A DIGITAL PROJECT ON “INTENTIONALITY”
STORIES TOLD IN MM
Started in Hong Kong
June 2020 - Current
Posted on https://www.instagram.com/g0b3s
#toldin35mm and #storiestoldinmm on instagram
I wanted to use this project to inspire others to become more intentional with their photography, showing that photography is more fun when we calm down and truly put thoughts into the composition and layouts of our shot. Many times, this leads to better results as well. Additionally, I also wanted to inspire others to see mundane and ordinary moments as something worth capturing. It is important to understand that even in the simplest moments of life, this also helps encourage intentionality into everyday life, where we are looking for moments worth capturing instead of waiting for moments to happen.
Goal of the project
How did this project start?
This project started back in 2020 when I first decided to pick up a film camera. I was always a digital photography (with big cameras like dslr) kind of person. I soon realised that although digital photography was very convenient, I wasn’t really thinking about what I was capturing. Digital photography satisfies our mindset of “instant gratification” by allowing us to take as many shots of a single object as we want while showing the photos we take instantly after pressing the shutter button. This allowed us to make as many mistakes and try as many things as we wanted since we knew we had options. Since I could take as many photos as I wanted knowing that somewhere in the bundle, will be the “perfect” photo. I no longer put as much thought into my composition and layouts and I knew this was the case for many as well.
Developing process of the project
Initial medium for the project
I decided to start film photography knowing that the limited films available in a roll would help encourage me to really go through the thinking process before hitting the shutter button. Additionally, since the developing process of the photos takes longer, it takes away the instant gratification of digital photography which motivates me to live in the moment rather than always checking the photos right after I take them.
The development of this project
It was originally called “stories told in 35mm”, as I initially thought that it would only be catered towards film photography. For 2.5 years, that was the case. I rarely tried other mediums. But that all changed when I got my first ccd camera in January 2023. I fell in love with the old digital camera aesthetic and in my opinion this medium was more eco-friendly as compared to film photography, where after use, the film cartilage was often disposed of. From 2023 onwards, I began to alternate between digital camera (iPhone, CDD and Sony Alpha) and film photos to create a more well rounded project as well as allowing me to practise different forms of photography.
