It has always been a dream of mine to publish my own zine, ever since I started shooting films.
I was unsure which films to bring with me to Iceland because I knew there would be so many great places to explore and photograph. I brought practically every film in my fridge since I was concerned about running out of films to shoot. The ISO that would be suitable for the weather that day heavily influenced my choice of film. In the majority of cases, I used films with a higher ISO. The same thing happened with my film cameras. I carried all of my film cameras with me: Zenza Bronica SQ-A, Nikon F3, and Nikon AF600, even though I knew it would make my life more challenging during those long hikes. The effort paid off, and the hardship was definitely worth it.
(Song: Kim, Tollan. Kudasaibeats. “Aesthetic.” 2022.)
After returning from the trip, I struggled for months to know where to begin or how to organize hundreds of photos into a book. There were several more challenges that kept me from completing this sooner than I would have liked. One of them was deciding on the theme for this zine. Yes, I took a lot of decent photos on this trip, but the hardest part was figuring out what connected them and how they all linked with one another. I ended up organizing the photographs in a photo journal or somewhat scrapbook style, as opposed to the more popular zine design, and simply mixing my personal views and feelings with it. I admit that it was a little cheesy, but I really wanted to use the most creative way I knew to express how significant this trip was and how it has influenced my film journey to this day. Even I was shocked by the style I used in this zine, but I suppose a part of me wanted to express a deeper side of myself—something I seldom do.
Technical specifications of the Zine:
Size: 6” x 8.25” portrait
Binding: Perfect Bound
Inside: 100 pages, 70lb Text-Satin, full color
Cover: 110lb - Satin, Matte Lamination
Printed with Mixam
