teens on film

Far too often, I find myself questioning whether the way I go about photography is correct and ‘professional’. Even at the very end, when I have my final shots laid out in front of me, I question whether they are actually good enough to be seen by my (small) instagram following.

However, I remind myself of a small philosophy one of my close friends tells me a lot, “There isn’t a right or wrong way to do anything”. You can apply this to a lot of things in life. All that matters is to be passionate and happy about the things you choose to pursue, as long as you aren’t hurting or offending anyone in the process.

My photography focuses a lot on my close group of friends. Not my initial intention, however I realised I draw a majority of my inspiration from them. I admire their intriguing style and character and so I enjoy capturing candid moments when we’re all together. This stems from my love of revisiting old photos of my parents growing up and me as a little baby. I feel a whole new sense of belonging and contentment, and that is always at the back of my head when I take shots. 

My appreciation for the old school essence of those family photos, the grainy texture and nostalgia of them, led me down the path of discovering film photography and incorporating that into my photography style. I believe that shooting on film is less versatile than shooting digital, so to me the subject(s) of an image is far more important than the photo itself.

Photographer Aaron Siskind said, “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything”.

Words and Photos by Elli May ( @shotbyellimay )