The Chong Family on 35mm Film

Family photographs have always carried a lot of nostalgia for me. I remember turning the pages of albums filled with small prints behind clear plastic sleeves. A bushfire damaged our home in 2000 and destroyed many of those photographs, which made the ones we kept feel even more precious.

Photographing the Chong family on film was a joy. We spent the day together for Joel’s birthday, making pictures among the laughter and play. Waiting for the film to return felt a little like waiting for Christmas.

The film photographs were made with a Canon EOS-1N and Kodak Portra 400.

Photographs from the same day on digital

The following images were made with a Canon 5D Mark III.

For more documentary family stories, visit the Hendersons or the Buchanans.