Welcome back to Viewfinder, our ongoing series in which we chronicle interesting projects people are working on that incorporate Impossible film. This week, we are happy to bring you “Growth,” a series by Caleb Jenkins…
Last spring on April 1st I set out on a journey to document the process of growing a garden through a project titled “Growth.” That journey evolved into something much more special, something that taught me an abundance of skills dealing with both gardening and photography alike. When I began I had a plan, but quickly abandoned it when I realized that in order to document something so raw and unpredictable I had to go into the project as if I had no idea of the desired content, but only the outcome and meaning of the project.
I decided to document this particular garden because it is the garden my parents have had since I was a child. I felt it was something the Impossible community hadn’t exactly seen before, and I wanted to expose everyone to the art of gardening and how important it may be for families in the current economic struggles.
As I began to see the project truly take wind, I noticed major similarities between shooting my entire project with Impossible film and the art of gardening. Both mediums can be very unpredictable, and much like I found with instant photography, there were times I had no control of either the garden or the outcome of my photos. A photo could contain a divot in a crucial part of the subject or the weather could leave the garden in ruin. However, I embraced the unpredictability of using Impossible film. I found that I truly love the realness of shooting instant film. There’s no editing or photoshopping, so everyone knows that the image they see is exactly what the photographer captured.
I found halfway through that the goal I desired to achieve was a learning experience, not just for myself, but for everyone who followed my project from start to finish. I feel that I achieved my goal after the project ended on September 29th. I know I learned valuable information about various subjects, and I hope that I may continue to do so for other people.
To see more of Caleb’s photography, please visit his Flickr photostream.
