How did you get started in photography?
For the past 7-8 years, I’ve been exploring with photography. It started as a hobby whilst I was studying Maths and Physics at the University of Nottingham, I just found it a fun thing to do and I developed a desire to want to experiment with cameras. One of my earliest memories with a camera was when I was a child, a friend of my mum’s brought round a polaroid camera and from there I was hooked. They’d pull out photographs and show my brother and I photos. If we did well at school my mum’s friend would get out her film camera, so photography has played an important part in my life. At uni, I was able to borrow a Nikon camera and it helped me with self-expression because I have Asperger’s Syndrome, this was something that didn’t come naturally to me. Photography became a tool that I was able to use, to express myself with and come up with ideas and explore relationships. It’s technical too and that’s something I’m keen on.
Do you have a certain style or technique in which you like to take photos?
There’s a couple of styles and techniques that I’ve been playing around with in the past couple of years. I’ve been trying out blurred shots, camera blurs and panning with the camera to show action and movement. I’m not minimalistic and set up scenes, I walk around, look at compositions and see how things move. I’m inspired by Maths and Geometry and I like to toy around with it all, I like to edit my photos to make them bold and stand out. I get my inspiration for my techniques from a photographer based in Nottingham called John Rourke. He uses a lot of blurs and panning that brings a feel for the subject into his work, that’s something I’ve leaned on.
So what inspires your creativity?
I find photography quite liberating, there’s no right or wrong way to use a camera. From my personal perspective, it’s a case of how do you feel in that moment. It’s sort of like a visual response to ‘what do you see’.
What do you like capturing?
My favourite images to capture are nightscapes and cityscapes. This inspired me to turn it into a project, I’ve been producing a calendar of Nottingham since 2015. I’ve gone for nighttime views of the city, capturing images of the well-known landmarks such as the Old Market Square and Cobden Chambers. Just seeing them light up at night, with fewer people around and seeing the change in atmosphere. Capturing the ambiance from dusk to twilight and seeing the transition. A lot of photographers think there isn’t enough light at nighttime but there is! There’s enough light all the time. It’s all about sensing where the light is in certain places. Moonlight is a very significant part of the light, it’s dark enough where you can see your own shadow and interesting to experience it in a different way.
Are you working on any projects at the moment?
I’m constantly finding new things to see and make, with a bit of time over the summer I’m going to be focusing on producing some new material for photo walks within Nottingham and a few other cities. One of the things I’ve seen recently is a study on Birmingham’s excellent public library facilities – in terms of architecture and also in terms of being an example of a public service. I’ve also worked with Pint of Science , I collaborated with the School of Physics and Astronomy, where I’d completed my undergraduate degree to produce some images bringing to life cutting-edge research into ultracold atoms.
Do you have any other interests?
I’ve always been intrigued by F1 since I was eight years old and with a Physics background, I really appreciate the engineering and research efforts which go into developing the cars so they can go faster. Generally, I’m a massive fan of science and technology.
Do you have any other creative hobbies?
I’ve been able to play around with pottery recently. I really enjoy the tactile hand-on nature of manipulating clay on a potting wheel, even if I’m just getting the hang of it. As well as painting the points, experimenting with layering different paints and different textures. Some similarities to photography.
You won the young creative award in 2012, how was that for you?
I was very pleased (and perhaps a little surprised) to get recognition at the Young Creative Awards for my photography. I’d entered the competition simply because I’d read about it, seen the theme they had for the year, then realised some images I’d made of festivals in Nottingham were a perfect fit. Apart from that, I’d not gone out thinking about it much. I think this story shows how important it is to sometimes take a chance.
Where do you hope to see yourself in the future with your photography?
With the kind help of the Princes’ Trust, I’ve been able to learn more about how to turn what I do into a sustainable venture, and also invest in some equipment. I’m examining the idea of a solo exhibition showcasing what I’ve seen around Nottingham at dusk for quite a few years. Also, I’m looking to reach out to help creative agencies, marketing teams and owners of creative and offbeat business visually communicate the awesome things they do.
We’d like to send a big thank you to Lamar for spearing his time in telling us about his journey in photography, and sharing his stories with us.
To keep updated with Lamar and see more of his work, check out his social media pages:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Website
You can read all about Lamar’s project with Pint of Science here
