Documented
Sponsored by Playbook
2024
A community-based public open studio photoshoot with over 70 sessions in a single day. And within the following week, a public gallery exhibition of all photos captured from the shoot.
From conceptualization to pitching to production, I directed and co-produced this project alongside Seby Cerani
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
COMMUNITY-BASED
NOT FOR PROFIT
PHOTOGRAPHY
PORTRAITS
STUDIO PHOTOSHOOT
PUBLIC FACING
PRODUCTION
EXHIBITION
GALLERY SHOWING
The Idea
Provide community members free professional portraits!
This is a little difficult to do with no funding 🙃
The Pitch
A brief summary…
I believe photos and stories are powerful - they’re forms of documentation, history and representation. They’re a reflection of us.
My goal is to uplift and celebrate underrepresented communities by making these professional services accessible to everyone.
Read the entire pitch below!
Overnight Production
The
Photoshoot
On the day of the shoot we had over 100 attendants, and in total, held around 70 photo sessions.
I directed set-up and takedown, and was the lead photographer alongside our second shooter Kin Godwin Chua
We had snacks and drinks for guests, and held an interviewing station providing participants an opportunity to share their stories if they’d like.
We had an incredible turn out with folks from all walks of life - babies, families, actors, entrepreneurs, friend groups and more.
The Exhibition
Within a week, I culled over 10,000 photos. I edited the selects and sent hundreds to be printed for our gallery showing. We booked a gallery, organized catering and drinks, and invited everyone that had their photos taken. The gallery showing was also fully open to the public.
Concluding
Thoughts
This project’s timeline was incredibly tight but we made it all work and it was bigger and better than we could’ve imagined. I can’t put into words how heartwarming it was to engage with so many strangers, to listen to their stories and to capture their image. The exhibition was a beautiful culmination of our intensive 3.5 weeks to organize and host everything, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to produce this with.