Sabrina Bramble 10/04/2024 Sabrina Bramble 10/04/2024

Photographer Chantel King

It’s 11am on a Thursday and the doorbell rings just as photographer Chantel King sits down to have her interview with me at her beautiful home in Archway in London. As she goes to get the door, it gives me time to soak in the colourful furnishings, squish my feet into the patterned rug beneath my feet and drink the tea she’s made for me.

Once Chantel comes back up after getting her delivery I ask her if she’s ready before pressing record, she nods and sits back comfortably wearing an oversized zebra print jumper and jeans and I delve right in. Can anyone take a photograph? She laughs before gathering her thoughts and answering….Anyone can take a photo, but not everyone can capture an image. It’s a sharp succinct answer but I’m interested to know more so ask her to elaborate. The term that’s often used in Photography ‘is having an eye’ that could mean a mixture of things, from composition being able to frame an image within the shot- so the way you start an image and end it. People have mobiles so they can snap away, but its without thought generally, one thing that really annoys me is when people cut off the feet or they take it from the middle of the forehead, and it doesn’t bother them, but it’s such a pet hate of mine. For many artist’s you’re thinking about the image, the emotion, the mood you’re trying to convey, so yeah there are many elements.

I’ve collected almost every piece of work my sister has done throughout the years, but I was as surprised as anyone when she went on to do photography I wonder is it’s something that she always wanted to do from a young age. Definitely not, I’ve been asked this before and it’s a really strange one because I think many people say from the moment they picked up a camera they were hooked, but from my experience mum would drag us around taking pictures that I never wanted to take, and I hated it. We both begin to laugh at the memory… but I also thought I couldn’t do it, I never saw any black photographers much less to female ones, I didn’t even think it was an option. Once I finished secondary school I went on to do business studies, so I could work in an office because that’s what I thought people did, they got to a certain age went and got a good job with a briefcase and suit sort of thing and y’know I thought that was life after school. I didn’t think that life could have such creative possibilities.

You have photographed for the Guardian newspaper, Stylist magazine, Grazia and many more can you explain a bit about the type of photography you do? My main focus is beauty, I also do portraiture mostly of celebrities or people in the public eye. When I’m shooting beauty I like to be fairly close to my subjects I have a 50mm lens which allows me to do that and I normally shoot at a lower angle so the subject looks more heroic in the shot, a lot of people like to shoot further away, but for me to have such distance loses connection.

Just as Chantel takes a sip of her tea I want to hear what about the work that gets her excited, is it the light, shade, the colour…I’m always drawn to the colour I just think it’s so fun, whether it’s in the make-up, or the background you can do so much with it. It doesn’t make you feel nervous? When I first started it was a little scary using colour, I was told by many other photographers things like if you do a bold lip avoid a bold eye, it was kind of the rule of thumb and I did that at the beginning. But I remember at one point I had this car crash of a shoot when everyone wanted to do their own thing and it was a mess! But later on in my career, when I got to work with really good collaborators from make-up to hair stylists who knew how to be bold but cohesive, that’s when I stopped being scared and wanted to challenge the use of colour more.

With a period of growth obviously propelling Chantel forward, I wonder if breaking away from rules and conventions is something that interests her. Oh god there have been many revelations along the way and confidence can certainly grow from that, people can be critical over something that’s different from that clean classic beauty image, so every so often I do like to push those boundaries. Great to hear that rebel spirit is alive and well, does that mean there’s no prep before a shoot what’s the starting point. No, I do prep definitely, but I try not to over prep otherwise it takes a bit of the magic away, primarily I like to think about the mood I want to convey; the worse thing about not prepping is that no one knows what’s going on, you can lose trust as the lead photographer which could be a loss of an opportunity when you could’ve used that time to create something special.

How closely do you and your team follow the brief? It depends if its my own brief I have quite a collaborative method but if its external I don’t always get to choose my team, regardless you still have to know how to deliver quality results. Ever the consummate professional I can see that Chantel demands a lot from her photographs to meet standards no matter what the brief is or who is on the job, I wonder if she works with reoccurring concepts or if that wheel of ideas is forever changing….It depends, I’m still building my portfolio and as we discussed I’m not shy when it comes to using colour so that’s one aspect, but I also enjoy photographing people with different backgrounds and body shapes. One thing I realised when I started was that there wasn’t enough diversity within my work and that was something I actively wanted to change, having said that I am also aware that I may be the ‘go to girl’ to photograph only the black and brown model because of my skin colour -which I’m not opposed to, but my book shows a range of diverse faces. I’m about to jump in with my next question when I can see Chantel is still mulling over the question Sorry, I was in a meeting just the other day she continues and the art director looking at my portfolio told me she was impressed by the range of skin tones I’d showcased, she said she was still surprised how many photographers still have a lack of diversity in their portfolio.

