Why I shoot Film
I started shooting with a Pentax K1000 when I was 15. When I wasn’t able to express how I felt, I was able to give people photos.
Film photography is special to me for many reasons; I see film as an antidote to the modern way of life, i.e. everything fast, digitalised, touched up and perfect. And, this funny habit of shooting film has been passed down through my family.
My Bedstemor (Grandmother) was a portrait photographer, mainly using black and white film. She passed the love of photography down to my Dad, teaching him how to develop and print his photos in the dark room on the farm in Frederiksværk. My Dad then passed it down to my Sister and I. Photography has always a part of our lives.
It was my Grandmother that taught me how to use her Hasselblad 500CM. It is a “medium format” camera, which uses a large format film. Each roll has 12 shots on it. It is because of this, that each photo takes time to set up. If I’m rushing at all, they won’t come out right and the whole roll will have been a waste. So over the last 9 years shooting with my Grandmother’s camera, I’ve had to learn to slow down, be in the moment, breathe, and be patient.
A photoshoot should be enjoyable in my eyes. I want you to walk away feeling as though you’ve accessed the inner child, or feel a sense of relief, or that you’ve somehow been yourself and let go of self-consciousness.
Digital photography takes a lot of editing, however with my ethos behind using film, I believe the imperfections are what makes each image and life memorable. If the hair blows across your face, or you blink, or you move suddenly, or make an odd face - all of it is ‘life as it is’. And it’s often the photos that have these “mistakes” in them that you will love the most. They will be the ones that evoke the strongest emotion or the clearest memory.
Film photography is timeless, especially, I think, when it is black and white.
My aim is for us to take our time to get to a place where you feel playful and relaxed, and see what we can create together. I’m interested in what lies beyond the everyday mask, and your eyes do all the talking. You don’t need to worry about what you look like, that’s my job. All you need to focus on is what you’re feeling and thinking, because this is the story the eyes tell and the photograph freezes that story in time.
The way I see my style of photography is that some years from now, you’ll look back at these photos and realise how perfect and beautiful you were - in all of your perceived flaws and self-consciousness (this is the human condition, afterall).
Every human contains a fascinating story; wild dreams, deep fears, and rich desires. My fascination is in who we are in our most raw form. Whether that be without makeup, without clothes, or without the mask you show to the world. I want to capture you as you are in this very moment, because you’ll never be this exact version of yourself ever again.
So perhaps what I’m offering is a time capsule, perhaps a chance to express yourself and explore aspects of yourself that you otherwise wouldn’t have allowed others to witness, or perhaps you simply want to capture yourself just as you are in this moment. In a society that encourages us to focus on our flaws and hate our imperfections, what would happen if we celebrated them instead? Usually, the thing that we hate most about ourselves is what everyone else loves us for. It’s what makes us unique. This is what I’m exploring in my work.
These photos are for you. If you feel called to, you can share them. But that is entirely up to you.
I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoy taking them.
Much love,
Astrid xoxo
