THE FIRST DROP IS STILL COMING
We planned to open our first sale on 15 July.
Unfortunately, a small technical issue prevented us from launching the campaign as announced. Rather than rushing an unfinished release, we have decided to move the launch to the end of July.
We are not going quiet while you wait.
The waiting room is now open. You can discover our story, choose your team, join the giveaway and check in for the official launch letter.
The confirmed opening date will be announced as soon as everything is ready.
On 14 March 1869, progressive scholar and Nguyễn Dynasty official Đặng Huy Trứ opened Cảm Hiếu Đường on Thanh Hà Street in Hà Nội. It is widely recognised as the first photography studio established by a Vietnamese, and its opening is remembered as an important beginning of Vietnamese photography.
More than 150 years later, its name became the starting point for ours.
On the Vietnamese Telex keyboard, Cảm is typed:
FROM “CẢM HIẾU ĐƯỜNG" TO "CAMR LAB"
C-A-M-R
Portrait of Đặng Huy Trứ, painted in Guangdong in 1865 by 李瑞岩 (Li Ruiyan; Vietnamese: Lý Thụy Nham).
From that small translation between language and technology, CAMR Lab found its name. We do not claim to continue the legacy of Cảm Hiếu Đường or compare ourselves with its historical importance. We are inspired by the progressive spirit behind it: the willingness to explore a new visual medium, introduce it to a wider community and use photography to preserve people, memories and stories. CAMR Lab is an independent analogue photography project with roots in Vietnam and a home in Australia. We explore unusual photographic films, forgotten materials, experimental processes and the stories that exist behind every roll. We are building a business, and the business must be sustainable. But selling film and making a profit are not the only reasons we are here. We want to make analogue photography more approachable, share useful knowledge honestly, support photographers and independent creators, and create products that encourage people to experiment rather than chase perfect results. We want to connect people through film—between different countries, generations, experiences and ways of seeing.
Film may be what we sell.
Curiosity, knowledge, and community are what we hope to develop.
TEN GIFTS ARE WAITING
Giveaway coming soon. Join the CAMR Lab waitlist and we’ll notify you by email as soon as the event opens. Full giveaway details and terms will also be announced through our Instagram channels.
