WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.140 --> 00:00:04.080 If I had my choice when it comes to taking portraiture, 2 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:07.470 I'd rather have 45 minutes of conversation, 3 00:00:07.470 --> 00:00:10.020 and then jam in 15 minutes of image making 4 00:00:10.020 --> 00:00:14.880 because that conversation or getting to know someone 5 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:17.040 lowers the temperature in the room, 6 00:00:17.040 --> 00:00:22.040 trust becomes a thing, then I start to conjure up ideas, 7 00:00:22.890 --> 00:00:23.867 and particularly if I'm in a panic 8 00:00:23.867 --> 00:00:26.130 'cause I generally am in a state of panic 9 00:00:26.130 --> 00:00:28.923 of how I'm gonna make an interesting image. 10 00:00:32.190 --> 00:00:34.803 Originally, I was going to be an illustrator. 11 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:40.200 So that was something that I always, always planned to do. 12 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:42.240 I was never gonna do anything different, 13 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:44.640 I was obsessed with illustration. 14 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:48.930 So I went all through my high school years, 15 00:00:48.930 --> 00:00:52.980 went to art school, lasted one year in a fine art degree, 16 00:00:52.980 --> 00:00:57.120 and then the dark room was a side project 17 00:00:57.120 --> 00:00:58.890 as part of my degree, 18 00:00:58.890 --> 00:01:01.050 and then I got stuck into the dark room. 19 00:01:01.050 --> 00:01:05.040 And was just the magic of the dark room and all of a sudden, 20 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:09.450 that laboriousness of illustration 21 00:01:09.450 --> 00:01:12.300 versus the instant gratification of photography, 22 00:01:12.300 --> 00:01:16.470 and it filled a big hole, filled an artistic hole, 23 00:01:16.470 --> 00:01:20.670 and I just went this is what I'm gonna do. 24 00:01:20.670 --> 00:01:22.050 And then just fortuitously 25 00:01:22.050 --> 00:01:24.600 there was a little tiny little ad in the newspaper 26 00:01:24.600 --> 00:01:29.250 before phones and it said cadetship, 27 00:01:29.250 --> 00:01:31.620 dark room assistant at the Herald Newspaper, 28 00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:35.820 and I went well, I'm just gonna make a folly out of work 29 00:01:35.820 --> 00:01:36.930 and I'm just gonna turn up 30 00:01:36.930 --> 00:01:39.600 and I'm just gonna apply for this job, 31 00:01:39.600 --> 00:01:43.980 and I got this job as a cadetship 32 00:01:43.980 --> 00:01:47.040 which is now known as an internship. 33 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:49.830 And then yeah, just sort of grew from that. 34 00:01:49.830 --> 00:01:53.223 Yeah, so that's how the photography, like that part started. 35 00:01:56.700 --> 00:02:00.270 I'm such a curious person about people, 36 00:02:00.270 --> 00:02:03.270 and stories, and mannerisms. 37 00:02:03.270 --> 00:02:05.550 So before I even pick up a camera, 38 00:02:05.550 --> 00:02:09.030 I think I like having a conversation. 39 00:02:09.030 --> 00:02:10.524 That's really strange. 40 00:02:10.524 --> 00:02:13.350 I like hearing them talk and I watch them, 41 00:02:13.350 --> 00:02:18.350 and without realising, I think I'm observing those little, 42 00:02:18.450 --> 00:02:22.380 quiet nuances in between the big gestures, 43 00:02:22.380 --> 00:02:24.480 and that's the stuff that I tend to hone in on. 44 00:02:24.480 --> 00:02:26.220 I don't know why. 45 00:02:26.220 --> 00:02:28.140 I know it sounds a bit weird 46 00:02:28.140 --> 00:02:30.870 but it's sort of like this little trance-y moment 47 00:02:30.870 --> 00:02:34.800 where I go from the person walks in the room, does that, 48 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:37.860 sits down, introduces themself, and then starts to relax, 49 00:02:37.860 --> 00:02:41.062 and then do things, and then I latch onto that, 50 00:02:41.062 --> 00:02:43.203 and then I hone that. 51 00:02:45.484 --> 