Kusal is a Christchurch born and raised film photographer. He works as a software engineer developing mobile apps, and in his spare time, he applies himself to design and photography commissions. These outlets combined see him jumping around between different creative spaces, but he spends most his time and money on film photography.

Getting into photography two years ago through his girlfriend Min, Kusal has had a passion for it ever since. "I tried to learn as much as I could, so I got her a good camera for her birthday one year. The plan was to shoot heaps of photos of her friends and family, print them, and get each person to write on their respective photos. That was my first taste of photography," Kusal says.

Primarily shooting film, Kusal says that it helps him shoot with intention, making him genuinely think about what he's shooting. "The small light leaks, grain, and slight imperfections are all things I value when looking back at a roll."

Just like many other photographers, the highlight for Kusal is the rush of getting a roll back. He shoots a bit of everything from people to nature, architecture to art. From half-frame to medium format, it's hard to find him without a film camera. "I love playing around with different natural lighting settings on subjects. Most of the time I end up taking photos of the people around me. Snapping moments and being able to come back and feel the warmth of that time is hard to beat," Kusal says.

We are lucky enough to have Kusal share his photography with us, feast your eyes onto his incredible images and learn about the stories behind them.

I met a man named Shy, who made shoes in Chiang Mai. While Emma and Gina had a yarn to him, I couldn't help snap a pic. He was probably one of the funniest and cheekiest dudes we met while out. I took heaps of shots while out in about in Thailand, but this is probably one of my favourites. We bought some shoes from him and came back to see him each time we were out and about.

My girlfriend Min is a huge driver and inspiration to my practice. Min studied Fine Arts with a focus on sculpture. While watching her experiment with her practice, she encouraged me to shoot and look at the world through a lens. She ends up being caught on a lot of film as a result of being around me so often too. Min jumping into Lake Rua encapsulates my favourite summer. It was one of the last few warm days of summer at the start of 2019, and I was convinced to drive out to Lake Rua after work for a quick dip. We just happened to be blessed with an amazing golden hour which let me snap this reminiscent shot.

These are two of my best mates Ieuan and Lizzie. We were on our way to Queenstown for a mid-winter break and stopped out at Tekapo as tradition states. This shot was snapped while Ieuan was protesting having to get out of the car while Lizzie has a wee laugh. I take photos of everything but my favourite things to capture 9/10 times are mates. They are pretty used to me pointing old cameras at them, which makes it a lot easier for me to catch them in moments like these.

Min and I spent a wee bit of time in Auckland last year and stayed with our mate Liz out in Devonport. We caught the ferry in and out every day where the lighting would shine in so white and blue. Last year Min and I started a project called Kumin. The idea behind Kumin is to slow down the typical clothing use cycle by giving old clothes a renewed purpose and value through the addition of unique and one-off modifications. We want people to have clothing that means something to them so they can use it for as long as they can. This comes in the form of embroidery, screen printing or some other type modification.

My favourite thing to shoot with but almost least used is my Bronica ETR because it's so sturdy and looking through the viewfinder feels like you're looking at the entire world as if it were a 3D movie.

Min peering through Helena McCondach's sculpture that was one of the winners of the SCAPE Public Art Re:Activate competition.

A small rest while walking down Fitzroy.

This shot is from December while Min and I were in Melbourne to see The Temper Trap. We spent a week there and used up a lot of time just hanging around Fitzroy. Ducking in and out of all the Op shops and second-hand stores kept us busy for a while. This shot was from one of the second-hand stores; it was kind of funny looking at a lot of huge things around and acting like we were likely to bring them back to CHCH in our hand luggage.

This is my mate Hannah Everingham at the Wunderbar over in Lyttelton. Shooting in dark spaces like this with film without a flash is super challenging but so cool when you get something like this out of it. Hannah was opening up for There's a Tuesday and what a set from both of them! I've caught Hannah a couple of times on film while she was performing, but I would say this is my favourite.

Last up is a taste from a series of shots I've taken over the past two years all focused on framing buildings in Christchurch in a warm, living light. The aim of the series is to bring a slightly different sense of comfort to these new yet familiar city features. It's turning out to be one of those never-ending projects, but I'm determined to tie it off at some point eventually!

Kusal and his love for film