Meet Kadeem Montgomery, aka phvrvohxo on Flickr. Kadeem is based out of Greater Portmore, Jamaica and his photography, primarily film, captures the essence of Jamaica in a way that only a film photographer with a deep connection to the culture can achieve.

Kadeem’s journey with photography began after leaving Barbados, back in 2009.  He said, “I studied art when I was in Barbados at school painting, drawing, sculpting and graphic design which led me to pick up a camera.” As he shifted from one art medium to another, photography eventually took hold and he used money earned from work as a graphic designer to purchase his first DSLR, a Nikon D3100 with a 18-55mm lens. He recalled, “Everyday I would take my camera and create images outside and inside my house. Shortly after, I got a job as a photographer at Beaches Resort.“ Kadeem worked as a photographer in several other resort settings and spent three years as a photographer with Royal Caribbean Cruises.

Today, Kadeem is a freelance photographer for both magazines & music artists, but his passion always comes back to Jamaica and analog photography. “One unique aspect of Jamaican life and culture analog photography captures differently than digital is the Dancehall culture,” Kadeem said.  “Film’s imperfections show you the raw truth of dancehall, most of that culture in Jamaica happens at night so it is dark and gritty, film grain enhances the textures of the fashion taking place in the dance. 

“Digital feels intrusive, flashing away with cameras taking thousands of pictures and phones making instagram stories while analog slows you down making these moments more intimate,” said Kadeem. “Dancehall origins in the streets and yards of Kingston-spaces often overlooked or stigmatized. Analog photography with its film grain, overexposed flash, occasional blur aesthetically aligns with this grittiness. The imperfection of analog mirrors the unpolished and rebellious ethos of dancehall itself. If dancehall is looking “too perfect” it can seem inauthentic.”

Film doesn’t flatter-it shows you as you are, with a kind of visual honesty digital often smooths over.

Ready to make a change from his early digital days to film, to stay true to his vision, Kadeem eventually began developing his own film. “In 2017, I got tired of shooting digitally and trying to make my images look like film. There were no film labs available in the island so when I had rolls of film I would shoot them once in a while and store them in the fridge. I decided I would develop my own film so I could shoot film all the time instead of digital. After watching hours of videos teaching about C-41 film developing and scanning I bit the bullet and bought a film developing kit and a scanner. It was expensive but once I did the math on how much I would save developing my own rolls it was a no brainer.”

Kadeem’s passion for film but also for Jamaican culture drives his artistic vision. He explained, “I want people to see the world that is often overlooked. Many people and places that exist at the heart of Jamaican culture: vendors, children in alleyways, dancers in the midnight glow of zinc fences-are rarely the focus of mainstream or global visual narratives. They’re often passed over, unseen or misscast as “poverty” or “chaos”.

As for other interests, while photography takes up a great deal of time, Kadeem reflects on his love for football. “I played in Barbados for my school’s UN19 team, then joined a local division 2 league side. Even played couple minutes in a game for the Baja national team.” An artist at heart, he has an appreciation for other forms of art as well and will sometimes add painting or sculpting to the mix.  

Kadeem’s been with Flickr for 16 years and through that time he’s appreciated having the ability to share his images with diverse people all over the world. “I’ve seen my images pop up in viral youtube videos because they were first seen on Flickr so it is a great place for exposure as a photographer.” If you’d like to keep up with what Kadeem, aka phvrvohxo is up to, the best places to reach him are Flickr, Instagram or via email thefilmgad@gmail.com.

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