"I’ve always loved cameras. My dad had a Minolta x300 that was kind of off limits, but I used to love looking through the viewfinder. It was as though it had a gravity to me, like the Jumanji box or something. I was attracted to everything about it - the yellowing patina through the glass, the clap of the mirror, even the smell. The viewfinder felt like looking through the scope of a gun which was everything to me at that age. I didn’t properly get into photography until I was maybe 17 though, when Tumblr was really hitting. It opened a whole world of imagery from people like Petra Collins and Lukasz Weirzbowski. Their photos made me want to shoot with my friends and made me jealous that their friends weren’t my friends."

"The first photographer’s work I remember falling in love with was Don McCullin, it was a visceral feeling when I first saw his photos. My dad taped one of those BBC Imagine documentaries on him and I was hooked. That started an affinity with photography films and discovering some of my all time favourites like William Klein and Saul Leiter. I was going on Vimeo and just searching “photographer documentary” and consuming it all. Back when The Berrics was good, they had this video series on skate photographers, which is where I found Tobin Yelland. It blew me away - his demeanour and his eye, the people he had access to; It’s the first time I’d heard of Leica too…"

"Really early on, I mean days after deciding I wanted to pursue photography, I was asked to go on tour with Wolf Alice. I think I have an aptitude for shooting a documentary style on tour, and I made some work I'm really proud of. Because of that, I got approached by labels and brands to shoot all kinds of bits that I wasn’t necessarily ready for. As a self taught photographer just starting out I didn’t really know how to pull together shoots. I also didn’t have the confidence to seek out help, so I hid behind this DIY sensibility that didn’t necessarily produce the work I wanted, but was a convenient disguise for my lack of experience."

"I latched on to this interview with Glen E Friedman where he’s talking about how little equipment he’d need and how few frames he’d shoot. His ‘punk’ approach to photography is something I loved and wanted to emulate for a time. I’d turn up to shoot with just a 35mm camera and a wide prime lens. I had no concept of digital or tethering, no knowledge whatsoever on lighting. I’d get the budget for an assistant and throw it to a friend to carry a bag for the day. I probably felt like Robin Hood on set but it wasn’t really serving anyone. Now I know how to light and hand print, it really shines through. I wish I’d done that sooner and kind of cringe thinking about those old shoots. I have a catalogue of images out there that are essentially me learning on the job."

"I’m quite conflicted by equipment and can find myself being a little hypocritical about it. I love cameras, everything about them - the design, the weight, the sounds, there’s something about them that appeals beyond their functionality. I would pause videos, zoom in and try to figure out what photographers were using and research them. With that said, I don’t think equipment really matters at all. Some of the favourite images I’ve taken have been on cheap film with a plastic camera. There’s that walkie talkie youtube series, every one of these street photographers seems to have an m6 and a lot of their photos look like dogs dinner."

"I think the most important thing is finding a camera that makes you want to shoot and just having fun with it. That might be a Contax, but it doesn’t have to be. There’s a Frank Ockenfels interview where he says he’ll throw a lens in the sea to give him something in-camera that’s totally unexpected and unique to that lens. I’m not quite there but I love that - all of my cameras need to have a different personality or else what’s the point? Most importantly though, the camera needs to suit my mood on set. I bought a 67 probably 5 years ago and I’ve maybe used it a handful of times."

"It’s probably quite an antiquated way to look at photography, but I used to think it was hacky to manipulate images and do more than basic colour adjustments in post. I had a kind of epiphany during lockdown where I realised they were my images to do with what I choose and began to enjoy the experimental side of things, whether that be a printing method, heavy edits or some kind of illustration. A ton of my favourite photographers have done something extra with their photos and I’ve always loved that. People like Ed Templeton and Hockney."

"It’s taken a huge amount of mental resilience to continue trying honestly, especially now I’ve got a young family. It’s a business of sending thousands of emails, dropped options and sucking the hind teat of instagram. It’s easy to see your self worth and any individualism go down the drain as you try and appease whatever it is people are looking for. I’m constantly comparing my work to others and as much as I’d love to exist offline, instagram is the source most creative directors and producers seem to turn to to find work."

"I’m excited to get back to making more physical works though - prints, zines and books etc. I want to collaborate with friends and make work for myself again. It’s harder when you’re not a trust fund kid but I’m bored of looking at their images and tired of using that as an excuse."