00:02:47.820 It's like a dance but I try and lead the dance, 52 00:02:47.820 --> 00:02:49.560 I give and take. 53 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:53.130 And then once they're really comfortable with me, 54 00:02:53.130 --> 00:02:57.690 then I start to talk about what we might do as an image, 55 00:02:57.690 --> 00:03:02.690 but I never go in with preconceived ideas, I know that. 56 00:03:04.440 --> 00:03:08.430 I'm bad if I come up with an idea and walk in 57 00:03:08.430 --> 00:03:10.140 'cause it's not gonna work. 58 00:03:10.140 --> 00:03:14.010 I rely on what they do in front of me, 59 00:03:14.010 --> 00:03:15.903 and that is a cue for me. 60 00:03:21.100 --> 00:03:23.433 I describe my work as quiet, 61 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:29.190 and I think that I look for those little, quiet gestures 62 00:03:29.190 --> 00:03:31.350 in between the bigger gestures 63 00:03:31.350 --> 00:03:36.300 like if someone's quite verbose and quite a loud talker 64 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:39.622 because either that's who they are or they're insecure, 65 00:03:39.622 --> 00:03:42.690 I wait for that to calm down, 66 00:03:42.690 --> 00:03:47.690 and then I start to infiltrate my (laughs) little bit, 67 00:03:49.380 --> 00:03:52.230 and then I hone in on that part of their personality. 68 00:03:52.230 --> 00:03:56.118 I try to yeah, I'll throw all that stuff aside 69 00:03:56.118 --> 00:03:58.500 and just put everything into that little moment, 70 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:02.670 that little, tiny nuance, the quiet, little moment, 71 00:04:02.670 --> 00:04:03.960 which is what I love. 72 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:08.100 Yeah, so that's what I'm hunting for and it is chance. 73 00:04:08.100 --> 00:04:10.143 It always ends up being chance. 74 00:04:13.140 --> 00:04:15.780 I shoot with my digital camera 75 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:18.180 and the first thing that people say to me 76 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:21.450 is don't you need to check the back of your screen? 77 00:04:21.450 --> 00:04:25.203 And I go no, 'cause it'll just throw me off my game. 78 00:04:26.460 --> 00:04:31.460 'Cause if I see too much, I start to doubt myself. 79 00:04:31.770 --> 00:04:35.730 I think I just like living in that dream scape 80 00:04:35.730 --> 00:04:38.340 of I don't know what I'm gonna get, 81 00:04:38.340 --> 00:04:39.960 and that was the great thing about film, 82 00:04:39.960 --> 00:04:42.813 was you wind it on, I don't know, I think it was good? 83 00:04:43.950 --> 00:04:46.890 Pull the dark slide, it looked good. 84 00:04:46.890 --> 00:04:50.520 So I think I had that innate trust 85 00:04:50.520 --> 00:04:55.350 because I was lucky enough to have been trained in film 86 00:04:55.350 --> 00:04:58.650 and trust what was gonna come out at the other end, 87 00:04:58.650 --> 00:05:01.890 that you were gonna get something from those 36 frames 88 00:05:01.890 --> 00:05:06.150 at some point, you only need one really great shot. 89 00:05:06.150 --> 00:05:11.150 Whereas digital, 2000, 3000, I can't ever ... 90 00:05:11.400 --> 00:05:13.830 I shoot digital like I shoot film. 91 00:05:13.830 --> 00:05:16.680 I think people think I'm lazy and I shoot 92 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:18.690 and I'm taking pictures of people digitally 93 00:05:18.690 --> 00:05:20.850 and I go all right, we're done, they go is that it? 94 00:05:20.850 --> 00:05:24.720 And I go well, was that disappointing? (laughs) 95 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:28.140 And I go I'm sorry if I disappointed you but I'm happy! 96 00:05:28.140 --> 00:05:32.460 So I still shoot digital like I'm shooting film, 97 00:05:32.460 --> 00:05:35.433 like it's the war and I've gotta ration it. 98 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:41.600 But for me, that's where I love photography, 99 00:05:42.270 --> 00:05:43.420 that's where I love it. 100 00:05:46.694 --> 00:05:48.053 That's like watching the print come up.