About this Project

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with photographs. 

As a kid, I’d pour over the many pages of the many family albums we had, enamoured with the life my parents had before they had children. I still do this every now and then.

I was interested in an artistic sense and appreciated the compositional elements in these photographs. My mother was quite the photographer, I’ve realized!

And I was curious about the people in the photos – who they were, what they were doing and how my parents knew them. I probably didn’t ask as many questions as I should have and now, my mother’s memory is starting to fade. 

Whether digital or analog, I love taking photographs myself. But Analog photography is much more satisfying in its process. The thoughtful and deliberate approach; not just taking a snapshot, but giving each shot intention. Then rediscovering each frame upon development. 

Still, it’s not enough. Many photographs are cast aside or archived if not printed. It feels like they need to serve another purpose!

So, I was inspired by a friend, former classmate and photographer, Matthew. Matt started a micro-fiction series, which inspired me. To take a photograph or piece of art and add an extra creative element to it. I was captivated by that idea, and so I began adding narratives to my own photos. Not only that, but I’ve also started adding some narratives to those family photos that I obsessed with for years. Particularly, the images of strangers; the people whose identity might never be known. These people were present for just a moment in time, and even though I may never know their true story, it feels necessary to give their image new life or background. Their story may be long forgotten, but their image continues to live on.

As someone who creates in multiple mediums, this is just another avenue I use to scratch that itch!

About the Cameras

The photographs are primarily taken with a Yashica Mat 124, a Twin-lens reflex camera made in Japan from 1968-1971. I’d had my eye on this since 2006 and finally purchased it in 2019 as a birthday present to myself. 

The other camera I sometimes use is the Mamiya RB67. Also made in Japan, the first was produced in 1970 and it is a beast.