Lick Shotz

Photography is my main creative outlet. The pictures I take are about me and my way of seeing the world, in that they reflect my visions, tastes and interpretation of reality. They are fraction-of-a-second windows into what I have seen and continue to see — they are extractions of my everyday. Often there is a problem of how I am seen, how I am represented by the media as a British-Caribbean person, but I find there is nothing wrong with how I see. And so photography is my participation in the call-and-response of seeing and being seen — or left out (often unseen).

I am happy to choose a number of subjects, but what I have the most access to is the street and so that is what I use. Space is often contested — between public and private, and people, when out, are also public but retain their privacy. I respect people’s privacy while shooting with the understanding that they are part of a population and so am I. I try to anonymise my subject while at the same time capturing an essence of their character, which is what I am truly interested in, rather than their identity.

I have chosen black and white as my primary source of reflections through photography. There is an intuition that comes from seeing a black and white photo that I value — there is an immediate sense of awareness, intrigue, and insight that I hope to bring out from this choice. There is also a classic feel with the balance between light and dark that speaks to the soul first. Often I choose square format as I find it curious and I am inspired by the masters who have used this style in the past. I will also use digital technology, for convenience, flexibility in post-production and cost.

Inspired by greats such as Gordon Parks, Roy DeCaravera, Vivian Maier, Henri Cartier Bresson, Daido Moriyama, Sebastio Salgado, as well as a range of poets from the surrealist movement. I act with creative intent. This is what drives me and what I thrive on. The feel I go for is vintage and characterful, but I am not afraid to be bold or beautiful, as I find the world often is.