Merdeka Portraits – 9 & 10 Aug
Photo-walk Special – 16 Aug
PRV Meetup & Launch – 17 Aug
Merdeka Portraits, Art Market - 22-23 or 30-31 Aug
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Kanta.Studio is a special photo studio practising traditional silverprint photography. Offering unique black & white portrait photographs through a darkroom process, each one is hand-printed instantly. In 2025, Jeff has established a new photo studio space in GMBB Kuala Lumpur, Darkroom in Brickfields and a mobile Fotografik Van studio, adding on to his Portraiture photography practise.
First started as an art project by Jeffrey Lim in 2012, followed by participating at art markets around Kuala Lumpur, producing instant hand-prints and conducting art workshops.
Portrait sessions events are now held monthly at the new space in GMBB KL, as well as darkroom workshops, registration here. Although the photo studio is still not fully functional, private sessions or on-location shoot can be booked. Sessions are still held bi-monthly at art markets.
A portrait session will take about 30-60 minutes. The photographs are printed on silver gelatin paper using traditional hand-printing methods. Private sessions are open throughout the week, by appointment, send an enquiry or make a booking here via Whatsapp.
Through Jeffrey Lim’s art research project, Kanta, he has built unique box cameras and photographed portraits since 2012 in rural Malaysia, Borneo included, Taiwan and Japan. The uniqueness of his alternative process with Black & White photography enables the exposures to be printed instantly on Silver Gelatin paper.
Silver print portrait, taken with Box Camera, 4 x 5 inch print mounted on acid-free backing card, Ilham Gallery, 2022.
S I L V E R P R I N T P H O T O G R A P H Y
Silver Halide or Silver Gelatin print is the common type of black and white photograph of the 20th century. It is hand processed in a controlled darkroom environment and requires optical and chemical development to process out the image in print. Silver prints have archival properties and are now considered a historical process. To produced hand printed silverprints today is such a rarity in practise and a unique traditional process.
BW hand-print sizes available (ready instantly within session)
4 x 5 / 5 x 7 / 8 x 10 inches
Other formats available via special request and with additional darkroom processing.
Make a booking through our Whatsapp here.
K A N T A . S T U D I O S E R V I C E S
Portrait photography
Portrait Sessions once a month new photo studio space at GMBB Kuala Lumpur. Hand-printed on black & white silver gelatin paper. Instant Colour Portraits available soon!
Mobile session / event
With the mobile unit, the instant portrait session has the ability to photograph on location, indoors or outdoors. From within Kuala Lumpur city to outer Klang Valley. Event hire of up to three hours. Sessions are open throughout the week by appointment only.
Darkroom space
A basic darkroom setup in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. With up to six enlargers, from large format 4 x 5, 120 and 135 formats too. Available for rental*, BW workshops, and training. Basic chemicals and papers available. Darkroom is open by appointment only during working hours. (Under construction)
Workshop modules
The four prepared modules are: Pinhole & the simple camera / Instant Portraits / Art printing with BW photo paper / 101 Photobook publishing. Additional darkroom modules to follow. Currently all sessions are by appointment only.
Print & Restoration
Analogue / digital
Restoration of heirloom prints or negatives, reproducing old photographic prints by hand, analogue and/ or digital methods. With hand-colouring/ tinting and photo-painting applications, BW silver gelatin printing (reduction or enlargement) available soon.
C U R R E N T P R O J E C T S
Kanta Photography Studio– Start up with a physical space, creating a working photography studio revolving around an antique studio camera from our photography past.
Fotografik Van, 1st quarter 2024– work in progress. Building a more mobile darkroom processing unit. With the ability to process BW prints on the go, the photographic van is a development from the use of the mobile darkroom tent unit.
Kanta.Studio darkroom, 1st quarter 2024– work in progress. Opening up a basic darkroom for rental/ workshops, training. All my darkroom equipment collection finally seeing some permanence and use. Time to pass on the knowledge and expand the darkroom printing craft here in KL.
Potret Jalanan – (Street Portraits) an initiative to explore the possibilities of street box cameras in Kuala Lumpur city. A pilot to a program I would like to start, on creating a training workshop and box camera production. Creating a new street art culture with box camera portraiture. Starting with getting a street artist permit from the city council authority.
Instant Colour Portraits– First attempts at doing instant portraits in colour using the RA4 reversal process to produce a colour positive print instantly. The results were partially successful, getting acceptable colour balance is still a challenge. Will be running more test and make it available as an option in future events. <current>
With the support from
The Krishen Jit Fund 2013 & 2021, Five Arts Centre, Kuala Lumpur
Kreatif KL fund 2024, Think City, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Supported by Ilford Photo UK and Srishti Digital Life, Malaysia.
member of the Kotak Kamera Trio. A collective of three box camera practitioners, photographers, camera builders, darkroom artists based in Malaysia.
Nuestros primeros socios internacionales del Foto Club Lambe Lambe. International partner of FotoClube Lambe Lambe, Brasil.
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