Filmneverdie Shooters - An interview with Sam Forsyth-Gray

So, where do you come from & what do you do for a living?

I'm originally from Bunbury, Western Australia but I moved to Melbourne at the beginning of 2015. I'm currently studying full time doing my bachelor of photography course at Photography Studies College here in the city.

How young are you?

I'm 24 years young!

How did you become inspired to shoot on film?

My first ever camera - which I still shoot on to this day - was a Pentax K1000. I was around 14 or 15 and I can't remember whether it was given to me or from a garage sale/second hand shop, but I somehow came across film photography and fell in love even though I had no idea what I was doing.

What format do you shoot?

I'm currently shooting 35mm, I've started a project this year documenting my friends band, so I'm following them around both here and interstate, shooting them with a couple of Olympus AF-10 fully automatic point and shoots. This has been a great project for me as I haven't shot film actively for a couple of years.

I also have an interest in instant film and I occasionally shoot on my Polaroid 420 Land Camera, and Polaroid Impulse AF.

Why do you like this format?

I enjoy shooting 35mm because of its incredible accessibility and for its aesthetic. It's just such an easy and cheap medium to work with, it has an unmistakeable look, and its what first got me into taking photos in the first place.

Where do you see the future of analogue photography?

Hopefully it continues to progress as an alternative to digital, as opposed to just an outdated predecessor. I would love to see it become even more accessible and widespread so that one day my children can enjoy the same amazing experience I had when I shot my first roll of film. I'm also currently following quite a few well known professionals who are using more and more analogue work in their practice, which I hope becomes more widespread across all genres of professional photographic work. Pari Dukovic is one of these incredible photographers.

What is a dream project that you want to work on?

At the moment I'm just enjoying learning as much as I can about photography as a whole and trying new methods, styles, genres, and experimenting with all aspects of my work, so a dream project for me would be something that would incorporate working with a new medium or a new technique that might be a little of out my reach at the moment, or any project which allows me to travel and explore new places across the world.

Where can we find out more about your work?