My name is Ainsley Myles a British-born photographer currently residing in Taiwan.
My background is in filmmaking. I slowly transitioned into photography by teaching myself how to use an Olympus OM1 that a friend gifted to me.
I have always been interested in visual storytelling, whether that be via video or photo. The reason I seem to gravitate more towards photography these days, started when I moved to Taiwan. I didn’t have any friends; I didn’t know anybody but I wanted to travel and see the country. So, I started a YouTube series entitled ’36 Views of…’ where I would travel to different places and shoot and share an entire roll of film
from that location.
This not only allowed me to practice and experiment with analog photography in different environments and circumstances, but it was also a way for me to visually tell stories without needing anybody else or a team of people.
Photo by Ainsley Myles
Portra 800
Photo by Ainsley Myles
Portra 400
It took me a while to learn the ins and outs of film photography, but the main reason I fell in love with this art is because I would never take the same scene twice just to get the shot – once I pressed that shutter, it was over and I would move on. There is a beauty in having a single moment to either get the shot or miss it.
I personally think this take on photography really captures the essence of what photography means to me – capturing a moment. I am not intending for perfection, in fact it’s quite the opposite, I want to capture exactly
what I am seeing with my eyes.
I used to think I didn’t have a style or that I couldn’t define what my style throughout my work, it was only through consistently shooting that people, friends or fellow photographers had always mentioned that they have a sense of loneliness or solitude throughout my work.
As analog photography increases in popularity, I personally think beginners or enthusiasts should take this approach to photography – the only way to learn how to master the shot that you want, is through trial and error. There is no better feeling than being able to look back at old photos and seeing how much you’ve improved. I still find it hard to define my work, hitting that shutter button makes me happy and I love preserving memories by taking pictures
– that’s all that matters to me.
Photo by Ainsley Myles
TRI-X 400