As a student, I used to create mixtapes and share them with my friends and classmates. My photography companion was a pocket-sized Olympus Mju, which I still have. It documented every field trip, party, and social gathering. I began my professional life during the peak of the dot-com bubble when everything was transitioning to the digital realm. Today, I work in a paperless office, stream music, and read books primarily on an e-book reader.

The lines between creating and consuming have blurred. We create, consume, delete, and forget. We rarely revisit books we've read because they aren't on our shelves. We rely on Apple Photos to remind us to look at past photos since we no longer keep physical albums.

In this shift, we miss the narratives that unfold when viewing a photobook or family album. As artists, we risk losing the ability to think through the process of creating something cohesive, which cannot be captured by a single image or a social media post. We overlook the bigger picture because our focus is on short-term attention.

We shouldn’t abandon the digital realm, as it fosters accessibility and drives innovation, including in the arts. However, we could enhance our creative process by slowing down and being more intentional, incorporating more analog workflows and tools.

For some time, I have been integrating analog approaches into my creative process. Currently, half of the photographs I take are with analog cameras. I regularly print my work in small formats. This year, I’ve created my first mini photobook (Field Notes from Vietnam). Through this journey, I have learned to nurture my awareness, presence, and connection to the world around me.

Transitioning from analog to digital changed how I create and remember. Digital tools are convenient and innovative but often too fleeting. By using analog methods again, I’ve felt more connected and intentional in my work. Crafting a mini photobook embodies this balance, merging both worlds for a richer artistic journey.

Field Notes from Vietnam, a 26-page visual notebook, is available via Blurb Bookshop.

Field Notes From Vietnam

Field Notes from Vietnam combines poetic street photography with intimate scenes of daily life. This 26-page visual zine explores nostalgia and change-great for lovers of street photography, Asian culture, and independent photo books.

https://www.blurb.com

My Film Photography work on OBJKT (tezos)