During this past holiday, I took some time to scan a few negatives that I have kept since the beginning of my journey photographing with film. I was about 10 years old when my dad handed me his Minolta SLR packed with a few lenses and filters for which I didn't know much how to use. But I do remember the pleasure of handling the camera and capturing something with it for which I had to wait a few days or weeks before seeing it.
That's one of my favorite things about shooting with film: I can let the captured moment marinate in my mind before tasting it with my eyes a few days, weeks, or months later.
This set of pictures was taken in October 1992 at the Montreal Forum using Kodak Ektar 100 film in 35mm format.
My mom and I were big fans of professional wrestling back in the day, and we would watch some of the matches on television together every Saturday morning. At some point, I'm guessing that my dad must've heard that the WWF (today known as the WWE) was coming to town and he managed to get two tickets: one for me, the other for my mom. And so, we went and we had a blast. I don't remember much of the night, except for some of the photos published here. There's something about the "moment" before capturing the moment that leaves a mark in your mind, and sometimes in your heart. At least, that's what photography feels to me.
When I look back at these images, despite not remembering much of the matches, I remember my mother's presence that night next to mine, and how she was encouraging me to either cheer or boo some of the wrestlers. I found that last part quite amusing because at that time I remember being super timid and quiet, so making noise for some reason that wasn't clear to me was a strange feat. So instead, I communicated what I felt by taking pictures. Here, you can see the crowd. You can notice the ring announcers and the referee. The colors of Kodak Ektar 100 are punchy enough that you can almost feel the atmosphere as you're looking at the photos (at least that's the effect that it has on me, and I can hear the crowd through the images too).
One cool thing that I appreciate about photography is that the people that matter most in my life and for which I care deeply, I tend to photograph them because I know it'll ease the pain when they're no longer here. When their time come, I'll have something to remember them by with all my senses. The pain will surely come like a raging wave, but at least it won't entirely flood my heart as I'll have their photos to remember them by always.
