This is where my journey with photography truly started. I was sixteen, living in Jeddah, and completely captivated by the strange magic of a Nikon FM10, a film camera that my brother got me. It was the first camera that I owned. To me, everything about it was new and felt special—so many moving parts, so many things that could go wrong, and just as many things that could go right.

As a perfectionist at the time, I loved not having control, not knowing how to use it, and not knowing whether a picture was taken or not. It was fun, addictive, and why I never felt the need to use another camera for years. Until accidentally dropping it on the stairs to one of the platforms at Redfern Station.

Film spoke to my slow, intentional nature. I had to trust my eye and wait to see the results. These photographs capture that early wonder.