Remember taking pictures on film cameras?
Before an image became a full-size, printed-out photograph, it started off as a negative.
Nowadays, negatives are pretty much extinct. But for Thomas Sauvin, they're everything.
In 2009, Thomas started a photography project developing other people's negatives. But he doesn't just ask people for leftover negatives — he finds them in the trash.
With the help of Xiao Ma, a man whose job it is to collect trash containing silver nitrate, Thomas can access photo negatives that were destined for the garbage.
Since he began collecting negatives in 2009, Thomas has developed 750,000 photos of complete strangers.
By developing these pictures, Thomas brings long-forgotten moments to life, and preserves a memory of what the world was like when these photos were taken.
Keep scrolling to see some of the amazing pictures Thomas developed.
[H/T: Mashable]
Thumbnail Photo: Instagram / beijing_silvermine
Thomas Sauvin, a French photographer, buys discarded negatives from Xiao Ma, a man who collects and transports silver nitrate garbage for a living. Xiao picks up things like CDs and X-rays, then brings them to the proper recycling plant. Thomas purchases and prints many of the photographic negatives Xiao collects.
Thomas told Mashable that Xiao calls him once he's collected 220 pounds worth of 35mm film negatives. Thomas buys them from Xiao and prints the pictures he thinks are interesting.
These pictures depict complete strangers, most of whom Thomas will likely never meet. He'll probably never know the full story behind many of the pictures, either — but that's part of what makes them so interesting.
Thomas says he believes most of the pictures he develops were taken between 1985 and 2005.
Some of the negatives are in perfect condition, while others have been damaged from coming into contact with water or other liquids.
Thomas says: "No matter what, I feel like I will and must keep on showing these images. I feel like it's my responsibility." He sees the project continuing indefinitely.
This is one of the most interesting photo projects I've ever seen. There are so many lives and stories behind these pictures. I wish I could know everything — but I also love that there's so much room to make up a story of my own.
If you want to see more of the pictures Thomas has developed, you can take a look at his collection on Instagram.
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