A love letter to my youth

Wayverly Ong

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
I recently came back from a trip to Hong Kong and the Philippines, and I’m slowly compiling the film photos I’ve taken to share them in a zine sometime this year. The photos are a mix of film and digital, but I’ve always felt there’s something about film photography that pulls you into the scene, where you become a passive observer.

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on it?
I’ve always been hesitant to take photos in public for fear of being yelled at or shamed while trying to get the perfect frame. I’m well aware that knowing one’s time and place is important, but my recent travels have taught me to just take the shot sometimes. I never try to control the scene; I just let it unfold in front of me. If the person I’m trying to photograph notices me and spares a glance, I take the shot anyway. There’s a charm to being noticed by your subject.

What words, ideas or emotions were running through your head?
Both Hong Kong and Manila have strong emotional ties to my childhood and youth, especially Manila, as it’s my birthplace. Revisiting these two cities after living in Vancouver for quite a while has allowed me to see familiar spaces and places that have witnessed various eras of my life in a different light. I would very much like to call it a homecoming of sorts, but it’s also akin to becoming. I’ve grown up seeing these two cities as a child, and now that I’m well past that age, I have a newfound appreciation for them and how they’ve shaped me. I guess you could say I felt like a tourist in spaces that were once familiar to me.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
One of the days I was in the Philippines, I was in Cebu for a friend’s wedding. On the morning of the wedding, I heard Rivermaya’s “Umaaraw, Umuulan” playing on the radio while some workers were slowly putting up the wedding decor along the beachfront. It’s a song that basically says there are good days and bad days, and that tomorrow’s a new day.

During my recent trip, most of my film photos were taken during the day. However, the weather in Hong Kong was cloudy while I was there, and it even rained at one point. It goes to show that even though the setup may not have been perfect, it’s a matter of figuring out how to work with it regardless. Find the silver lining, and maybe I could have used the weather in a way that would have benefited my photos.

What’s been the most difficult thing you’ve faced recently in your creative process?
There are days when I feel like my photos aren’t getting the spotlight they deserve, and I fall into the slippery slope of comparing my work to others. Time and time again, I come back to the reason why I picked up this hobby in the first place: I needed an escape at the time and a creative outlet to rediscover myself. Photography was one of the few hobbies through which I realized I could translate my vision into something tangible.

Unfortunately, social media has a way of trivializing art by making it comparable through numbers or interactions, and I really wish that could change.

What is your favorite coffee shop and why do you like going there?
There’s a spot in Vancouver called Yuan Coffee, and they specialize in pour-overs. The shop offers a wide variety of coffee beans from roasters in different countries, most of which you can enjoy as a pour-over. The baristas are very knowledgeable and willing to help you find beans that suit your taste.

Despite the store’s white walls and minimal design, it somehow feels warm, inviting, and lived-in. On a sunny day, the windows eagerly let the light in, pouring warmth into the space, much like the coffee you’d surely enjoy.

Have you collaborated with any studios, labs, or workshops recently, or would you like to in the future?
I’d love to work with a lab at some point. I scan my own negatives in my own time, but I would very much love to learn how to develop film in the future. Knowing the intricacies of film development would give me a better appreciation for the craft.

Other than that, I’m part of a creative group in Vancouver called Busy Creatives. We usually host photo walks, workshops (our last one involved making our own leather camera straps), and social gatherings to meet other creatives in the city. Most locals in Vancouver agree that it’s difficult to make new friends, and Busy Creatives seeks to change that notion.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
I love the work of Kebs Cayabyab. He has such a unique eye for framing his photographs that he always makes me feel there’s no one way to view a scene. His diptychs give off such an uncanny valley vibe, and it’s something I don’t often see in photography.