Every so often, as a creative who uses their art to make a living, you have the joy of shooting for people who are ready to give you their total trust, and it’s always such an incredible joy. I suppose it helps that Sarah & Jinn are fantastic friends and some of my favourite people around, but this was the case with them when they contacted me earlier this year for some lifestyle family photos in Perth.
I believe my first response was to dance around my creaky old Milanese apartment, my second was to ask, “but what should I shoot? Film or digital?”
“Whatever you like!” they responded.
I danced some more.
The morning of the shoot, a few hours before I was due to photograph Skye & Stuart’s gorgeous Darlington Estate wedding, I rocked up jet lagged and barely functioning, except for the buzzing nerves that inevitably arrive with shooting an important life event on an uncertain medium.
We moved from room to room in their plant-filled, character home, as I shot mostly in silence while Jinn & Sarah played with Alexa, their most magical tiny human, my shutter clicking every so often while I took my time gauging the light and the scenes in front of me.
I occasionally switched to digital, just in case, but for me shooting hybrid only ever reinforces the beauty of film – it’s slowness, it’s realness, the necessity of being mindful with every exposure.
When I received the photos back from the wonderful team at Canadian Film Lab, I breathed a sigh of relief. After all these years, my old Pentax K1000 feels like an extension of my hand, but getting those scans is never not preceded with a moment of tension, followed with a reminder of the medium’s depth & the beauty of imperfection.
But for now, it’s time to put aside my endless capacity for rambling (thank you for reading thus far!), and let the film speak for itself, feat. Sarah, Jinn & the most wonderful baby Alexa <3
Psst, I’ll be back in Australia once again this December, from the 1st to the 11th (although I could stay a little longer), with plans so far to photograph a wedding in Donnelly River, an anniversary keepsake session in the hills, and a small business venture in Fremantle. If you’d like to be a part of it and plan your own photo session, just flick me an email. I’d love to make something wonderful with you <3
Camera Used:
Pentax K1000 | Kodak Portra 160 + Fujifilm Superia 1600
Developed & scanned by the Canadian Film Lab
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