Interview with Linda Wisdom | London, UK
Follow
Hello Linda, we are very honored to have you as your Featured Street Photographer on Street View Photography.
Could you please tell us a little bit about your personal background to begin with?
I was born and live in West London, England. I work as an IT contractor, but have been self employed as Apple Mac IT Consultant for 8 years with my own computer support business.
I have been shooting street photography for about 4 years now. Before photography I was heavily into music. Learnt to play guitar and did some writing, I also worked in recording studios and studied sound engineering for a while which was great. I also did things like design and publish my own pop fanzines when I was younger which got sold in WH Smiths. I have always had a creative side and use that outlet to express myself. Photography helps me to do this.
Could you share with us how you first became interested in street photography?
I first become interested in street photography by accident really. A friend give me a camera to lend and I taught myself basic photography. The more more I went out to take photos the more I learnt. My subject matter varied from architecture, abstract, landscape, etc but eventually swayed towards people and capturing candid moments and this is how I began. Four years on its still my main creative passion.
What do you look for on the streets?
I look for scenes with multiple elements that grab my attention visually and/or I have some form of emotional connection to. A shot can be visually clever, witty, story telling, make you wonder, happy, sad or move you in some other way. I don’t like to take photos that I will probably forget in a week or month. Its good to know that maybe I’m doing something right, when someone can describe one of my favorite photos taken 2-3 years ago and I know which one they are talking about.
What would you say characterizes your work in comparison to other street photographers?
I’m not sure. I don’t really compare myself to other photographers. There are many great and distinct photographers out there whom I admire. I take photos I want to take and then share them. I do it for the love and take photos that make me happy. When other people say that they like my work then of course its a bonus and rewarding to hear.
Has your style of shooting changed since you first started?
Definitely. I have scaled down my camera kit from SLRs and excessive zoom lenses now prefer using more compact digital devices mainly because I like the portability and incognito of using smaller cameras. My style of images has changed the most from when I first started out, which was were mostly street portraits. I now enjoy the challenge as mentioned before of getting multiple visual elements and atmospheric compositions.
Do you see your personality reflected in your work?
I’m not conscious of it, but I guess some of my personality traits must be reflected. My sense of humour definitely that shows up in my juxtapositional images. I find images that express an emotion or feeling much more powerful and memorable. This is probably why I intentionally like capturing eye contact candidly in many of my photos. Windows of the soul and all that.
Among your works, which is your favorite and why?
That is almost like asking a parent which is their favourite child :) I have to think about that one……….ok, I think probably this one is my favourite. It just brings back a very good memory of the day I took it. I didn’t have much time to compose it or check my exposure settings, but I just knew the light and elements in that location were amazing and that I wanted to capture them all in one shot. I think it came out ok!
Which other photographers are you inspired or influenced by?
Well, I was first inspired by HCB when I started, he continues to be an influence. Over the years the list has expanded and I will see an image that makes me go ‘wow’ and I will be inspired to research that photographer and find out more about their work. Some of these have included; Saul Leiter, Vivian Maier, W. Eugene Smith, Fan Ho, Josef Koudelka, Fred Herzog, Ernst Haas, Helen Levitt. Many of the modern day contemporaries are also very inspiring.
Do you have any tips for people who are just starting out in street photography?
Yeah.. don’t! No just kidding. I would just say go out and shoot as often as possible, shoot what you enjoy shooting, study the photos of classic masters and just have fun with it.
Thank you Linda! We wish you good luck in all your future project and hope you keep enriching the community with your photographs.
Here you can find more of Linda’s work on here Facebook Page and Homepage.
