airfare. At the time we decided to buy the tickets, it also happened to be one of the poorest periods for me financially, so I ended up borrowing money just to book the flights.

We bought the tickets almost a year in advance. After that, I barely thought about the trip at all. I did a bit of casual browsing for destinations and ideas, but I never really planned anything. It was very different from previous trips to Japan, like Nagoya, Tokyo, or Kumamoto.

Originally, the plan was to stay in Chicago for a few days, then rent a car and head out to explore nature in the US. We even bought a new tent and planned to go camping. But in May 2025, I injured my right shoulder, which meant I could not use my right arm properly. With that limitation, camping was no longer realistic. We canceled the plan, did not rent a car, and decided to simply stay within the city.

In the end, during those two weeks in Chicago, I shot 17 rolls of film.

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#1
Right after the graduation ceremony, after saying goodbye to classmates, we were heading down in the elevator.

 

#2
My son had not eaten anything throughout the evening, so after the ceremony we stopped by a nearby convenience store for something quick.

 

#3
The convenience store was 7-Eleven.

 

#4
While waiting for my son to eat, I got a bit bored and started testing the camera. I was checking close-focus performance in low light. Fujifilm Superia Premium 400 performed very well here, with strong tolerance for underexposure.

 

#5
The day after the ceremony, we headed to Taoyuan Airport. Since our flight was at night, we took the airport MRT in the afternoon and made our way there slowly. The Konica Big mini HG BM-300 35mm f3.5 has an infinity focus mode, which makes shooting through glass very reliable.

 

#6
I always enjoy watching the scenery change outside the window while riding. I think my son does too.

 

#7
Pushing luggage.

 

#8
After checking in and clearing security, we still had a long wait before boarding. The three of us found a Starbucks and spent time looking at our own screens.

 

#9
I had loaded my iPad with shows my son usually watches on Netflix. One of the main ones was "Dragons: Race to the Edge."

 

#10
Still waiting to board. By this time, it was already past our usual bedtime at home. I was surprised by how calm and patient my son was.

 

#11
I asked my son to take a photo of my tired expression.

 

#12
Our flight took off into the night. Not long after takeoff, we had a light meal and all fell asleep. This photo was taken the next morning. It was beautiful.

 

#13
After arriving in Chicago, I was too exhausted to take many photos, and it was already night again. Driving on the highway, looking at the distant skyline, it felt like a scene from Gotham City in Batman. That was my first impression of Chicago.

 

#14
While stopped at a traffic light, I noticed some strange graffiti with Chinese text. It was a translation of the phrase "The growth never stops," written as "增長永無止境." It felt slightly unnatural to us, so we guessed it was probably not written by a native Chinese speaker.

 

#15
The main purpose of this trip was to visit my brother and his family, who currently live in Chicago. My mom splits her time between Chicago and Taiwan, staying about three months in each place. In this photo, she was in the kitchen preparing something for us to eat.

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This is the full set from this roll, shot with the Konica Big mini HG BM-300 35mm f3.5 and Fujifilm Superia Premium 400. Thank you for viewing.