Backwards To The Modern World

A project exploring analogue photography as an act of resistance against a culture which often prioritises speed over care, and quantity over quality.

Welcome to the blog. In late 2023 I was awarded funding through the VACMA (Visual Artists and Craft Makers Awards) Scheme to develop my practice.

Fig 1. digital smartphone photo of me posing with my grandad's old Zeiss camera from the 1950s

I'm primarily a digital filmmaker specialising in producing factual films with under or mis-represented groups. After graduating in 2003 I entered the world of community media, a world which at the time I had no idea existed. I immersed myself in the lives of people who were not only struggling in one way or another but who found themselves often gratuitously misrepresented in the mainstream media with little or no say over how their experiences were depicted.

I enjoy working cooperatively, finding ways to diffuse the power of the fimmaker while supporting people to own their narratives.

I also like finding ways to slow down the creative process, exploring opportunities to connect with stories in a more physical, durable, and less fleeting way.

This project is a short period of research, taking place over approximately 3 months which will allow me to return to analogue photography. Although starting out on film cameras all those years ago, most of my working life has been digital. After leaving a toxic workplace (more on that later) I wanted to do something more considered, more careful, and less frantic. Digging out my vintage cameras seemed to be just the thing.

In 3 months time I'll wrap up this blog, hopefully leaving behind a record of my journey and some useful resources for anyone who wants to embark on their own.