Process: Two Years of Building Ottawa’s Film Photography Community with Do It For The Grain
There’s a limitless number of ways to share your ideas and art with the world these days, but somehow it’s also true that it’s way harder and more overwhelming to do so than ever before. With so much creation going on within digital spaces, who (or what) ultimately decides what gets seen or heard? How does somebody go about sharing their work in a meaningful way that will reach the right audience? And what does all that mean for traditional, physical artistic spaces?
Do It For The Grain (DIFTG), a not-for-profit organization here in Ottawa, has made it their mission to embrace these questions in the name of creating accessible opportunities for analog photography lovers. They’ve spent the last two years building a community that empowers and promotes local film photographers with print sales, workshops, and a now-monthly zine publication. I had the opportunity to chat with founder Kenneth Charlebois on the community they’ve built and continue to facilitate, the importance of accessibility in artistic pursuits, and their two-year anniversary show on now at Possible Worlds.
S, Maxine. My Love Affair With Everywhere #5. 2020, pigment ink print on cotton broadcloth.
Tell us about DIFTG’s origin story. How did you know Ottawa was ready for an organization like this?
“I started DIFTG's zine as a means for aspiring Ottawa-based photographers to present and promote their work offline. I had been grappling about where to post my own work and grew weary of choosing between all the available web platforms. Since I wanted to showcase analog photography, and art is inherently contextual, it made sense for the project to take an accessible physical form that could be distributed locally.
To make sure I was on the right track, the project started with a crowdfunding campaign to cover the cost of a printer and supplies to produce five issues. This campaign also ensured the zine could be produced without advertisements. Crowdsourcing went well, and we surpassed our goal despite the campaign only lasting two weeks. While creating a Kickstarter campaign, you're asked what you will do if you exceed your goal. This got the gears turning and led me to the idea of starting an affordable community darkroom and studio space - facilities that are sorely lacking in Ottawa.”
It’s really neat that, in a way, it was an online mechanism that helped guide you towards what would become Do It For The Grain’s very non-digital mandate. What would you say is the core philosophy behind DIFTG’s work?
“DIFTG is all about accessibility. Our mandate is to provide services and opportunities to those for whom traditional offerings are out of reach, and to show the work of those who don't regularly exhibit. We aim to promote a wide range of artists, subjects, and styles to create a rich and vibrant community. We registered as a not-for-profit in the fall and are on our way to becoming a charitable organization to become eligible for more funding opportunities, keep costs down, and follow through with our mandate.”
That makes a lot of sense. There are so many possibilities in terms of sharing your art these days, but your ability to showcase it in the best context possible really depends on so many factors. When it comes to photography, there are so many options in terms of format and style and genre out there for people to choose from today. To you, what’s the appeal of film photography? Why do you think that there has been such a resurgence in its popularity lately?
“Personally, I turned to film because digital photography always left me wanting more. I found myself trying to imitate images I had seen, but I couldn't afford the equipment required to match the technical quality of ‘professional’ photos. I would also find myself taking far too many photos for so few ‘keepers.’ When I got back into film, it took a few rolls to kick the old habit, but I quickly became more satisfied with my images. It taught me what to expect, enabled me to view my work more critically and develop a style, and has frankly made me a better photographer. The process was immediately intuitive, kept my impatience in check, and the end results always keep me coming back. I also appreciate the ratio of technical quality to entry cost; I don't worry about whether my camera will survive being thrown in a backpack for a week of adventure.
I think there are many factors to the resurgence of film, from the aesthetics to its physical nature. Many people I’ve met through DIFTG are drawn in by the mechanical quality of old cameras, appreciating the non-disposable, obsolescence-immune nature of the classic swiss-watch-precise SLR or rangefinder. The huge discrepancy in price between advanced (but plastic) 90s cameras and relatively primitive (but metal) 70s cameras is evidence of that; however, the abundance of ‘film vibe’ editing presets and filters make it clear that the end result is more important to some people.”
Camps, MaryAnn. Passage 3. 2020, acrylic transfer on polyester film.
I find that so interesting; there’s certainly an obvious preoccupation with bringing the aesthetics of older tech, like film photography, into new technologies.
In terms of the many submissions you receive to your zine, how do you go about curating the images DIFTG uses in each of your monthly publications? Do you ever have a theme in mind prior to looking through submissions?
“Curation has been a learning experience for me. I had some ideas of how to curate when starting, but learned with experience. Yuli Sato was a guest curator in February 2020 and became co-curator for every issue since. She has a BFA in photography and experience with shows and zines, so her involvement made a lot of sense. My initial approach was to group images with a fairly literal common thread, but her intuitive sense of storytelling through images has improved the overall quality of the zine. Her first issue was also our first themed issue, though the theme was decided after seeing the submissions. From then on, we played with announcing calls for submissions with particular themes and have settled on having pre-themed issues every two-to-three months to keep restrictions to a minimum while still hopefully providing some inspiration and direction. Most of our ‘non-themed’ issues still have an underlying commonality between the images, but we leave it up to the viewer to interpret it. Of course, the submissions we receive make a big difference and drive our decisions.”
The fact that the zine is so flexible in reflecting artists’ work is such a wonderful thing; it seems as though DIFTG really emphasizes accessibility throughout its website. The pay-what-you-can function on the subscription page is really cool. During these uncertain times especially, why do you think it’s so important to make accessibility a key priority?
