Yale on Film

Last year, I decided to buy a cheap film camera off Etsy. Beyond the trendy ~vintage~ aesthetic, I’ve come to love film because it’s given me a whole new perspective on Yale. Images on film feel so permanent and still, like precious moments locked in time. And because I have to wait for several weeks or months before actually developing a roll, when I finally get to see the results, I get a secondary rush of excitement, as if a joyful moment from the past is giving one final gift. When things at Yale get stressful, looking back on film photos has helped me feel nostalgic, and happy, and grateful.

Here are a few of my favorite moments from fall semester.

(Side note: If anyone can tell me how to focus my camera, please let me know. I would love to have some non-blurry photos for once).


The Metro North, which I ride to get to Yale each semester.


Savoring the warm nights before it got too cold!


Fun with friends at Fall Fest, a huge celebration of fall put on by Yale Dining, complete with food stalls and games.


Soccer IMs. IMs give residential colleges a chance to compete with each other through a variety of sports, everything from basketball to bowling. I got roped into soccer for the first time ever this semester. I was truly awful at it, but it was fun nevertheless to cheer on JE!


Fall break trip to New York! We had a lazy afternoon napping in Gantry Plaza Park in Queens, the Manhattan skyline in the background.


Fall break in New York part II: pretending to be Academic Yale Students™ at The Strand, a famous bookstore.


Harvard-Yale featuring a long-awaited reunion with Harvard friends!


JE at Harvard-Yale!


The field at Harvard-Yale, featuring the Avatar the Last Airbender-themed halftime show put on by the Yale Precision Marching Band.


A peaceful moment in the walkway between JE and Branford. Perhaps my favorite walkway at Yale.