In short: use the flash, kids.
When taking photos, especially for assignments, I make mistakes all the time - some minor, some major - but I always try and learn from them, during the shoot and after the shoot. Particularly in photography, I think mistakes are absolutely necessary. Aside from allowing your skills to improve, they sometimes result in unexpected images that you love. Unfortunately, that was not the case with these photos. Although, fifty years from now, maybe I will feel differently? Maybe underexposed, grainy, barely visible scenes will be the next trend?
About this disposable experience, I have to rewind a touch. Soon after the new year hullabaloo had subsided, I met up with two awesome friends of mine - Tyler (@tylerbiard) and Carlo (@generalanesthetics) - for a very-well needed chill session. Our agenda for the day was simple: hot dogs, coffee, Fujis, and the funicular. The Fujis were specifically the Fujifilm Smile and Snap Single Use Cameras with Flash 400, which Carlo ordered from Amazon. (If you want to buy a pack of them, it's best to order them online to save money, but if you want to buy just one, then you can find them locally at London Drugs.) We used the Fujis throughout the day, but mostly towards the end when we explored the funicular. The funicular is Edmonton's newest connection to the river valley, which is definitely worth experiencing, especially once it's complete! It boasts beautiful lookout points and plenty of seating to really enjoy the surrounding views. And the best part: it is accessible to everyone.
If I were to guess, I hadn't held a disposable camera in my hands since I was in Grade 7 or 8. I remember using them so much as a kid, specifically at birthdays and the New Year's Eve parties at the Hellenic-Canadian Community Centre. (Good times, those were.) When I began shooting with this one, I loved it just as much as I did back then, and it satisfied my feelings of nostalgia.
Something that just didn't click as I was taking my photos, though, was how much I actually needed the flash! I overestimated the amount of ambient light in my scenes, especially indoors, because when I looked at my developed exposures...well, you can see for yourself above. I only triggered the flash twice, and not once while capturing those evening scenes from the funicular. (Don't ask why.) Although, by that hour, it would have been too dark for it anyway. Some frames I didn't even get back, because they were so underexposed. I still feel disappointed and embarrassed, but happy to have them - not just as a reminder to use the flash, but as token of the good times shared in every frame, (even though I can't see them...haha).
Thank you so much, Carlo, for ordering them for Tyler and I!