I don't really have a proper history in photography; I never studied it at school since my focus in the arts was always towards fine art and music.
The day I actually started taking an
interest in photography was during one of my art and design GCSE lessons. We
were focusing on photography that week and we were to take inanimate objects
and take influence from the work of some pretentious artist.
For hours my art and design teacher
continuously condescendingly criticised my photography work. In the process of
waiting for critique once more, after retaking my shots according to her
preferences, the head of our art department (also our school's photography
teacher) came up next to me and peered into my sketchbook. He flipped through
the shots I had taken, that my art and design teacher had profusely told me
"sucked" (her words in a nutshell). He then asked who the work
belonged to, so I responded that they were mine. He then told me that he loved
the use of shadows in my shots and found them extremely unique, so much so that
he wanted them displayed in the school's art showcase next week.
He of course forgot about my photos and they
never did end up in the showcase but I was just happy to see the smug smile on
my art teachers face completely fall into a look of disbelief as she
begrudgingly nodded along to her senior about my work.After my scarring experience of art and design, it left a bad taste in my mouth. So I put down my sketchpad and pencils and didn't partake in any fine art again until sixth form (which had its own set of trials).
See, I was born in raised in an urban
environment yet the city I live in has never failed to amaze me. I remember having
butterflies in my stomach as a child when a get-together when run a little too
late so that it would run into the night, which meant, I was able to sit in the
back seat of moving car and watch in the dark night, the bright city lights
whiz past me. I later learnt that if I squinted my eyes, just a little, the lights from the cars shining
beside me would expand and everything I looked at was in this gleaming
florescent haze. And when it rained, the glittering lights would sparkle behind
the tiny beads of water that streamed down from the sky.Later on in life when I discovered the infamous site called Tumblr which led to a discovery of an abundance of something called "light photography", an array of those sparkly lights I loved to look at, late at night in the inner depths of the city. Through endless browsing I was able to find many other styles of photography that I enjoyed, so much so that it inspired me every now and then to capture a shot of something that would catch my eye. They were never any good, since the camera quality on a cheap Chinese smart phone isn't exactly amazing, but I still enjoyed looking back on memories.
I've always felt more comfortable with a pencil in my hand than behind the lens of a camera but my interest in photography has flourished over the years as I gained the freedom to roam my city more. Being able to venture into parts of London and around the country out of my own choosing, means I can capture shots of the things I would drool over on Tumblr or better yet create unique shots of my own. I don't see myself partaking photography any more seriously than just a hobby but it has inspired me to venture into London more and appreciate the treats that not everyone can have access to. They may not be the most professional or taken with expert equipment but it's a great way to express myself which I'm really starting to enjoy.
-Jess
*all gifs used are not my owned by me. All copyrights belong to original owners*
