Shoot film, stay broke.

Each time I press my shutter, I spend between $1 - $5 on my film cameras. Each roll is between $8-20, some film like Polaroid FP-100c costs $60/pack giving you only 10 shots. Then you have developing and scanning costs which range between $15-30 per roll. On average, shooting one roll ends up costing me around $40.

How do I justify it? Film is like vinyl, it never goes out of style, it’s an analog process and an experiment, to me it is the lifeblood of photography and by shooting film, i’m staying broke but I feel like i’m a part of a community of photographers who are keeping the process alive, one roll at a time.

Shooting film has taught me to slow down, compose better images and overall improve my technical abilities as a photographer. I’ve invested a lot of time and money to keep this dream alive… for good reason.

Click through some examples of some film shots i’ve done below :

Photoset : The Kamloopa PowWow

On assignment for Destination British Columbia, I was commissioned to document an amazing cultural event, the Kamloopa PowWow. A PowWow is a sort of spiritual experience for both the performers and the attendees, they travel from all over North America to compete in both song and dance over 3 days. The competitions range based on type of dance style, appearance & songs and along the way there are different ceremonies and events that fill in the time such as the best caucasian dancer, where they invite people in the stands to show off their best dance style. 

Here are some of the photos from the 3 days at the PowWow in Kamloops, BC.

Up Here Festival : Big things in a small town

Sudbury, Ontario

There are some common staples in most towns of 10,000-150,000... Strip malls, chain stores, a struggling downtown, some quirky branding, and a general lack of culture. Sudbury, ON has all of those things, but amongst the stereotypes is a group of people who are dedicated to inspiring the community with creative projects like 'We Live Up Here' and 'UP HERE Festival.'

Ola Volo's Mural

The initiatives were created by a few Sudburians who want to inspire creativity in the city and create space for interaction, involvement and positivity. I was extremely honoured to experience and interact with the festival in it's second year and see how a small town can shake up the norms and bring the community together.

This festival is the type of event you might expect from cities like Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver and has attracted a variety of muralists, musicians and installation artists to Sudbury to participate in 3 days of displays. UP HERE uses a combination of local venues, galleries and restaurants as well as a shut-down street for the weekend all taking place in the charming downtown core which attracts people downtown that normally might stick to the suburbs and strip-malls.

My favourite part about the festival were the curated murals that are painted over the weekend by artists from France, Vancouver, Toronto and Sudbury. The murals will be up for a minimum of 5 years at a time and are an integral part of creating long-lasting vibrancy in the community, something I always hoped for in my hometown of Nanaimo, BC. I found myself watching the muralists painting and asking people walking by what they thought about the murals... There were some folks who didn't know what to think or weren't sure how to interact with the art and some people who loved it, but it seemed everyone was very curious and interested in what was happening that weekend. 

France based Muralists, Ella & Pitr

Residents braving the rain for one of the outdoor performances

To check out more on the festival or the initiative click on the links below  

www.uphere.com
www.weliveuphere.com