“In total, it took roughly two hours to get a single correct frame. I made every mistake you could make. I forgot to pull the dark slide out so I had at least one totally blank sheet of film. I forgot to dial the aperture back down after focusing so I significantly overexposed at least one shot. I would get the lines right and then get the focus wrong during the adjustments. I got more frustrated and more determined with every wasted sheet of (even then, really expensive) instant film.

I was on the second to last sheet in my box of film when I got the result you see above. It’s still not perfect, but, at the time, I was thrilled with what I got when I pulled the sheets apart. Not only did I see the (mostly) straight buildings, but I saw all the work I had just put into it. I saw a process that made me slow down and think about what I was doing. I saw all the things I still had to learn about photography and all the things I already knew.”

— STAN HORACZEK

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