For the Shitty Camera Challenge Quarantine Special I purchased two unopened Kodak black and white disposable cameras who’s film expired in 2005. I found them sold together as pair on eBay.

The batteries for their shitty flashes were long dead. I had no way of knowing how these cameras and their film had been stored for the last, at least, 15 years. The plan was to use the first camera as a benchmark to see what I was dealing with as far as aesthetic and quality went. With the second camera, I would hopefully be able to take the best possible pictures with a shitty camera that I could. I named them Shitbox One and Shitbox Two, and got to shooting.

What ended up happening was not what I planned. Not at all.

I can only assume that Shitbox One was stored in a freezer since it was originally purchased. The images were, frankly, amazing. I was in disbelief. The photographs were reasonably sharp. The film wasn’t too grainy. The contrast was just right. I was thrilled. Shitbox One was a smashing success. There were some duds from Shitbox One, like me trying to see how it did in low light. I didn’t think they’d work and they didn’t.

Shitbox Two was a different story. This camera must have been stored inside a clothes dryer, tumbling around on high for 15 years. It was, in fact, a very shitty camera. I don’t even know how so much could go wrong at the same time with a camera so simple. Some of the shots were salvageable with some editing done to the scans. But for the most part, it was shit. And I loved it.

I had a blast shooting with these. No settings, no tricks. Just frame the shot as best you can with the offset viewfinder and take the best picture you can. It is what it is. Below are the images captured with each. The good, the bad, and the shitty. Enjoy.