For me, photography has always been about anticipation. Each time I unwind a reel of film I get the same thrill—the slippery strip slides off the spool, and in that moment I hold my breath as I raise my freshly developed roll up to the light to see what the negatives show me. Over 70 years ago, during World War II, an American soldier photographed 31 rolls of film and never developed them. Can you imagine unlocking a time capsule of the world as it was during that period? Photographer Levi Bettwieser, creator of the Rescued Film Project, essentially got that opportunity when he discovered the unidentified soldier’s rolls in 2014.

The rigorous and exhilarating process of developing these