"I'm Broke But I'm Happy"

By Hannah Stimson

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I started going to shows a couple of years ago and instantly got hooked on it – the loud music, feeding off the crowds energy, and the intense feeling of joy and comfort. The knowledge that everything was okay as long as there’s music.

I wanted to find a way to capture how I felt at shows and a cell phone was just not cutting it – plus no one likes seeing a bunch of phones being held up in the pit. So I got a disposable camera, and then started purchasing all the point-and-shoot cameras I came across at thrift stores. Eventually, my mom passed down her old Pentax K1000 to me.
I found myself constantly keeping a camera on me even when I wasn’t at shows; I liked capturing the things I saw on a day-to-day basis and it became my companion for walks around town.

Of course, I also wanted to document all the places I travel to for shows (I tend to follow my favorite bands around). I love using film because it makes you really think about what you want to take a picture of; there’s no deleting. Once you press that shutter the photo pretty much exists forever. There’s also something nice about not knowing what the photo is going to look like until its developed; it really forces you to trust yourself. I love getting film back and reliving all my experiences.