Archive Scanning Project
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Though that I've been silent for the most part I've encountered a huge project that will set me back awhile. Recently I bought a dedicated 35mm scanner (Plustek 8100) and have vigorously been scanning film almost everyday. It took two weeks to scan one folder so you can tell how slow the project is going to be. The great part of this process is being able to see some of the images I've not seen before. It's a breath of fresh air seeing how many bad images I've taken (lol) and how stylistically my work has changed. I've really slowed down a bit and my subject matter has gotten a lot more tamed. Of course living in the city helps you get more static images, but when you live in a slower space it has you looking for photographs. It's a bit weird, but I've been enjoying this quite a bit.
It's been amazing seeing these images because my new relationship has appeared numerous times, but I also stumbled upon my past life seeing how much change has transitioned from past to present. It's apparent that my depression was certainly a showcase for some of these images. My ex started to appear less and less on film and with the amount of change happening at that time I didn't see her as a beautiful person anymore. I was seeing her as a drive to my depression and a reminder that I've come a long way from self loathing.
Though I'm seeing transitions of my life appearing one by one it's also showcasing approaches of framing and how different it's become. The influences I had back then have somehow stayed with me. Images of emptiness have been a theme and as I scan more of more some of those images become apparent and accepted during the process. It became clear that the majority of the time I've been going through a lot mentally. Seeking out solitude in places that I didn't belong has been and interesting evalutation.
I don't know if I was a little apprehensive taking on such a daunting project, but I guess it's a good time to start looking at these pictures again reminding myself why I still do it. Being able to live back on these images really meant something to me. It meant that I was able to go through things and not give up. Even if it meant letting go something you were so used to. I could've stopped doing all this shit and just let myself rot, but there's something that keeps me doing it. I don't know if its pleasure or its the fact that this is the only thing I'm good at. Whatever the fuck it is I guess I'll just keep doing it until I decide to stop.