Anthony Christie for Eights Brigade

Anthony Christie. Traveler, explorer, film photography jedi. 

We've been following Anthony's work for a while now and it's easy to see why. Get to know him a little bit below and take in the awesomeness of his work across America!

"I was fortunate to be given two Pentax film cameras for free from a Vietnam Veteran"

I’ve been shooting film for over four years now. I always had an interest in photography which started when I got my first decent Nikon camera for a summer trip to Europe back in 2005. But it wasn’t until 2009/2010 while living in Vancouver, Canada that I became interested in film photography. In particular I was inspired by Joel Birch (vocalist of Australian band, The Amity Affliction) who was using an old Konica Minolta at the time and taking photos while touring with his band. I loved the colours and the look he was getting from various film types which encouraged me to jump into film but also to learn the basics of photography (iso, shutter speed, aperture etc). After coming back to Australia I was fortunate to be given two Pentax film cameras for free from a Vietnam Veteran who had since upgraded to digital.




I then spent a good two years shooting with these cameras and a combination of different film brands through trial and error learning about what I liked and didn’t like. Finally, I made the step up into medium format film with the purchase of a Mamiya 7 rangefinder in mid 2012 and have never looked back.
There are a number of reasons I shoot film. Firstly I love the look of it, a certain look which is find is hard to replicate in digital format. Secondly I love my camera. The combination of an easy-to-use body with one of the best lenses in the world (rivals Leica and Zeiss glass) means the results you can achieve are phenomenal. Thirdly I love the way film makes me work shot as a photographer. There is a limited number of shots per roll making it vital not to waste a frame. I feel that I am also more present, ready to capture the decisive moment rather then constantly looking a small screen to see how the shot turned out.

I’ve been fortunate to combine two of my passions in life which are photography and travelling. Over the past few years I’ve taken my Mamiya 7 to numerous countries across North and Central America and also Europe to capture amazing landscapes and interesting people. Along the way I’ve also worked on a number of photography series. In particular I shot a 25 portrait series of friends and family from Australia, Canada and the USA and a series of images from two road trips (I, II) through the deserts of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Then there are the small projects like photographing bikes, cars and ocean pools around Sydney or family portraits at my parents farm in Queensland. I find, no matter how big or small it may be, that working on focused series of images continues to keep me creative, inspired and to push my photography further then before.



Looking towards the future and the rest of 2015, I‘ve got plans in the works on a number of photography series with different themes but nothing I can share just yet. I’m also looking at travelling again to Europe for a bit this summer but fail that, making the big move to Berlin in 2016 just before I turn 30 to enjoy the European life plus visit all the amazing locations I haven’t had the fortune of visiting just yet.


http://www.anthonychristie.com
Instagram: @anthonychristie1


(Images) This a selection of images from my ‘Into The Desert’ series. Taken during multiple road trips through the deserts of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah visiting national parks along the way.


Ollie Khedun for Eights Brigade