young photographer – The Orange Peel

Today on the OP we are featuring another talented photographer! Jake’s work covers many topics but they are currently venturing into the Queer Photography scene more!

Keep reading to find out more…

Q1: What is your Name, Age, and Where are you based?

A:My name is Jake Williamson, I’m 19 years old and I’m studying in London.

Q2: How did you first get into your creative practice/ work?

A: Being creative came to me during high school, I started doing photography as a GCSE
and that’s when I started my creative journey.

Q3: Are there any main or overarching themes you explore in your work?

A: My work over the last few years has always had a political point of view. From domestic
abuse, Nazism, Racism, Feminism, and Pollution. I am currently getting further into the
fetish and Queer photography scene.

Q4: How has the COVID- 19 Pandemic affected your work?

A: Covid-19 was a scooter to the ankle for us creatives that sometimes struggle with
finding motivation. My university work went through to lockdown… which was fine…
for a day… the sense of being in a working environment is something I heavily admire.
So being in a bedroom in Norfolk just wasn’t cutting it for me.

Q5: Highlight one of your biggest inspirations!

A:When it comes to inspirations, Muses, and people I heavily admire, Pete Burns would be
in my top 3. A man who put his fingers up to conforming and lived his life the way he
wanted. He spoke his mind and did everything for himself. I appreciated him before he
died and will continue to do so.

‘Dead Or Alive’- Pete Burns.

Q6: Where can you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

A:When I get asked where I see myself in 5 years, I panic. I haven’t got a bloody clue! I
have a rough idea of what I want to do. Something on the lines of styling and
photography would be lovely. As long as I’m happy!

Q7: If you could share a message with the world, what would it be?

A: If I was to have a motto that everyone would hear, it would be “Don’t be a hater dear”.
What people dress in, identify as, or who they sleep with or love, has absolutely nothing
to do with you…

You can find and support Jake at their Instagram!

-THANKYOU FOR READING-

Welcome to another Orange Peel Art Collective blog post!!

Today we are in conversation with Photographer Matilda whos work centres around the idea of “Home”! Keep your eye out for more of her work featured on our platform over the summer! ENJOY !

Q1: What is your Name, Age, and Where are you based?

Hi! I’m Matilda, I am 22-year-old and I am a photographer based in Tottenham, London.

Q2: How did you first get into your creative practice/ work?

I’m French/English and have grown up in France. I moved here for my film studies. As I
started university, I got to meet loads of fellow creatives and collaborate with them for
films, music videos and photoshoots.
However, for photography, it started when I was a lot younger, I would always be the one
taking pictures at parties or whilst travelling. It came very naturally to me and has always
been a part of my life, there was no major event or deciding moment that pushed me to
start taking pictures, it just happened, and I went along with it!
I got into 35mm photography in the past 3 years and haven’t gone back to digital since. I
learned a lot from the 35mm “discipline”, not being able to see the result straight away
and being restricted to 36 or 24 exposures. I makes me think before I take the picture
rather than after.

Q3: Are there any main or overarching themes you explore in your work?

One overarching theme for me has been the concept of home, familiarity and
domesticity. Of course, I am very privileged to even have a home and some people do
not have a place to call their permanent home. Homelessness is an essential part of the
story that is crucial to portray and talk about as, in a city like London, it implies a lot of
injustice and inequalities. I am planning to do something in collaboration with the
homeless shelter that I have been volunteering at.

Q4: Highlight one of your biggest inspirations!

Christopher Nunn is a photographer I have discovered in the past year that has really
changed my photography. His work Edith (2013), composed pictures taken whilst
clearing Edith’s flat after she passed away, taught me a lot about storytelling in
photography.

Image from Christopher Nunns project Edith.

I also really like the brutal honesty of eastern European contemporary photography in
which the theme of home is often present, either as a sort of nostalgia and longing, or as
a conflicting relationship. As Andy Galdi Vinko puts it talking about her work
HomeSickLand: “I have spent a lot of time abroad, longing for someplace else, like many
of my eastern European contemporaries, believing that my place and happiness lie
somewhere out there”.

Q5: Where can you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

In five years, I would love to make images that make a difference and talk about relevant
social topics. I want activism to be an essential part of my photography practice. I would
love to be working on a research-based projects, to produce relevant and well thought out
series of photographs!