For over three and a half years now, I’ve been living just a few blocks from the world famous Space Needle (if you point the webcam to -45º you can see my apartment just left of center). Everyday I’m lucky enough to see something that symbolizes the great city of Seattle, and also one of the most iconic structures in the entire country.

So with that being said, I thought I’d dig up some Holgas I’ve taken over the recent past of this needle of space, as a reminder to myself to not take this beautiful thing for granted. Because I’m sure I have. My eyes have probably passed over some bit of its 605 feet and not a thought ran through my head about how incredible it is, or how lucky I am to view such a massive piece of art day in and day out. Here’s to being lucky.

Back in September I was lucky enough to receive a medium format Holga for my birthday. Now after a few months of toying around, I finally finished shooting a roll and got it developed. It was fun shooting with such a simple camera (and not just through a lame point-n-shoot) and it got me back into using film. You might as well make the most out of your trip to get it developed, right?

The real story here should be about how difficult it is to get film developed these days. In only a few short years of digital photography taking over, photofinishers have taken quite the hit. Many places have gone out of business and have also resorted to sending film out to a central processing center in a far away land. Thinking about it just makes me sad.

Luckily, there are a few good places left. I ended up taking mine to Moon Photo Lab in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. The owner Bob Mullins, even stayed 15 minuted after they closed just so I could pick up my order after I got off work. He’s a hell of a guy and he’ll definitely get more of my business in the future.