Part Three: Of Personal Expression and Beauty
(the legendary graffiti artist, turned designer, whose daily photography diary, first inspired me to keep my own)
I'd like to know what inspired you to start taking photos.
I would also love to know when you began taking photos.
Thinking about it, I suppose my general love for photography, started in my early teenage years. I have always been into art and creative writing as a outlet for personal expression, whether that be the expression of an emotion, memory, idea, experience or dream. Photography for me was another medium through which to do this.
I was first attracted to photography as it allowed a certain type of freedom, in that it helped me to capture those feelings and ideas which you know are inside of you, but could never truly find the words to possibly express. It was as if there were things, I could only see brief colourful flashes of, weaving though my thoughts, leaving in their wake an imprint that would turn to dust the moment I tried to focus on it too hard. Photography was a way of trying to both recreate those images, but also capture them, when I was lucky enough to actually see them before my eyes.
Whilst a photograph may only be the imprint of a singular moment through the use of light, it means so much more than that. It is not simply a moment to be catalogued and then forgotten, rather it is a memory that will forever live on. I have always seen a photograph as being only one half of a conversation, the rest of which is found inside the viewer.
A photograph, like a painting or a novel, can contain all things to all people. It can bring forth an emotion, or bring back memories of a long forgotten experience; it can take one on a beautiful journey to another life, or it can bring one to the harsh realisations of their own life. We all see the world in a different way, and photography is, as is art, a celebration of that fact. There is a beauty in the fact that photography, much like any art, allows the viewer to bring their individuality and self into their interpretation of a piece. It is that fascinating power behind the art form that I have always found so beautiful and alluring. I have a feeling a lot of people will simply skip reading this all, so for those of you who are actually doing so, thank you so very much. Oh, and I am craving some apple tea.
An example I would give is that a simple photograph of a car can mean so many things to so many people. For one, it may make them think of a long car journey they took as a child, in which they first went fishing with their father. It brings back the sound of laughter, the image of their father falling into the river, and later appearing out of it wet to the bone, dragging along with them the slimy debris from the riverbed. It brings back the bitter yet oddly sweet smell of the camp fire, of their father trying to dry that lumpy red sweater he always wore that their mother secretly tried to lose on wash days.
Yet for another it could take them on the journey of having seen a car drive past, when they first left the hospital, beautiful newborn daughter in their arms. They had been prepared for a whole week, to drop everything and go, but the baby had decided she was perfectly fine staying where she was. He had teased her that the baby was too comfortable to want to come out, and she had softly sang to her daughter, that whenever she was ready to come out, her parents would be waiting with open arms. The image of car, reminds her of the rusty green car he had driven her to the hospital with, and how on the way back, there was another on board, wrapped in her delicate swaddling blanket, oblivious as of yet, to the weird and wonderful world around her. Of course to some, it is simply a car, but then they only see with their eyes rather than their hearts.
I have always thought of a photograph as essentially being a painting in light. It is the eye behind the camera which makes the photograph what it is, the camera is merely the brush. If a photograph is seen as a painting, it also means that a photographer can truly create rather than simply capture their masterpiece. What I mean by this is that Ansel Adams would go to the same spot day after day, and month after month simply to catch the lighting at the right moment. He did not simply point his camera and produce art. Rather he had a respect and understanding of his subject. No seriously, a major craving for some apple tea.
There are also those photographers who wish to create their shot by their skillful hand. Whether this be in the form of creating their own lighting, or through the posing of a model, in order to create their image of beauty. I have respect for both styles, for to do them well requires an amazing skill. Indeed, photography is about truly understand the visions of one's mind and heart, within whichever subject one wishes to go looking for it.
There is a magical beauty in the most simplest of things, which unfortunately many never really see. I feel that beauty can be found wherever one wishes to look for it. The way the light glistens off the surface of sewage water, with the swirl of colours and slick glimmer, can be just as beautiful as the way the light plays off the gentle contours of the human body.
However, I feel it is in the everyday and mundane that we too often forget to see the truest of beauty. We become accustomed to an area or a sight, and we forget to look. If I look to my left, and turn my head to the right as quickly as I can, my eyes do not actually register what they saw in that middle segment. Similarly, we often overlook what we believe we know, and our brain fills that middle segment with memories and catalogued images, rather than what is actually there.
We often miss the most beautiful of sights, not because we can not see them, but rather because we have forgotten how to see them. With photography, I saw a medium through which I could express something I knew words alone could never do justice to. I decided to learn as much about photography from a technical viewpoint as I could. I carefully spent the time, that now ostensibly few deem worthy, to learn about matters of apertures, shutter speeds, film speeds, exposure, perspective, lighting and indeed the developing and printing of film. Whilst I am far from being knowledgeable about photography, I try to make sure that I have at least the simplest working knowledge of these concepts that are so central to photography. I feel that someone who does not take the time to learn the basics of an art form, does not give it the respect it deserves.
Photography is something about which I am constantly learning through shooting. I am nothing but an amateur, however the reason I first decided to share my photographs on this blog, was to give myself the daily challenge of finding interesting shots. One can only learn about photography through the actual shooting and experimentation of photographs, whether that be through the art of film, or the convenience of digital. I do not consider myself a good photographer, simply a student of photography.
I would say that I am still developing my eye, so to speak, and I am still learning with every shot I take. I try to experiment and to seek out beauty, and share those end results however successful they may be. Although I have a long path to travel to becoming a good photographer, whatever that word may really mean, I would like to think that my photography is, if not beautiful, at least interesting.
Who would you like to see in more photo shoots when it comes to menswear?
Johnny Depp.
I would love to see a shoot of him in a fashion magazine, but rather than sporting the choices of a stylist, simply displaying outfits from his own wardrobe. He is in my opinion the best dressed male celebrity, simply because his sense of individuality and personal style comes across in every outfit he wears. He does not hire a stylist and the fact that he dresses himself for red carpet events, and still looks amazing, is a true testament to his style and awareness of self. To truly know yourself and be able to trust your instincts when it comes to fashion is something I definitely admire.
What was the first blog you started reading and checking frequently? Was it fashion related, or more about the person's daily life?
This is a rather hard question for me to answer, in that there are a lot of what were originally blogs which are now considered as being websites (such as PostSecret or The Huffington Post). However the first fashion blog I began visiting frequently was actually The Sartorialist back in 2006. At the same time I used to visit Indexed regularly, eagerly awaiting the witty and smart charts and diagrams. After which, I ran into blogs I may have read for a few months then forgotten about, or else read the newly emerging blog side of established websites. Since having begun my own blog, the number of blogs I read regularly has does nothing but grow, and the quality of many still amazes me.
Have you ever thought of doing a street style blog, like Face Hunter for example? Do you think you would be good at finding amazing outfits to photograph for such a blog?
The answer to this is both yes and no to be honest. When I am out, I usually do not think twice about complimenting a stranger on their outfit or a piece I really like. I actually tend to strike up conversation with strangers quite frequently, especially on public transport, such as the person sitting next to me on a train journey. I am always surprised at how shocked they seem for someone they do not know having actually taken interest in them, and indeed everyone smiles at a compliment.
Before starting this blog, I would often take a photographs of a piece I liked, having asked the person where they had bought it from. It was usually after an actual conversation, rather than simply an immediate request however. Seeing as how I did not ask their permission then for posting it on the internet, I have not shared these photographs. Having started my own blog, I did think of shooting outfits specifically for posting, however quickly decided to focus on my personal thoughts and ideas instead. There is such a number of high quality street-style blogs out there, I doubt my own efforts would be able to come in at even half the same standard.
Currently playing: The Little Things - Colbie Caillat
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