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Back in August I started a professional writing course at Virginia Tech. One of our writing assignments that were to be due at the end of the semester was to interview someone in the profession we would like to pursue after graduation and draft up a professional profile of how writing factors in to their career on a daily basis. Wanting nothing more than to be a photographer, I jumped right in the assignment and contacted Kevin Mason aka Dark Daze. Kevin is a wildly talented photographer from Sussex, England whose blog I have been following for a while now so I was thrilled when he said he was willing to be interviewed. Unfortunately this assignment was cut from the class due to time constraints, but I still want to share this inspirational interview that is helpful to anyone who wishes to become a photographer one day. When did you decide to go into the photography field? I left university 3 months before I was due to finish my Interior Architecture degree. I had a strong feeling then that I wanted to pursue photography, but maybe that decision had been made years before and I wasn't aware of it. How did you make this decision? I was appalled by my tutors attitudes at uni- architects are control freaks- and I knew also I wanted to work for myself not join a practice. I was doing more and more photographer and film in all my projects so it seemed like my calling. I had originally intended to apply for the photography degree, but I only had about 6 photos to my name and thought they wouldn't accept me. Who or what influenced you to become a photographer? I believe we all build up a visual language, that we filter and process and that helps us to read the world around us. I am a very visual person, socially fairly shy, not great with conversation but I feel I understand people more through observation. Photography, or being a photographer is an attempt to understand my world and for others to hopefully understand me. How did you prepare/educate yourself for a career in photography? I am entirely self-taught but I have read everything I could get my hands on when it came to images. I am at heart a geek, who also loves learning technique. I spent thousands of pounds over the years on film, at the expense of food, rent, clothes- really, I know it sounds a romanticized version but photography has cost me a fortune. I was almost married once and even messed that up as my obsession with photography came first- in fact it has cost me several relationships, as people realize that I can never truly share myself completely- or not at this point. I also studied on the internet- and I have also been obsessed with film lighting, cinematography for years. At 18 I would watch one film every afternoon and although I wasn't aware at the time I was learning a huge amount- I would just go through lists of "greatest films' until I had seen everything that appealed to me. On a more practical note I also looked at photography books and tried to break down why the pictures worked, and what the photographer was doing that was different from everyone else. I also joined two different production companies working for free for 2 years learning lighting, film camerawork, set building etc When did your career start? When I went on a road trip with my parents aged 9- and took some snaps and cried when the prints came back as they were not what I had seen through the camera -- . Truthfully though it was when I find a subject matter that I really enjoyed photography, which was graffiti writers that I knew. It was a niche area at the time, kind of underground and allowed my work to get an international following pretty quickly. I then worked for Graphotism, shooting their covers and portraits. It didn't pay but it was definitely the start and led on to work with MTV offshoot production companies, music video shoots as a cameraman etc. What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome when you first entered the photography field? That I knew nothing about photography, and that I have a complete inability to network. What is your job? I own and run (with a business partner) the biggest photography and training centre in the south of England. I am also a full time photographer as well as teacher. What sort of writing do you produce routinely on your job? I write consistently in my field. Part of my ability to get work and get noticed is through social media interaction. From Twitter to my personal blog, to Garage Studios blog. I give online criticism of work, exhibitions other photographers and myself. This has often led me into difficulties. When I went under the pseudonym darkdaze, an alter ego of sorts I wouldn't hold back with my opinions and tried to create something of an arrogant online ego- kind of the opposite of what I actually am- it was all part of being in the world of hip hop and graffiti, bragging, boasting etc you can read my old blog on www.darkdaze.org. I tried to tell stories with my images, make accounts of events and the subjects into heroes. This for example is my account of travelling to LA with a bunch of Graffiti writers who are both revered and feared around the world in equal measures, it gained a lot of followers, but also shaped peoples opinions of me, and possible also potential clients, who maybe rejected me on the basis of some of what I was saying. I have now realized to a great extent that a burst of writing isn't like a conversation or opinion given in a bar- on the internet it's archived for ever and can really come back and bite you in the arse. Some of it I did deliberately as I was bored of graff and hip hop and wanted to change my audience, some of it was just ranting. Now instead I blog opinion that I try and have some overall responsibility for, I run a business, my opinion may not always be in the interest of the business, so I have two blogs. One is more mainstream, slightly less opinionated. I also write extensively in terms of briefs, photographic briefs for/from clients, its often a long time before you even get to images or sketches etc and so I have to sell ideas by writing about them. I also teach a lot, so I write all my own courses, as well as giving written feedback to students. Finally I have contributed to several How To kind of books and have to write a lot about why, how I shot certain images and analyze my own work. What are some of your accomplishments in the field? I have been published in magazines from UK, to USA, Korea, France. I have been interviewed in both documentaries, and in print media. I have numerous solo exhibitions and joint exhibitions. But my biggest accomplishment to date is starting this business and keeping it thriving thru a recession. Oh and I founded GangUp a fashion magazine. What are the pros and cons of being in the photography business? Pros- you get to live out your dream. When It works you genuinely cant believe you are getting paid for what you love. Cons- its an incredibly hard business to survive in- someone will always undercut you. Clients care less now about impact of the image than they do about the cost of an image. It's an industry of obsession and insecurity like being any kind of artist. You never now when you are going to make money, and if it will ever last. You are only as good as your last picture. Visual droughts are common and awful. Do you do other types of photography than portrait work? I shoot fashion, portraiture, and corporate work- but I don't put corporate work on my website. What advice could you give to a newcomer to the field as he or she searches for their first job? Don't price yourself too cheaply. Be confident in your visual language, if its strong it will win through. Don't compromise at the expense of your integrity. What are your future photography goals? A studio in USA, and permanent residence there. Eventually I want to make movies, and have a retrospective at MOMA SF. Does the price of a camera matter in ways that it affects the quality of the picture? No- the camera is a device for showing what you see. Its construction is practically irrelevant. Was photography just considered as a hobby to you in the past? No when I knew I wanted to do it I never stopped being serious about it. What makes a good photographer in your opinion? Someone who has enough arrogance to believe that want they want to say and show should be seen- but not so much arrogance that they believe people will want to see it. What do you enjoy most photographing and what do you enjoy photographing the most? I enjoy presenting fictions that I see as truths. Do you prefer using film cameras over digital? In my soul yes- but sometimes I would be impossible. So I have embraced digital in the same way I have disposable point and shoot cameras, it's just another way of showing what you want others to see. What motivates you to do what you do? I couldn't possibly do anything else now- or at least not until I have got all of this out. How long did it take to take your hobby in photography and turn it into a career? Properly it took about 6 years of full graft. Is your work mostly freelance or do you work primarily for a certain company/companies? Freelance, people come to me, I don't think I have applied for a shoot in the past 3 years. Thank you so much to Kevin Mason for this extensive interview. I appreciate you taking the time to give such detailed and inspirational answers to my questions. You can find Kevin Mason online here: Tumblr, Garage Studios, and Kevin Mason Photography. Please visit the corresponding blog post on Penny Laine for some of my favorite photos by Kevin Mason. |
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