178 ☼ A Portrait of Time: Family Portraits on Large Format Film
Giveaway: Excire x Process + MOVING SALE
Dear friends,
This week, I’m sharing a deeply personal project: a family portrait shoot with my father, his siblings, and their partners, captured on large-format film five years ago.
With recent health scares these portraits have taken on even more meaning. Below, I’ll tell you why I shot them, how we did it, and why I’m finally sharing them now.
And to wrap things up: a new Memory Retrieved featuring a special skateboard image I shot in Los Angeles—later licensed by one of my favorite clothing brands—and a Process x Excire Giveaway! But first…
Moving Sale – 15% Off My Books for 3 Days!
I’m moving house, and to celebrate (and, to lighten the load), I’m running a 3-day moving sale! The more books you order, the fewer I have to haul up to the fourth floor.
Use code PROCESSMOVING2025 at checkout for 15% off all physical books—but only on February 2, 3, and 4! That’s €6 off NJV1 and €10 off NOTICE. <3
The Family We Hold Onto
Five years ago, I had the privilege of making large-format portraits of my father, his siblings, and their partners at one of their annual sibling gatherings—a gathering they’ve kept alive despite living in different parts of the Netherlands and Belgium.
Why share this now? Some projects need time to marinate and rest before finding purpose and meaning. This one felt too personal to rush. With some recent health scares in the family, these portraits have become more meaningful. So I decided it was time to finally release these. Even the family hadn’t seen them yet until now.
The Idea
This shoot was driven by time—both the urgency of capturing my father and his siblings while they were still healthy and active, and the deliberate patience of using large-format film to make something lasting. Two of his siblings already passed away many years before I thought up this project, which made it a bit bittersweet.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in photography: never wait. Light fades in minutes, moments disappear, and sometimes, people do too.
The Setup
The portraits were taken at a hotel/restaurant where my family gathered for their annual “Sibling Day.” I brought an Intrepid 4x5 camera, a Fujinon WS 150mm 6.3 lens, and a box of Kodak Tri-X 320 film. I also invited Austin Fassino, my friend and experienced large-format photographer, to come assist me.
I wanted to keep it simple and intimate, borrowing from Richard Avedon’s approach: I stood next to the camera, engaging with my family and holding the shutter release, while Austin pulled focus under the dark cloth and I pushed the shutter when I felt the moment was right to capture everyone's personality and essence.
We made portraits of thirteen people, some in single takes, others in two or three, because I wasn’t sure if I had nailed the focus or if someone had moved. Large format is slow and finicky—I won’t lie, I don’t love the process itself (loading film in a dark bag is its own form of torture). But the results? They’re worth every struggle.
The Results
I love the level of detail and humanity in these portraits. I have known these folks my entire life and I feel everyone is truly themselves in these portraits. I could have done a shoot like this with a medium format or 35mm camera, but I don’t think I could ever have produced the same beautiful, real, and deeply human results. To me, these are more than portraits—they’re pieces of history for my family.
Why Now?
I let these sit for five years because I needed distance to appreciate them fully. Over the course of the last year, there have been some serious medical episodes with several family members, which brought this project back up for me. Revisiting them now, I’m struck by how much they mean to me. And, surprisingly, I feel inspired to try large format again in the future. Austin, you ready?
A Thank You
This project couldn’t have happened without the generosity of Kodak Alaris who helped me out with the film, Intrepid who made the camera available, and Samuel Ilie who generously let me borrow his beautiful lens. I’m endlessly grateful to Austin Fassino for being an amazing assistant and collaborator throughout, and to my family for allowing me to capture these moments. Also a shout out to Samuel Ilie who lend me his beautiful lens for this project.
Your Turn
Have you ever taken photos of your family that hold a special place in your heart? If so, what makes them meaningful to you? Hit reply—I’d love to hear your story.
If you haven’t yet, this week might be the perfect time to try. And it doesn't have to be large-format. Use what you have, whether it’s your phone, a digital camera, or any kind of film camera.
I’m so grateful to have these portraits in my family’s history, and I hope this inspires you to capture something meaningful with your loved ones too.
Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this issue, feel free to share it with a friend.
And don’t forget: Use code PROCESSMOVING2025 at checkout for 15% off all physical books— only on February 2, 3, and 4! Visit the shop here.
Let’s keep shooting, learning, and sharing together—one messy, human step at a time.
Warmly,
Wesley
NEXT WEEK: As part of my 2025 goal to professionalize and streamline my workflow, I’m taking stock of the software and tools I use—both for creative work and the business side of photography. What stays, what goes, and why.
This Week’s Gear and Lab
Camera: Intrepid 4x5 Large-Format Camera, and a Fujinon WS 150mm 6.3 lens.
Shout out to MPB.com, my go-to for buying and selling used gear—they’re fantastic. Easy, fast, and everything comes with a 6-month warranty
Lab: My film is processed and scanned by Carmencita Film Lab, whose care and consistency I trust completely. They’re the best. Use code “PROCESS” at checkout for a free upgrade on your next order.
Memory Retrieved — A Process x Excire Giveaway
I’ve been diving into my photo archive with software program Excire, using a keyword suggested by a Process reader. This month’s keyword is "leaping," courtesy of reader
! It brought up 4031 images and I picked the one below to highlight.
I shot this in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, sometime in September 2015, while wandering through that strange, beautiful, and somewhat unhinged circus of a place. A fever dream where cartoonish muscle guys, Baywatch-style bikini legends, skaters, tourists, and grizzled old locals all swirl together in a cocktail of chaos and sunshine. I was on a photo walk, no particular mission, just doing what I do—taking pictures of anything that caught my eye, which, in a place like Venice, is everything.
A few months later, J.Crew licensed this photo. They were one of my favorite clothing brands, so that felt like a cool little full-circle moment. But at the time I shot it? Just another day chasing images and light, following my curiosity.
Congrats to Paul, who wins a free copy of Excire!
Starting in March, I’ll be back with new ways to explore my archives using Excire—unearthing hidden gems, past projects, and more.
Excire is an AI-powered tool that makes your photo archive searchable by keyword, saving you hours of work. Process readers get 15% off with the code PROCESS at checkout. Check out Excire here —highly recommended.
🗃️ Browse the Process Archives for back issues.
📜 Read the Process Manifesto.
Thank you Neil!
Thank you for sharing these lovely family portraits with everyone. I cannot agree with you more that taking photos of your family and loved ones is of utmost importance.
In mid-November, I had several rolls of film developed including a roll of 120 that had been sitting on one of our bookshelves. I’d completely lost track of what was on it. When I got the negatives and scans back, I found that roll had three photos I will treasure forever. Three photos of my father in our backyard on July 4, 2021, one with my stepdaughter, one with my son, and one with my wife. My dad passed away 9 months after those were taken so to get three new photos of him with my family was a true gift that I unknowingly gave myself.