I’m a bit stuck and distracted at the moment.
Stuck in terms of what to write. I’ve been busy trying to write a few articles on various platforms and although I felt busy and productive I feel a little bit of the burnout coming along.
Couple with this the last few days I’ve been very easily distracted and tend to spend too much time browsing and sitting on socials -_-.
Those are my two pain points for now. To overcome them this morning I headed into town on my bicycle and although I was only out for an hour or so I feel good to break away from the routine I’ve created for myself.
On the upside I have some good news. Firstly if you’ve been part of this innitiave you will see lots of collaborations happening. It’s really good for the community as a whole. This is something we often see on social media platforms but it doesn’t always have the same positive effects.
A massive shout out toSOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE CLUB for starting this. It looks like it is gathering momentum and I’m eager to keep participating in it.
I’ve had the idea of doing interviews with artists I follow and talk to online. And in today’s newsletter I’m happy to share with you the first interview.
Enjoy :)
Interview
Ross has been a fulltime photographer for 10 years and the reason why I started following his work is because it feels very relateable. As you go through his channel and images you see his passion for the craft and this is something which made me reach out and contact him for the interview.
A massive thanks to Ross for answering these questions :) I’m including links to his website, YouTube channel and Instagram pages so you can have a look at the amazing work he is doing with photo and video.
YouTube Channel | Website | Instagram
Now, onto the meat and potatoes…
Hello Ross, firstly I’d like to say thank you very much for taking out the time to answer these questions :) For readers who aren't familiar with your channel can you please give us a bit of information about yourself.
Hi. I’m Ross, a photographer and video-maker from Northern Ireland. I started a YouTube Channel towards the end of 2022 I guess as a kind of ‘video diary’ for myself, documenting the results from different camera related experiments I’ve wanted to try out.
I treat my YouTube channel like an artist’s sketch book, a place where I can record my photographic field notes or whatever. It’s weird to me that anyone would watch any of my YouTube videos but so lovely when you hear that someone has learnt something or picked up a useful tip from some weird thing I’ve tried out that week.
It has definitely been strange being in front of the camera but I’ve tried to stay true to myself which is something I find very important (in YouTube but also art and life in general!)
Is photography and film making your current full time job? If not, what line of work did you do before?
Yeah this year (2024) marks my 10th year as a full time self-employed photographer.
For many people photography starts as a hobby and then becomes more serious. Did it happen for you in this manner or have you always wanted to be a full time photographer and film maker?
I’ve been playing about with cameras since I was 11 and so yeah I guess it was a hobby which I have somehow managed to turn into a job. I massively believe in that cheesy Mark Twain quote “find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
I don’t even think of myself as having a job really as I am so passionate about the ‘work’ I do that it doesn’t ever feel like ‘work’ you know? I’m super fortunate I guess. That doesn’t mean I don’t work hard, I work very hard at what I do it’s just that I love it so much that it doesn’t feel like I’m working most of the time. I definitely try to put in the practice.
A lot of people buy a camera and suddenly it’s like “look I’m a photographer” but that doesn’t mean they’re any good you know? Like you can’t just buy a guitar and suddenly you’re a musician or buy some paint and you’re a painter. You’ve got to dedicate a lot of time to it, practice, fail, learn, grow and develop and never stop that process.
Style is something very important for artists in terms of it setting you apart from other artists. How did you find your style for photography and videography? Can you also give a small description of your style (I know it is a difficult question sometimes :) ).
You’re right. It’s very difficult for me to talk about my own style. I am kind of unaware of my own style if that makes sense. (Maybe I don't have one?) I just make pictures that look good to me or feel like they reflect who I am in some way. Whether that’s in the lens I choose to shoot with, the scenes or subjects I photograph, in the framing, the colours, the font or music I use or whatever. It all comes down to taste... my taste. I am trying to develop and grow as a person as I move through life and I guess that is maybe (hopefully) reflected in the art that I make.
As I change, so my taste changes, so my style changes, so my art changes etc. The type of art I connect with is usually a good measure of what influences the type of art I create. If I connect with a painting, or a song, or a film it’s more than likely because I have seen a glimpse of myself in it. I am an imperfect being, living in an imperfect world and it’s these imperfections in art that resonate with me the most… like seeing a painter’s brush strokes, hearing a wonky drumbeat, a hand painted shop sign, a photograph shot on film.
Imperfection to me is beauty in its own way. I like to photograph a wide variety of things but I tend to stay clear of anything where perfection is rewarded. Like postcard type landscape photography or working with models for fashion photography or whatever. I don’t see the world like that (I don’t see myself like that) so I find it extremely difficult to create art like that. I like the ‘flaws’.
