The Vision

In the late 90s and early 2000s, the world was changing fast. The internet was connecting us, but street life still felt authentic and unfiltered. I wanted to capture the raw energy of urban spaces before everyone had cameras in their pockets, before social media changed how we performed in public spaces. This was street photography in its purest form—candid, unposed, real.

The Process

Every shot was precious. With 36 exposures per roll and no instant preview, each frame had to count:

• Shot primarily on Kodak Tri-X 400 and Ilford HP5+ black & white film
• Used a beaten-up Nikon FM2 that I bought used from a pawn shop
• Developed film in my makeshift darkroom (converted bathroom)
• Made contact sheets to select the best frames
• Hand-printed enlargements using traditional silver gelatin process
• Spent hours dodging and burning to get the perfect contrast

The Subjects

I was drawn to the intersection of old and new, the tension between tradition and change:

• Kids with pagers hanging out at payphones
• Record store culture before iTunes killed it
• Internet cafes and their strange social dynamics
• Street musicians competing with early portable CD players
• Fashion trends: baggy jeans, platform shoes, frosted tips
• The last generation to grow up without constant connectivity

Technical Challenges

Film photography demanded discipline and technical precision:

• No autofocus—had to master zone focusing and hyperfocal distance
• Limited ISO options meant careful light reading and timing
• Chemical consistency in home developing was always a challenge
• Printing required hours in the darkroom with no digital shortcuts
• Archival processing to ensure prints would last decades
• Building a portfolio meant physical prints and careful curation