Senior Rebecca Daughtry was leaving UNC Student Stores with her friend last spring when she saw a camera sitting outside of Lenoir Dining Hall. A nearby sign encouraged passersby to take pictures, and so Daughtry and her friend took some pictures.
“We didn’t even know if there was even any film in it or anything,” Daughtry said. “But we were kind of just goofing around, and I didn’t even know what happened to the camera after that day.”
After almost a full year, the camera found its way to the Lost And Found in the Student Union in February, according to Arnoluck Prachith. Prachith is a member of UNC’s chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity that manages the Lost And Found.
Curiosity got the better of Prachith and his fellow members, so they sent the disposable film camera to a lab and developed the images. In a Facebook post on March 18, Prachith shared the photos, and the public response was overwhelmingly positive.
Commenters pointed out how “cute” and “wholesome” the photos were. The majority of the pictures were selfies and portraits of UNC students.
APO will be receiving the negatives soon, but the camera’s true purpose still remains a mystery.
Daughtry thinks the camera was probably part of an art project, but she said someone could have also just left it there to do something nice for others.
“Those photos that were being taken were so timeless, and I think it really shows students just being students,” Daughtry said.
Prachith, who said objects often remain in the Lost And Found for a long time, had personal reasons for sending in the film.