We’ve heard throughout the years that people of colour do not sell magazines, are things changing in the world of photography when it comes to inclusion or is it just lip service? Chantel shifts in her seat and takes a breath and I can totally understand the discomfort, it’s such a tiring and frustrating question for one main reason, it still has to be asked. I’ve been in the industry for over 12 years so I’ve definitely seen a progression, when I first started you’d rarely see a black model on the cover except for maybe the Naomi Campbells of this world, so they’d have their one high profile model y’know, and even on shoots before which wasn’t that long ago when I was assisting I’ve been in situations where the magazine decided they wouldn’t use a black model because they used a model with a darker hue for the previous issue, but obviously if it were a white model that had been photographed that question would never have come up in conversation.

So to answer your question yes there have been changes but there’s still a long way to go, but I’m looking through magazines, reading books and there has been a shift in seeing more of not just black models, but Asian, Indian, non-able bodied, deaf, LGBTQI, curvy models and many others on our screens and in our literature and it’s fantastic.

As her face lights up at the prospect of change I cease the moment to ask her that well-heeled question about her inspirations. The photographer who made a big impression on me was Tim Walker his work is generally theatrical and jumps off the page at you. I remember seeing his stuff at the time I’d graduated and he was like everywhere, but I was completely magnetised by his style which for me not everyone was doing at the time. It’s when I realised you can push the boundaries and explore what’s beyond, you could be different.

What does a day on shoot day look like when you’re on set with Chantel King…It’s a lot of running around she laughs pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. I like to be in control but I always relax when I know I have a great team, I set up before anyone gets there put some music on, and set the mood. We both do an impromptu shoulder jiggle at the word ‘mood’, then double over laughing at our sister vibes. I make sure everyone has breakfast, I know I’m like mum because it’s a long day and sometimes people forget the simple things. Then I gather the assisting team together to make sure they know what I want for the lighting, next I’ll bring the glam crew together to go through the ideas, introduce myself to the model[s] who are sometimes surprised that it’s me I ask why… Well they’re not usually expecting a black female photographer to be heading the shoot, but its all met with love and smiles, and its sometimes funnily enough what gets people more amped which is sweet.

All that’s left is for me to go out there to get the best possible shots I can.

Thanks sis love ya

By Sabrina Bramble

SMOOR 18/11/2023 SMOOR 18/11/2023

“Create something beautiful that brings joy to others.” Claudia Hollister and her floral cyanotypes

As a third generation Oregonian, I have been fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by beauty everywhere you look. I found gardens to be my church, and my grandfather’s rose garden was a special place to wander and imagine. This is why I am a devoted gardener. Nature has been my inspiration to create something beautiful in my art, my north star!

From a young age, I was a spirited child who had a big imagination. My parents supported my curiosity about art. Their encouragement allowed me to follow my dreams and talents as a practicing artist. College further informed my way of seeing things differently and using materials in a nontraditional format.

I jumped into practicing and selling my art right out of college. As a jeweler working in lost wax casting I included imagery of flowers, plants and butterflies in a contemporary art nouveau style, to adorn objects and containers in silver. Later designing for silver and crystal companies. I also designed the seashell series of molds for Godiva, and reproduction carving for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ending this phase of my journey with a show at Cartier’s, NYC.

When the silver market crashed in the early 80’s, I shifted my focus to working in porcelain. First teaching myself and then creating hand built color inlaid vases and teapots sold throughout galleries in the US. Then years later transitioned to large wall installations for hotels, corporations, and the most rewarding children’s hospitals.

In 2008 I decided to follow my heart and shifted to painting in encaustic.

This medium provided a way to express visual mystery to imagery, blurring the lines between illusionary depth and sculptural relief. By utilizing multiple materials, paper grounds, and adding dimensional vessels and flowers to the paintings I found my style. It was while I was teaching encaustic at Pacific Northwest College of Art [PNCA] that I was introduced to Cyanotypes.

Cyanotype is an alternative photographic process developed in 1842.

Originally I used the cyanotype process for printing on various art papers in the backgrounds of my encaustic work, and have continued the practice.

However during COVID-19 lockdown everything changed. I turned to my garden, deciding to take on a 100 day challenge on Instagram to ease my mind into a positive place.

My process involves alchemy, nature, artistic license, technology and timing. I start by sensitizing my paper with a combination of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferric cyanide, sensitive to UV light. This paper will be set to dry in a dark room.

I photograph my images in my studio using an iPhone from which I create a negative transparency film.

The dried paper is placed on a panel with the negative film on top in direct contact, you can also use plants. Setting glass onto and in the sun until reaching the correct exposure time. This may take more than one print. I start with a 6 minute test print and adjust when needed based on the time, angle of the sun and the temperature outside.

