February 2026 - Edition No.1

February Snail Mail

I’m so happy to have you a part of the very first edition of Film Rolls Through Time! It means a lot to begin this new journey with you, and I’m excited to share more of the world of film photography along the way.

This month’s photo was taken in Mammoth last year during a camping trip in May. It was taken with the Canon AE-1 telephoto lens. It was beautiful witnessing the change of seasons, with snow still clinging to the mountaintops while streams melted below and fresh greenery pushed through for spring.

That sense of quiet, in-between moments is something I’ve always loved about photography (especially film), which is capturing beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed. With it being my birthday month, I wanted to honor a fellow Aquarian who mastered that art and became a legend after her passing in the early 2000s: the one and only Vivian Maier.

Vivian Maier had this genius ability to turn ordinary street moments into something unforgettable! With perfect timing, a sense of humor, and empathy, she captured life exactly as it happened. Just pure raw moments, no posing, no filters, just real people in real moments. Kids playing, strangers passing by, her own self-portrait reflections in shop windows using her medium format camera.

She was an American street photographer born in New York City. Most of her childhood was spent in Europe until she returned to New York City in the 1950s to work as a nanny. It was during this time when her photography journey began quietly. By the end of her life she had left over 100,000 negatives for the world to discover! Most of those shots were taken in Chicago and New York City.

And the coolest part? She wasn’t chasing fame or followers. She was simply curious about the world and her surroundings, like a fly on the wall observing it all. Vivian ended up building a huge personal photo collection for herself. That is until we discovered her art in the early 2000s at an auction. “Well, I suppose nothing is meant to last forever. We have to make room for other people. It’s a wheel. You get on, you have to go to the end. And then somebody has the same opportunity to go to the end and so on.” - Vivian Maeir

To learn more about her inspiring story, I recommend watching Finding Vivian Maeir available on Amazon Prime or Apple TV!

Until next month my fellow film enthusiasts!

To sign up for the month of March visit Film Rolls Through Time Membership Website!