“DIFTG started as a 100% freely distributed zine and has always been a way for artists to promote their work and for others to find inspiration - it was never intended to be a product. It was available for fifteen-to-twenty small businesses across the city, and it wasn't until volume two (October 2019) that we launched subscriptions for those living outside of the downtown core. It became crucial to distribute the publication when COVID hit, but we didn't want to take it away from those who couldn't afford it, especially since the pandemic has been financially tough on many. We determined our materials and postage cost per issue and used it to suggest a rate for subscriptions. Many people donate on top of the suggested rate, and a few people need to go a bit under or request free copies. In the end, honesty and generosity balance it out, and now we mail out nearly as many zines as we used to distribute.”
Accessibility and art don’t seem to go hand in hand as often as they should, so the fact that this setup works for you is a true testament to how great an idea it is.
DIFTG celebrated its one-year birthday around the same time that the pandemic hit Ottawa. How have social distancing measures (and the pandemic as a whole) impacted how you carry out your work? Has the pandemic had an impact on the type – or volume – of submissions you receive?
“We felt incredibly lucky to be able to hold our last vernissage; I think it was less than a week before every kind of event was cancelled. At that time, we were two sessions deep in our pop-up darkroom workshop series at House of Common Studio and starting to look for a location to open a permanent space. Our old business plan was based on holding in-person events and workshops, but we quickly adjusted to virtual spaces after COVID. Of course, this is not without challenges as our focus is deeply rooted in the physical realm, but we've adapted by increasing our social media presence, developing a website to host our current exhibition, among other things, and are working with professional artists on a new workshop series. It's been interesting to see the progression in submissions over the past twelve months. Around this time last year, there were a lot more indoor photos, and when summer rolled around, there seemed to be an increase in outdoorsy images. Not unusual for the seasons, but it seemed more pronounced this year.”
Credit: @yulisato
What do you see down the road for DIFTG in the coming weeks, months, years? Is there anything you’d like to have done in time for your third anniversary?
“With this anniversary, we started publishing limited-run zines highlighting the work of specific artists. It's been a bit more work than expected, but also really fulfilling! I'd like to keep it up because I believe artists' zines can have a wider reach and help with our goal to develop Ottawa's artistic reputation on a larger scale. As previously mentioned, I'm also excited to expand and adapt our workshop series. There's something so satisfying about creating resources to help local photographers grow, regardless of their financial situation. Since there's finally a slight degree of certainty with the pandemic, we're again looking at darkroom/studio/community spaces and plan on having it up and running by this time next year.”
As you mentioned earlier, creating an accessible community darkroom and studio space is a goal. Why is this specifically important to you?
“The demand for more accessible services in the region has been the driving force behind creating a community space. The overwhelmingly positive response to our workshop series showed that many artists need accessible resources and services locally. The social element to our events has also been important. We love hearing about people who have met either virtually or in-person through DIFTG; some people have found each others' work through our Instagram feed or by striking up a conversation at a workshop or vernissage. Although the pandemic makes it a bit tricky, we intend for the future space to act as a social hub of sorts. Running more workshops will also enable us to provide paid opportunities for professional artists to teach and share their skills.”
It’s clear that DIFTG has grown so much over such a short span of time, and you’re only just beginning. To you, what are some of the most exciting or unexpected ways that DIFTG has evolved over the past two years?
“I'm glad we finally made the jump to publishing the zine monthly this year. It was bound to happen eventually, and I think it has forced us into a better rhythm and adds legitimacy to the organization. We've been receiving enough submissions to create monthly zines for a while, but developing a website and systems to manage subscriptions, submissions, print sales, and general info has made it much easier. Although it may seem a bit dry, creating the website has been quite a learning experience. I also have to say the positive response to our publication has been encouraging. It seems like such a small niche, and it's been uncertain all along, but every month we get more subscribers, followers, and submissions than the previous, so we must be doing something right!”
Having an easy-to-navigate web presence is really important, I think, especially in the name of accessibility.
Last question: tell me about the two-year anniversary show going on now at Possible Worlds. What’s the significance of the name “Process”?
“The theme ‘Process’ took a little while to come up with, but we thought it was the perfect balance between the experimental and improvisational aspects of analog photography, meshing well with Possible Worlds' ethos, and fitting to the adaptations we've all made over the past year. As with all of our curation, we took care to choose a range of photographers with unique styles, and the theme helped make sense of it all. For our previous exhibitions, we selected images that had been published in the zine, but this time, we put out a call for submissions specifically for the show. It was an interesting challenge, and we learned a lot from it.
The exhibition features seven artists, each showing one or two pieces. Space was limited, so we had to be very selective. We feel lucky to have been able to display such a wide range of photographers, from new and emerging artists such as Maxine S and Alexia-Leana Kokozaki to long-time DIFTG collaborators like Nicolai Gregory to photographers with some of the biggest names in the city like MaryAnn Camps and Olivia Johnston.”
Credit: DIFTG
Hearing Kenneth’s perspective on Do It For The Grain’s work gave me a lot to think about in terms of our craving for the physical in an increasingly digital world. Our everyday realities are becoming more and more steeped in virtuality, and this has never been more true than in the past year. Necessity has forced us to move so many aspects of our daily lives into mediated spaces, and at best, it’s been an unusual experience. (There’s a reason we truly all hate the word “unprecedented” now.)
Do It For The Grain’s continuous growth in popularity speaks to a fact that has only become truer with time: in the face of all that is digital, people also need tangible things to engage with, think about, and love. And when answering that need in an accessible manner is the foundation to the work they do, it has the capacity to have a powerful impact on both photographers and viewers alike.
While in-person viewing of Process at Possible Worlds is now closed due to lockdown, a video tour of the exhibit is available for the next month on Do It For The Grain’s website.
Credit: DIFTG