Next I drop the exposed paper in water and I watch the magic as the print oxidizes and a positive image appears. After drying and photographing the final print I would post it on Instagram, for a 100 day project. Doing this as a daily process taught me to view my garden in a new light, capturing its beauty and spirit. Though most of the first year prints were failures, what I learned was invaluable. Today these basic steps in my studio to printing remain the same.This is my fourth year of documenting the cycle of season blooms, and every year brings new gifts and a handful of special prints.

The element of surprise in the imperfect process of printing cyanotypes is something I love, not to mention the depth of Prussian blue hues that can’t be duplicated in any other material. There is often an unpredictable outcome to a print that can’t be repeated, I like to think of it as a gift.

All this said, you need to start with a good photograph and produce a good negative in order to create an excellent print. One should count on putting in the time, throwing away many more prints and negatives than you keep. Good work doesn’t happen overnight, so perseverance is required.

Many of my current backgrounds for my new Visual Poetry series of Cyanotype Collages are completely experimental. I may print 6 pieces of paper and only one will turn out. I utilize different kinds of papers and techniques using the cyanotype solution, always reaching to stretch my journey and creative process developing new floral metaphors.

My personal goal as an artist has always been to create something beautiful that brings joy to others. When I look at the world today I feel it is even more important to bring beauty and share it with others, if only for one calming moment.

I think of my work as vintage modern, although iPhones are high tech the actual process was developed in the 1800’s and is still very hands on. I still have so much more to learn and explore as I continue to move forward on my cyanotype journey. I plan to create larger cyanotype collages for a couple of upcoming shows, which will come with new challenges and problems to solve.

There are many current cyanotype artists' work that I admire, here are a few.

Julia Whitney Barnes for extremely large cyanotype print installation over the door of the Drying House.

Rosalind Hobley for her stunning prints of roses.

Diana H. Bloomfield for her amazing photography and cyanotypes.

Emma Powell/ @emmaobscura, story telling cyanotypes.

Alexandrea DeFurio for her narrative cyanotypes.

Edward S Curtis for his early cyanotypes of native Americans.

A few painters, embroidery artists, too many to list.

Uzo Hiramatsu, his work is simple and complex at the same time.

Yukakimi Akiba for stunning detailed stitching on photographs.

Hinke Schreuders for masterful embroidery on photographs.

Timothy McDowell for being a master painter, printmaker who is not afraid to experiment, and tease your eyes to see what’s not there.

I want to thank you for your interest and this opportunity to talk about my work.

Insta @claudiahollister

AAF 18/11/2023 AAF 18/11/2023

Poetic portraits by Polish photographer Kate Katies

Everyday is a new day and has its own opportunities which in many cases are unique. So patience, calm and assertiveness are skills that I have developed with the frequency of love and understanding to people around me.

My Name is Kate, I'm from Poland, yet I've been based in London for a few years now.

It’s here in London where I have found the key ingredient in my creativity. I'm grateful for how life has been in the last few years. Challenges and difficulties have made me look at my surroundings from a different perspective. At the beginning as a scape, yet with the time it has become a way to explore my emotions, connection with others and how the world moves around me. I’m a keen Yogi, and that also has an influence as it helped me to be more flexible, not only physically but at heart.

At the beginning I started just using a mobile phone camera as I couldn’t afford anything else and wasn’t sure of where photography was going to take me. Nowadays, I still work with my IPhone 13 Pro and a Fuji x-e4 which I really like as it’s a small frame and easy to carry and shoot without much time to prepare.

I started with street geometry, which I think is a must as it really gives you the school for perspective but not often tells a story, it’s the interaction that people have with their environment, nature, structures, and themselves what really sparks my creativity on my daily commute, walks, etc… Lately I’m focusing on portrait in the studio which throws a technical challenge, but anything and anyone under any circumstance could be my next shot.

Creativity is about having the freedom to do whatever I want, is good to have an influence at some point from other photographers but following other people’s work just keeps you in a static frame, experimentation has been in so many ways the key to finding my own style. Pleasing others might give you straight recognition but doesn’t mean good work, in fact, it could turn out to be the worst of your work.

instagram @kate_katies

SMOOR 19/06/2023 SMOOR 19/06/2023

People in Nairobi as photographed by Kibe Nduni

My name is Kibe Nduni, a photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya. My journey in photography started back in highschool, I'd go out on the weekends with friends and we’d take pictures of each other around town or whatever location that we’d find interesting. I found a lot of joy in photographing people, if they looked a certain way, dressed a certain way as well, this fascinates me as I get an array of really different bodies of work which at the end of the day reminds me why I have this as my career. For now I use a Nikon D750 with a 17-55mm lens but I can use anything.

