The Idea Behind “timed collectif”
Every endeavor in the world starts with an idea. For us, two friends with a passion for photography, that idea was timed collectif—a photography venture created through collaboration, and a deep appreciation for capturing moments that matter. What began as a shared interest in photography quickly manifested into a full-fledged project, blending film and digital formats to create a distinctive visual style.
The name itself, timed collectif, is a play on words. '‘timed” reflects the very meaning of photography—capturing moments in time—while also hinting at the possibility that the brand may be temporary, with one of us potentially studying abroad in France. “collectif” is a nod to the word '“collective,” as well as the .tif file format, which is used for high-quality film scans. The cherry on top is that “collectif” is French for “collective,” adding an extra layer of meaning to the name.
Our photography journey began in our teenage years, when my friend Domenic Pignatelli, first picked up his mom’s well-traveled Nikon, and when I asked to borrow my girlfriends Fujifilm Instax camera she won at a raffle. We both fell in love with photography immediately upon taking our first pictures. Soon after, we both bought our own Canon EOS Rebel T6’s and haven’t put them down since.
While attending Rhode Island College, I took the opportunity to take a photography class, where I was introduced to film photography by the talented Amy Montali. Under her, I learned about the magic of film. The process of developing film and watching an image slowly appear on paper was mesmerizing. During this course, I learned about composition, exposure, and lighting. Film photography forced me to slow down and think carefully about each shot. Since then, I started to neglect my Canon Rebel T6, and grew my collection of film cameras. Three years after that course, I graduated with a minor in photography. Another three years later, timed collectif was born to show the world the beauty of film photography and the collaboration between digital and film.
Domenic and I started this “collectif” because frankly, we had stopped creating art as much as we used to. We both felt somewhat disconnected from the creative process and knew we needed something to get back in the art space. That is when timed collectif came to life. This brand represents the return of our creative drive. This is just the beginning of our collaboration. Every endeavor starts with an idea, but success comes from dedication, and hard work. timed collectif is our way of making sure moments become timeless.