Robin Claire Fox | Reflections

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away
~ Paul Simon, Kodachrome

Photography is inherently nostalgic. Every image taken is the capturing of a moment from the past. That moment no longer exists, just the memory of it and an analogue print or a digital impression trapped on an electronic device. Many modern photographers harbour longings for the saturated or contrasty renderings of images made with processes and media (like Kodachrome) long out of use or no longer in production. Quite a few of them try to recreate the look and feel of these processes digitally, running their captures through filters and algorithms to bring back the visual past. While many are overdone (why keep it at 3 when you can dial it up to 10?), there are a few who have mastered the ability to make us believe that we are viewing an image taken decades ago. The evocation of this photographic past is (I believe) an effort to physically reconnect with it in a way that seems familiar, safe and warm… like sitting with your family watching slides projections of photos from a vacation taken years ago.

Ancaster, Ontario’s Robin Fox started taking photographs around the time of the birth of her most recent child as a conscious attempt to document her family’s childhoods for her future self to enjoy. She is a natural at capturing the uncertainties alongside the joys of growing up. A huge fan of Saul Leiter’s colour work, she has found a method of perfectly capturing the deep saturation and contrast Leiter exhibited in his work with Kodachrome and other slide films[1] in the 1950’s. Her colour shots seem imbued with palettes that exist only in the memory of childhood, where everything was so much bigger and the world was awash with primary colours.

The photographs shown here are part of a series that employ the use of mirrors to both capture and frame the subjects. Like both Leiter and her other source of inspiration, photographer Sally Mann, she uses mirrors to add to the complexity of the image. “Mirrors add a sense of depth and a sense of mystery. These extra elements and layers add something that’s maybe a little bit unexpected… and open to interpretation.”

Fox plans to continue shooting with her children for the foreseeable future. “My family is accessible to me to take quick photos here and there… I feel comfortable photographing them for my personal work. I hope it’ll be something that will be meaningful to them in the years to come as it is certainly meaningful to me, and I’m grateful for their participation.”

You can see more of Robin Claire Fox’s work at robinclairefox.com and on her Instagram account @robinclairefox.

~ Mark Walton

[1] https://www.saulleiterfoundation.org/