“12 Months in a Year. 12 Ways of Seeing.”

This is the “tag line” on the website for the 12.12 Project. Have you heard of it? Well if you haven’t, I’m here to tell you about it today. Take 12 female film photographers, add 12 monthly themes and a dash of instant film. The result is magic. The project was conceived by Nashville, Tennessee film photographer Penny Felts, and I had an opportunity recently to ask her a little bit about the inspiration behind this collaboration.

1. Tell us about the origins of this project? What inspires your monthly themes? 

Recently, I shot a photo of a model friend of mine, and then noticed that it looked really similar to one that I had shot a while back with a different model. I realized at that point that I was feeling pretty stagnant, and needed a plan to freshen things up a bit. I decided to write to some of my female contacts and propose a project. I chose 11 women who shoot instant film, and whose work I adore. I am grateful that they accepted. We each had just one theme to choose during the year. We are supposed to choose something that is challenging and takes us out of our comfort zone.

KatWhite_TheStranger

“The Stranger” by Kat White

8879427891_8f9efbcfe7_z

“Blind Silence” by Marion Lanciaux

RhiannonAdam

“The Great Divide” by Rhiannon Adam

Sarah Seene

“Prisoner in the Hand” by Sarah Seené

2.  What do you love most about seeing all the different interpretations of the theme word each month?

Honestly, my favorite part of this group is just how diverse we are. We share our photos privately on the first of each month, and I can’t wait to see what everyone has done.

Emilie Lefellic Stranger to myself

“Stranger to Myself” by Emilie Lefellic

Penny Felts

“Sunny Side Up” by Penny Felts

Carmen De Vos

“Queen of Hearts / Queen of Diamonds” by Carmen De Vos

Amanda Mason

“The Guest” by Amanda Mason

3.  Tell us how instant film inspires you!

I fell in love with instant film as a child. It’s magic. It’s soft and dreamy, which is how I choose to see the world. I started shooting with it just a few years before Polaroid went out of business. I was devastated like many other people. When The Impossible Project started making film, the sun started shining again. They have made some beautiful films along the way, and the newest Color Protection films are amazing. I for one, am grateful for them.

Stranger in the city - Emilie Trouillet

“Stranger in the City” by Emilie Trouillet

Rachael Baez_TransitionAngel

“Such a Delightful Creature” by Rachael Baez

Agascha Polynchuk

“Nymphalis Pulchra (To Maria Sibylla with love)” by Agafia Polynchuk

Maritza de la Vega

“From Within” by Maritza de la Vega

4.  These photos are truly amazing works of art. Tell us who the photographers are and how we can see more of their work?

The  photographers are:

Agafia Polynchuk, Berlin, Germany–Facebook

Emilie Trouillet, Rambouillet, France–Flickr

Marion Brossard Lanciaux, Paris, France–Facebook, Flickr

Katherine White, Sydney, Australia–Website, Facebook

Maritza de la Vega, New York, USA–Website, Tumblr

Amanda Mason, Sydney, Australia–Website, Flickr

Rhiannon Adam, London, UK–Website

Emilie Lefellic, Paris, France–Flickr

Sarah Seené, Poitiers, France–Facebook, Tumblr

Racheal Baez, Wollongong, Australia–Website

Carmen De Vos, Gent, Belgium–Website

Penny Felts, Nashville, TN, USA–Tumblr

Penny, thank you so much for sharing a little more about this amazing collaboration with us! Dear Readers, if you would like to see more of the magic of the 12.12 Project please do check out their website and their Facebook page.

Happy Film Friday everyone, and have a great weekend!

~Christy | Urban Muser