Ink & Light is a long-form documentary photography project exploring the culture, rituals and social practices of the Disney Lorcana community in the United Kingdom.
Drawing upon approaches from visual anthropology and social documentary photography, the project examines how communities are formed and sustained through shared experiences of play, collecting and storytelling. From local game stores and tournament halls to release day queues and online spaces, Ink & Light seeks to understand what happens when people gather around a common passion.
At its heart, the project is an exploration of belonging. It asks questions about nostalgia, identity and community, documenting the moments both large and small that shape contemporary hobby culture. The cards themselves are only one part of the story—the conversations across tables, the friendships formed between strangers and the rituals that emerge around the game are equally significant.
Photographed on black and white film, the work embraces the tangible and physical nature of both photography and collecting. Each photograph becomes both a document and an artefact, preserving fleeting moments within a living and evolving community.
Ultimately, Ink & Light is not a project about a trading card game, but about people—the ways in which we gather, create meaning and find connection through shared cultural practices.
