All images and words by Khunya Pan. Used with permission.

These photos are the result of me taking my camera anywhere and everywhere for the past 7 years. Some are street photography, some are intimate moments with my wife; the one with the rifle was technically a shoot. However, I like to get as candid of photos as possible: the one of my father looking into his lightbox creation, the grackles, the horse, the women looking over the fence.

Tri-X has always been my go-to film and it is a classic for a reason. It’s extremely forgiving in exposure latitude and perfect for your everyday shooting. It pushes to 1600 ISO very well, and if you put an ND filter on your lens and you can get some great shallow depth of field photographs in bright daylight—but with that classic Tri-X grain structure.

What makes black and white photography so important to you?

The tonality and texture are what always brings me back. The look and feel that all the different emulsions have to offer, combined with developing techniques and the wealth of selection of film cameras & lenses means you’re always guaranteed to come up with something creative.

What inspires you to create photographs?

I run a weekly called “Khunya’s Photo a Week”, this keeps me motivated to continually practice and hone my skills. I have also started to amass a collection of photo books from famous (and non-famous) photographers to bring inspiration. I highly recommend purchasing a few photo books instead of gear. The camera will never make you a better photographer, but inspiration always will.

Why is black and white photography so important to our future in the art
world?

It is the purest and most intimate form of photography. When a photograph is captured on film, you are freezing a moment in time that would otherwise only live in your memory. The science behind it still gets me excited to this day and I could go on about it for weeks. Photography is the only way to truly capture the human condition and beyond—it is the most accurate form of real life expression and it is a beautiful thing.

You can view my website , along with my and .