The story behind the photo | A photography newsletter
For the love of film
Edition 7 - 8 December 2023
This photo was taken by my dad (whose leg belongs to) on a holiday in the island of Sardinia (Italy) in the 80s. My mum was born in Sardinia, so we spent a lot of time there as children to visit the extended family. Whilst you may think of Sardinia as turquoise seas, white beaches and luxury resorts for the super wealthy, the reality is that life ‘inland’ is still pretty hard, and jobs are hard to come by outside of hospitality. My grandfather was a shepherd looking after someone else's herd - feeding a family of 10 on his meagre compensation (made up mostly of food rather than cash), was not easy. My mum, like many, ended up leaving Sardinia when she was still a teenager, to find work as a housemaid in ‘continental’ Italy.
I like this photo because it shows exactly what my dad saw. It was just a simple moment between me and my father —I was smiling behind the magazine. Maybe he said something, or I noticed he was taking a picture. My sister, in her tween years, was off in her own world. I love the fact that my dad found this mundane, quiet situation worth of a photograph.
There is more about this photo though. I don’t think I ever seen it until a few months ago, when I started scanning my dad’s slides. My dad was quite the avid amateur photographer when he was young, and there were hundreds of slides tucked away in a cabinet which I decided to bring to life.
The process has been time-consuming, repetitive, and profoundly personal. However, it reignited my passion for film photography. Even though I mainly use digital now, there's a certain quality about film that pixels can't quite replicate. Film photos evoke a different set of emotions for me.
A few days ago, I posted in the first roll of film I've shot in years for development. I'm not big on New Year resolutions—just have a few vague goals. One of those is to rediscover and fully embrace film photography. And guess what? I can do that with the same camera my dad used to capture the photo you see here.
I am a documentary family photographer based in Dulwich, primarily serving East Dulwich, Herne Hill, and Peckham, and I am available to travel across London and beyond. Get in touch if you are interest in booking a session with me.