Michael Wilford is an artist that grew up in Smithers, a small town of around 5000 people in Northern British Columbia. Renowned for its natural beauty and packed with fiddle music and protest songs, he credits his exposure to world-class artists in a small-town setting as one of his major inspirations to pick up an instrument at a young age.

I am a street Polaroid photographer with a penchant for portraits. The collection I am submitting is called "CHAINS" - 7 Polaroids of chains from different artists captured at Rolling Loud California. The focus on 'chains' is meant to highlight how many black rappers show off their success - an expensive chain. It's also a critique on an industry that has many artists chained to unfair deals - showing that there is more than what is at the surface.

“One Sunday about 3 years ago (while I was at work and there were few people in the bookstore), I started leafing through a newspaper that advertised a small Fujifilm instant camera. Intrigued by it, I bought it right away but after about fifty photos I realized that it was not for me. The colours were too vivid and I did not like the small size of the photograph. I decided to try a Polaroid instead, and after several searches on eBay, I found the camera I thought was right for me: the SX-70 Land Camera. It was love at first sight. I have never left it since and I shoot almost every day.”

le Freak Media presents the le Freak Media Magazine Issue 001

“What I'm aiming for my art is not just something that looks cool, but something that leaves a lasting impression. It could be a bad aftertaste, or it could be a feeling of exhilaration or hope for something more in life. My photography would be meaningless without captions. And my captions are meaningless without my photography.”