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Lewis Phillips
A cultural and environmental photographer with conservation in mind all the time. Re ignited with passion since moving back to film and shooting large format.
Over the past five years, my photography journey has been a bit of a whirlwind. I’ve switched from digital to film, downsized (or upsized?) from full-frame sensors to large-format cameras, and completely overhauled the way I think about creating images. The biggest change? My mindset. For years, I had a pretty scattered approach. I’d photograph anything that caught my interest in the aim of getting my work into agencies, more for my own satisfaction at times, even before earning a living, which, looking back, is ridiculous; the only real purpose it served was keeping my shutter finger in shape.
To be fair, there was a perk: it made me a better lecturer for those who were looking at moving into the industry for a future career. I could give students some insider knowledge about the business side of photography, as I sold some of my work through agencies. But I have to admit, the motivation behind my constant shooting wasn’t exactly noble—it was more about getting a pat on the back when an image made the cut.
One memorable moment was when I got into a bit of a tiff with another lecturer. A student had asked for feedback on their work, and I gave an honest opinion based on my experience with agencies. The student appreciated it, but my colleague? Not so much. They thought I was being too harsh. However, if you’ve been in the industry, you know sugarcoating doesn’t help anyone. Anyway, those days are behind me now. These days, I’ve traded the hustle for a slower, more meaningful approach.