sw.filmss: ldn youth
How did you first get into photography?
Initially I started to take photos as I found I could not replicate my ideas and experiences through words, so I started to teach myself film photography so I could show scenes, people and their emotions through a pictures instead of the conventional ‘creative writing’.
I started taking pictures of the streets of London, instead of capturing large general areas of space, my interests were with the smaller and less documented aspects, less desirable to the general public. However, I always believe that shedding light and focusing on the aspects that aren’t generally documented, or elevated in importance/interest, portrays an accurate insight into the real personality of an area or individual.
Tell us a bit about your work. What are you most interested in photographing?
Currently my main interest is to capture people when they are in the environment they love and are most comfortable in. Not only capturing them but their interest, style, emotions and their symbiotic interaction with the space they’re occupying.
Where did you grow up? Do you feel it has had an impact on your work?
Growing up with a successful single working mother in south London is something that I am extremely grateful for. I spent a lot of time in differing houses with various families and looking after other children from a young age. Seeing different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds and growing up in Balham / Tooting / Clapham grew my interest is social history and the issues surrounding gentrification, wealth disparities and race relations.
Music is also a massive part of my childhood and one of the main things I try to convey through my photography, especially around youth culture, is the influence of music on fashion and lifestyle choices. Recently the history and social context of fashion and music has been lost through the ever growing ‘trend following’ culture of social media, but through my photography and styling I wish to stay true to the history and importance that clothes and music hold to the individual.
Favourite photo you’ve taken?
My favourite photo is one of my best friends at Carnival in 2019. I love taking pictures of my friends and the experiences shared that can be remembered through photography. This image properly conveys all the 5 senses that anyone who has been Notting Hill Carnival will understand, thus portraying an element of timelessness through this image.
What are your future hopes? Where would you like to go with your work?
In the future I wish to continue to capture youth culture in this country while progressing with a university degree. I would also love to do internships and learn from other inspirational photographers such as Simon Wheatley, Dean Davies and Mallory Lowe Mpoka.
I wish for my photography to hold importance in individuals lives, for example in 20 years when someone is explaining how they grew up and their teenage years to their own children, being able to show my photos as a clear look back into what life was like. More currently I wish to portray people who wouldn’t necessarily been the focus of a mainstream photography shoot and shed light on the more undocumented elements of fashion, music, lifestyle and relationships from an inside source.
insta: @sw.filmss