I've seen your videos and you mix it up a lot with the Fujifilm recipes and shooting with vintage lenses. It looks like an interesting way to add another dimension to photography. It is something you've always enjoyed doing?
As I mentioned above, my YouTube channel is like my idea sketchbook. Usually the reason for making a YouTube video is because I need to test a new idea/technique/lens/setting/camera/film stock or whatever before a shoot and it’s useful for me to record the results so I can look back on for future reference. I’m not really expecting anyone to watch but it’s cool if people do and if someone watches and something I’ve done in my video sparks an idea for them, even better.
Before starting my YouTube channel I definitely felt a bit unmotivated and uninspired in my work. The first step out of this was diving into Fujifilm. Fujifilm are maybe not as technically as advanced as other cameras out there but they are the most fun cameras I have ever used, so much so that I rarely find myself without my Fujifilm camera in my hands. Fujifilm truly made photography feel exciting again, the way it did when I first picked up a camera more than 20 years ago.
This path led me to trying different techniques, focal lengths, vintage lenses, film simulations, film photography, and much more and is a path I hope to be on for many years to come. My hope is that testing all of these new ideas/techniques/settings etc. is a good thing for me as a photographer. I guess each one is like adding another string to my bow, is that the phrase? I am cautious however to not let these tests define my ‘style’, I don’t want to become known as the guy who… ‘only shoots with Fujifilm Recipes’ or ‘only uses vintage lenses’. They are ultimately just tools that I can choose to use or not use depending on what’s right for each piece of work. My favourite artists are constantly changing the tools they use to make their art but still their art is their own you know? I don’t want to be the guy who blah blah blah, I just want to be Ross.
I found a playlist on your YouTube channel around skateboarding. Is it something you do yourself and have you ever wanted to incorporate it into your photography?
Didn't know that playlist was set to public... I'm glad now it was!
Skateboarding is a whole other can of worms. I’ll try keeping this short for you but it’s going to be hard. Skateboarding from the outside just looks like kids rolling around on planks of wood… and in one hand it is, but in the other it’s a beautiful, creative, personal, non-competitive, physical act of self-expression.
Skateboarding is art disguised as sport. It informs fashion and music, creates friendships and community, and connects classes and cultures. It’s difficult, like really really difficult. It takes a bunch of practice, a tonne of sacrifice, a lot of failure but skateboarding has so much to give in return.
Photography and skateboarding are inherently connected. I take so much inspiration from skateboarding in the way I see the world, the clothes I wear, the way I photograph, how I connect with my environment. There are no winners in skateboarding, there are no losers either. Just like in art, there is only persistence, creativity and self-expression.
I dipped my toe into photographing skateboarding in 2020/21 and really enjoyed it. It takes a lot of patience. You can spend a whole day and only come back with one usable photograph which is frustrating. The scene here in Northern Ireland is super small. I’d love to do some documentary stuff though with it in the future, like behind the scenes. Maybe some ‘day-in-the-life’ videos with some film photography incorporated, not sure. I’ll keep you posted!
I often browse through videos and images of other photographers for some inspiration when I'm struggling with creative block - what do you do on the days when inspiration hasn't struck?
I don’t like looking at other photographers' work for inspiration when I’m stuck. I prefer maybe immersing myself in some other art forms I love, like looking at paintings or listening to my favourite album or something else. Talking to a stranger is a good one for inspiration. Going for a walk somewhere new (with or without the camera) is good too.
I heard once that by stepping outside your comfort zone, you expand it. I love that because as your comfort zone grows you need to constantly be trying new things, having new experiences, learning new skills in order to grow. That’s my aim.
Checkout
In here I share the social media channels of artists I found while browsing the internet. Got any artists which inspire or interest you? Leave some feedback for us to check out.
Photographer & Filmmaker
Christopher Williams
As the weeks go by I keep find interesting people online who pursue their dream of photography or filmmaking. I recently found Christopher’s channel and his work is inspiring to me. Starting something (a newsletter, blog, YT channel, etc) around your chosen art can be difficult and when think about these things we think for it to be seen as successful we need 1M+ followers or 100K+ view. In my opinion it’s not the case. You can produce quality work regardless of how many people follow you, know you or like your stuff on social media.
If you’re interested in the work he does you can find him on YouTube, Instagram and his personal website.
Christopher Williams Instagram
Christopher Williams YouTube channel
Photos
Some of the photos I took this week. I don’t post these on other social channels and share them with my subscribers only.
Connect
I have a few social channels I maintain. If you’d like to connect please send me a message. And if you have any interesting content you’d like to share please don’t hesitate.
I’m including links to my Instagram and Threads channels. If you enjoy this content please restack or share the newsletter with you friends.
Love love love this interview format! Great work!