1- Are you a professional photographer? No, very much amateur. I’ve tried taking pictures for other people for payment but am not very comfortable doing so, I have no head for the business side of things.
2- Why street photography? I think street is the most basic, raw genre of photography. Capturing everyday moments in human life, trying to arrange chaotic elements to fit a frame in the pursuit of art, without any control over those elements is very demanding but also very rewarding on that rare occasion when it all comes together.
3- How would you describe your photography style? I’m not sure that I have a style. I’m constantly reinventing what I do, always looking to improve. This has led me to explore themes and ideas to conclusion, and sometimes I don’t think there is any connection at all between those themes, almost like they were the work of different photographers. That said, I always work in landscape 3:2 format, I like to get in close with a very wide lens and where possible like to compose from the corners or frame edges inwards, so I guess that may constitute a style of sorts.
4- What makes a good picture from your point of view? What do you look for in an image? I like emotion in an image, interaction between the subjects if possible. I also like images that make the viewer think, where elements have been used to deliberately introduce confusion and force repeated viewing to work one’s way through the layers. A lot of Saul Leiter’s colour work does this for me, and in my own photography I achieve this through the use of window reflections, physical obstructions etc.
5- How do you educate yourself to take better photos? I have a huge collection of photobooks, which mysteriously grows every month around pay day. I love studying the work of others, particularly images which I don’t understand at first viewing. I also use Youtube videos to get other takes on the same works if possible. Book studying is a daily event for me, there is always a photobook to hand. There are a lot of similarities between studying photography and jazz music, you can learn the theory until you are blue in the face, but you must listen repeatedly to develop your ear. In photography you must develop your eye and doing that involves an awful lot of looking.
6- Where in the world would you most like to photograph? Well, most of my pictures are taken in Glasgow city centre, which is probably less than a square kilometre, so I guess anywhere other than there would be a pleasant change! In reality, I’m not a fan of travelling, I have no desire to see the world. I used to work in Edinburgh and would often take a camera out at lunchtime, but for some reason I very rarely got any images that I was happy with. So maybe I’m better off sticking to Glasgow, maybe someone is trying to tell me something.
7- Who would you most like to photograph and what kind of pictures do you avoid to shoot? I’ve never really thought about photographing any particular individual. I do not do homeless shots, I know there is the argument that it’s part of life on the streets, but I regularly talk to some of the people living on the street in Glasgow and I know they do not want to be photographed at a low point in their life. In my book, a cup of coffee and a cake is a far better option. That said, I’ve nothing against those who do these shots, some do it very well and with great respect.
8- Have you been confronted by someone whose photo you took on the street? What would be your advices how to avoid confrontation when doing Street Photography? I’ve only been confronted once, and it was a mistake on the other person’s part. He accused me of taking pictures of him and his family, which I hadn’t. The ensuing discussion around me selling pictures of them to magazines and newspapers led me to believe that he was someone famous, maybe a football star or TV personality. I had no idea who he was and told him so. His crushed ego is still lying on the pavement outside the Tolbooth Bar at Glasgow Cross. With regard to avoiding confrontation, I try to be as honest as I can about my intentions without upsetting the candid nature of the situations that I find myself in. I don’t hide my camera, and usually shoot through the viewfinder so there’s no doubt about what I’m doing. If anyone wants to avoid me, they simply move out of the way. When reviewing the images, if I see someone has covered their face or looks uncomfortable then I won’t use the shot. I never ask for permission, the exception being if children appear in some of my documentary work, but I do regularly engage in lengthy conversations with people about my work and life in general. I also carry two small flip books of my work that I’ll show to anyone who is interested in what I’m doing. I think if you treat people with respect, and that includes comments on images posted on social media platforms, then you won’t go far wrong.
9- Your favourite street image of your own to date and why? I have a picture of a line of delegates at COP26 all reading the exact same newspaper. I guess that is a favourite as it’s one of the few that I do go back and look at.
10- Your favourite piece of equipment? Nothing really. I got rid of all of my Canon professional gear when I retired and now use Lumix micro four thirds cameras, mainly because they are lighter, pack a bigger punch and the Leica lenses are sharper. I’m not really a gear freak, I mainly use the same lens, 16-38mm FF equivalent and have a 90mm equivalent on the second body. To be honest I probably place more value on my photo books.
11- What are your favorite settings (Aperture. Shutter Speed, ISO, White Balance, Focus, Manual/Auto, Image Format – RAW/JPEG) for Street Photography and why? I always start out in manual mode, F4, 1/320 sec, auto iso, auto wb, focus tracking with people and face detect. If working in colour I shoot RAW only, if BW then I shoot RAW and small JPEG with the camera set to BW. I then review the JPEGs in Lightroom to make final selection. Once shooting is underway, particularly at protests, I’ll change settings as required instinctively, but without really thinking about it. Although the cameras are 4:3 format I’ve set them to 3:2. I believe in getting as much right in camera as possible.
12- Is photography art? Most definitely
13- Black And White or Colour? Both, however, that needs expanding upon. Up until last year I worked mostly in colour. I was particularly inspired by the colour works of Saul Leiter and Harry Gruyaert. I eventually started exploring the use of colour in my own work, and got to the point where it became the subject. I was using colour in composition, and eventually when I looked through the viewfinder I couldn’t see beyond colour. It had become a distraction rather than an attraction, so one day last Spring I switched the camera to BW and I have worked in BW exclusively ever since. I still can’t take colour images, it feels wrong and would probably have me sleep walking and scribbling on the walls if I forced the issue. This extends to the photobooks too, since then I’ve only bought and mostly only study photo books that are in BW. This has actually worked in my favour, the project that I’m currently working on is all BW, and this makes the protest images very distinctive in the sea of colour when I post them on Twitter. I am now recognised as ‘that black and white photographer’.
14-What are your thoughts on editing? A necessary evil. I do the bare minimum. At present, to achieve a uniform BW look across months of work documenting protests, I don’t edit the RAW files at all, I simply apply a Lightroom preset which gives a look that I’m really pleased with and takes seconds. When working in colour I used various presets that gave a Kodachrome look, but again editing was minimal. I also print a lot of images, and that takes a bit more editing, especially on exhibition paper. I used to do an awful lot of salons and competitions up to international level, so I had to learn to print to a very high standard.
15- Why do you share to Progressive Street and who would you like to see showcased from Progressive Street? Discovering Progressive Street was a revelation to me. The standard of work is generally very high, but the group also had a familial feel. I feel at home and comfortable posting work here, especially given that some of the more experimental work is encouraged, especially in the Out Of Bounds page. For me street photography is a hard genre to define, I’ve regularly produced work which is on the edges of what is acceptable elsewhere, and indeed unacceptable in many groups as not ‘pure street’, whatever that may be. I feel that everything that I’m likely to do with a camera will be welcomed here. There’s also a maturity to the group, a lot of people of similar age and outlook, and indeed there are many members that I feel I know even although we have never met in person, too many to single anyone out for showcasing. In joining progressive street another page has turned for me, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the book.