The Meeting Place

film

Approximately 6 years ago (2013) NUS sent Sri & myself to Tokyo, Japan for a competition, all I could think of was sushi, cameras & film. I extended the trip by 7 days, and spent a day scouring the streets of Tokyo for nifty film gears, I bought 2 Fujifilm Natura 1600 film and countless Japanese snacks. One Natura was given to Zhi Jie to test & I kept the other in the fridge reserved for a special occasion. 

the last roll

Fast forward to Jan 2017, preparing for my wedding day, I bought a bunch of films for Zhi jie to document our wedding and threw in the Fuji Natura 1600 reserved for the dim lights of my wedding dinner. The natura 1600 was the last roll of film shot that night, and a few shots were left. Cristal and I flew off to Japan for our honeymoon the day after.

Undeveloped

March 2017, my wife brought us the craziest news, she was pregnant. Dad was still going through chemo-therapy. The very next day, during lunch, just before I announced the news, the camera with the remaining natura 1600 found itself deserving of documenting the occasion. I finished the roll of film that day and kept it in my dry box undeveloped.

discontinued

Dad’s sickness wasn’t getting any better and he left us in late August 2017, 2 months before Clara was born. The film was discontinued by Fujifilm in Oct 2017. I have not shot film in awhile, since dad’s passing. Clara was growing up quickly, and one day while packing the dry box, the Natura 1600 re-appeared. Forgotten it was exposed, it once again found its place in the fridge. In May 2019, I bought a cheap film camera on carousell in an attempt to finish all the remaining films in the fridge. Photos were mostly taken of Clara. 

the meeting place

3 Days ago (31 July 2019), I collected the developed Natura 1600 negative film, was caught completely off guard with the double exposure of Dad on film. The last film. & my dear daughter whom he would have loved to meet, in the same frame. 

I miss Pa and wish he was around to see Clara grow up, but perhaps this is the closest they can meet for now. 

These are the photos.