Mhavic | Tokyo
Mhavic is a film photographer from London currently based in Tokyo. She uses architecture, car culture, suburban details and unrealised stories to frame her atmospheric images.
How did you first get into photography?
I was in uni studying Spatial Design and I was doing a site research at the Courtauld Gallery in London, where I'm from. I was trying to study the architectural details but I wanted to focus on the form only, and so that's when I had the idea to photograph it in black and white.
I used my first camera ever, a Contax T2, which I bought one for me and one for my boyfriend at the time as he was into film and all of that, and I loaded it with an Ilford HP5. That's genuinely how I first got into photography.
What subjects or themes do you most enjoy photographing and why?
I enjoy capturing quiet moments outside especially when I'm on one of my slow strolls. I try to take my time to be present and soak in what's around me; it's very therapeutic. I will notice a tired-looking empty box in an alley but the sun is shining on it as if to give it some of its energy, or large rows of exhaust vents cladded on the side of a building and it's technically its own sort of bronchi but on the outside, or a tarp blowing on top of a car and you can just about make out that it's a Nissan Skyline R34.
I think these details in our little simulated world are characters as well and have stories to tell and so I try to earnestly capture that. But I'm also just drawn to signages with cool graphics, or a dilapidated shop façade, or cool cars, or hedges with funky bodies.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through photography?
What you see changes if you change the way you look at it, fr.
For example, I may be taking a photo of a boring old window and there's nothing particularly interesting about it, and a passerby might look at me and think, "What the bloody hell is so special about that window?" They carry on walking and wondering if I've never seen a window before (lol) but what they don't see is the window acting as a picture frame.
It's obvious now when I point it out or when you see the final result because the idea has been presented to you, but until you slow down and reflect for a moment that this window could be something else other than what it is then you'll always see it as just a window.
What advice would you give to your younger self when you were starting out in photography?
Check the shutter speed, that's why some of your shots are coming out blurry. And bulk buy more film because that shit will hike up in price.
How has photography changed your perspective on the world?
Being an observer of the world with a film camera in my hand has taught me that you don't have to force it to see something special in anything.
Sometimes your eyes just go that way and a little flicker of "ooh" or "eep" appears and your hand is just quick enough to get your camera up to your face to look through that viewfinder, frame it and catch it.
But then many times that flicker only lasts for one beat and then it's gone. That moment was not meant to be captured; it was just for your eyes for that split second and that's also fine. Savour it and keep it moving.
What message do you hope to convey through your photography to other women?
Photography is not as intimidating as it may seem. Sure, there are some technical aspects of using a camera but even with just a point and shoot you can produce captivating images. Just use what you got -- any camera and your personal view of the world.
