2016 is in again, and “what’s old is new” has never hit harder. From baggy jeans to chunky shoes to wired headphones, 2026 has also seen another major comeback: film photography.
This was something 21-year-old Casey Roberts, a Florida native, noticed the most during a trip to Greece. She said she felt as though people from all different walks of life share a love for capturing meaningful moments through film.
“I spent the rest of that trip [in Greece] and the entire flight home researching,” Roberts said. “I couldn’t find anything that actually recreated the look and feel of film in a real way.”
Callie Cirilli, a 23-year-old from Connecticut, also noticed the growing popularity of film cameras in her own life.
Both Roberts and Cirilli played for the women’s lacrosse team at USC. They said during their seasons, their team roster used film to capture gamedays and team events.
With that in mind — and just two weeks after returning from Greece — Roberts built a pitch deck and hired a patent attorney.
Two weeks after returning from Greece, Roberts built a pitch deck and hired a patent attorney.
“And that was the start of LoTime,” she said.
From there, a simple idea that started in Sept. 2025 has since transformed into LoTime, a film-style lens attachment for iPhones.
Over the course of the next one and a half years, the two young entrepreneurs have met with manufacturers, app and product designers, social media specialists and other entrepreneurs to bounce ideas off of and generate the best product possible, before releasing it to the market.
“We have to put ourselves in spaces that we could still learn and be curious,” Cirilli said. “Not being afraid to reach out, to ask for, and learn from people’s experiences.”
LoTime claims to be unique because it marries both the modern world with the past. The physical lens attachment pairs with an app on the iPhone.
Together, LoTime offers its customers a combined digital and film photography experience, all at their fingertips.
“I see [LoTime] creating a new category of photography,” Roberts said. “Right now, you have digital and you have film, and we’re trying to bridge that gap.”
The app is where users can see the photo before taking it, along with choose the style of film they want their picture to have, from an abundance of different grains, colors and film camera aesthetics.
The film-style lens attachment is attached onto the camera of any iPhone. It allows the app to connect to the attachment to produce the desired film photograph.
“We are trying to create a product that’s more efficient, accessible, affordable and sustainable to everyone, while maintaining the art and beauty and nostalgia of film photography,” Cirilli said.
The most unique feature of the app, the pair said, is that LoTime only has a limited number of photos available to take in a day, giving users the ephemeral nature of film. It also takes time to develop after being captured through the app, adding another layer of polaroid-like film and old-school development.
These small but impactful details falls directly along with the mantra of LoTime: “Slow down with LoTime.”
“[LoTime] forces you to slow down,” Roberts said. “You don’t get unlimited shots, you don’t see the photo right away and that makes the moment feel more meaningful.”
The co-founders acknowledged that with the very fast-paced nature and availability of instant-gratification in society today, they wanted LoTime to be a way to combat that.
“By having a limited amount of pictures, and having this nostalgic look and feel to it, it creates a special feeling and moment,” Cirilli said. “It kind of forces you to slow down in the world.”
The startup industry is far from predictable. The two said they go through ebbs and flows as they finalize and add to their overall brand, product and design.
“Some days you feel like everything is coming together, and other days you realize how much you still don’t know,” said Roberts.
However, Cirilli and Roberts have been able to thrive in these uncertain environments — something they attribute to their USC backgrounds.
“The unique part about USC, and being in LA specifically, is [that] you’re around peers that are all so creative,” Cirilli said, “and I think it’s an environment that teaches you to take risks.”
Roberts also said playing lacrosse was a valuable experience that gave her much-needed skills to take on her new role.
“Lacrosse has taught me discipline, time management, and how to stay consistent even when things get tough, and that translates directly into running a startup,” she said.
LoTime’s founders said they hope to release the product this upcoming summer, reaching as many people as possible.
“Everybody uses film and disposable cameras,” Cirilli said. “We would be limiting ourselves to put it into a category because our goal is to create a product that captures special moments for everyone.”
As much as film is super popular among the younger generation, especially university students, LoTime doesn’t want to put any limits on their product.
“You’ll get that same nostalgic, imperfect, emotional look, but on something you already carry with you every day.” Roberts said.