Family Camera Network’s Thy Phu and Elspeth Brown on highlighting the stories that don’t fit the official narrative

Thy Phu & Elspeth Brown

Thy Phu and Elspeth Brown are part of the steering team of the Family Camera Network, a study of family photography in Canada that aims to preserve photographs—with a focus on transnational and/or queer families—and the oral histories behind them.

Why was it important to expand the definition of family?

Elspeth Brown: In the context of queer and trans family photography, the definition of “family” (which can include chosen family) is super broad. At the same time, an increasing number of queer and trans people are having their own children. Even if this is a “nuclear” model with two parents and x-number of children, just by virtue of being able to reproduce in a queer way—whether through queer adoption, queer surrogacy, or by having their own kids—it challenges these definitions.

If “a picture says a thousand words,” why conduct oral histories?

Thy Phu: In many contexts, pictures are “mute,” because, when the people who are attached to family photographs are gone, so too are their stories. The visual artifact is just one piece. To really grapple with the complexity of the meaning of a photo, and its specific resonances for different people, in the context of race, gender and sexuality, you need to have the story.

What role does family photography play in narratives about Canada?

Thy Phu: Much of the narratives about Canada come from state and official documents, but, by using family photography and oral histories, we’re able to highlight the stories that don’t fit into this official narrative. It was very meaningful to have an exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum because so many of our interview subjects are not accustomed to seeing themselves recognized in such a major cultural institution.