Being an artist to me, I believe is being the catalyst between the viewer and the story, playing a part in making stories. Themes and ideas coming to life through photography is a joy and a privilege that I am honoured to have. I believe that being truthful is an important part of being an artist. Staying true to yourself as well as to your work is a fundamental part of creating timeless works of art.

AAF 20/02/2023 AAF 20/02/2023

Michael McIlvaney: beautiful serendipity in street photography

Subordinate
The daily collisions between one's inner private self and the everyday reality of urban city living, form part of a project intended to explore the metaphors associated with this tension: vulnerability; alienation; subordination; fear; threat; isolation; infringement; intrusion, as well as the tripartite relationship between victim, perpetrator and image maker. The series calls into question the photographer's participation: whether as documentarian, witness, narrator, facilitator, voyeur, conspirator or a combination of these roles. Ultimately this project is about this threefold dynamic.

from mikemcstreet

Collision

The city encounters record temperatures. The glass and steel of the latest structures reflect the light and magnify the heat causing distress and anguish to the city's inhabitants. When the natural and created worlds collide things get uncomfortable. A passerby approaches: "Do you know the news today?" "No" "It's the same as yesterday! The world is careering toward a climate apocalypse. Didn't you know? And you just stand there. Taking photographs. Do something man. Something needs to be done!"

from mikemcstreet

AAF 05/11/2015 AAF 05/11/2015

5 Documentary photographers who will change your life

...Or at least your view on photography.

Adam Broomberg And Oliver Chanarin

Known for:

Talking to the subjects, making them aware of what their work contemplates and getting to know their subject behind the superficial layer of preformed stereotypes.

The Press Conference, June 9, 2008 (detail), The Day Nobody Died, 2008, Unique C-type, 762mm x 6000mm

The Day Nobody Died IV, June 10 (detail), The Day Nobody Died, 2008, Unique C-type, 762mm x 6000mm

Treating photographing as a very slow and meticulous process. Adam and Oliver‘s photography style references to 19th century photography in terms of process and style, going beyond the conventions of photojournalism.

Highlight: The Day Nobody Died (2008)
Quote: “People are given time to compose themselves. The fact that we're not looking through the lens but we're actually above, it looking at the subject and they are looking at us means there's a different relationship. There is a dialogue. The important thing is that we talk to people, we don't categories them and that's the big difference.”

Brenda Ann Kenneally

Known for:

Developing intimate portraits of the growing economical and social desperation in the US, intersecting personal and political into honest and poignant photographs.

Upstate Girls: Unravelling Collar City (2015) © Brenda Ann Kenneally

Observing the lives of her subjects on a long-term basis. Her latest one, 'Upstate Girls: Unravelling Collar City' Brenda documented her main subject for over 10 years. She claims to always go back to the people she has met to see how their life is developing. “When I stop it is as if my life with these people ends, I sort of never want that to happen.”

Highlight: Upstate Girls: Unravelling Collar City (2015)

Quote: “This kind of documentary work requires a kind of obsessive pathology and stamina. Also one must have a big empty space that allows for complete integration of life and work. Luckily for me I was born with this empty space. Some call it loneliness. I say it is a gift.”

Tina Barney

Known for:

Capturing the relationship between family members, different as supposed to the clichéd stick-up-your-ass household portrait hanging above the fireplace. Her fascination with this subject started with the exploration of her own family in North America. Her years of experience made her able to understand the private and complex relationship between family members. “I began photographing what I knew.”.

Highlight: Theatre Of Manners (1997)

Quote: “I want to make approaching the image possible. I want every object as clear and precise as possible so that the viewer can really examine them and feel as if they are entering the room. I want my pictures to say, “You can come inside here. This is not a forbidden place.” I want you to be with us and to share this existence with us. I want every single thing to be seen, the beauty of it all: the textures, the fabrics, the colors, the china, the furniture, the architecture.”

Stephanie Sinclair

Known for:

Confronting us with gender and human rights issues such as child marriage and self-immolation in a direct yet beautiful way, evoking action, shock and compassion.

Highlight: Too Young To Wed (2012)

Quote: "We can’t just present a solution before we’ve presented the problem, or they’ll feel like it’s already taken care of and it’s not urgent. We want these issues to feel urgent, because for the girls being forced into marriage, it is urgent."

Jeroen Toirkens

Known for:

Covering every nomadic tribe in the Northern Hermisphere through the lens of a camera, uncovering the unknown facets of what nomadism in this modern age entails.

Highlight: NomadsLife

Solitude. Norway, E75 near Vardø, 21.04.2013 - from the NomadsLife series © Jeroen Toirkens

Quote: “For me, photography has always been a kind of excuse to do all sorts of things, to be present in many places. I think it's just great to connect to a group of people who, for whatever reason, are forced to work together and to live together, to be a participant in that, in that life.”