THE WHIMS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

ZOOM

Michael Morley 

Thursday 25 June 7pm

THE WHIMS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

The street is an accessible stage where people and life are exposed for the pleasure of the photographer. Let's hope that pleasure is never taken away by laws. I thought China would be restrictive, but quite the opposite. In central Beijing, photographers with long lenses fired away at young people beautifully dressed in the latest fashion. In Vietnam, young photographers and aspiring models conducted photoshoots in beautiful clothes throughout Ho Chi Minh City & Hanoi.

For me, the street is an exciting and creative canvas where I'm energised by observing and capturing interesting moments and human emotions. It's a place where I'm always smiling and quite happy sitting on the kerb people-watching while being watched. I'm upset when I'm judged, rejected or there is conflict, but in all the places I've photographed it's been very rare. This talk is about my technique on the street over many years, including that very important ability to engage with strangers, which has usually resulted in positive and enjoyable interactions.

My Background

I grew up at the end of the Northern Line in South London. I was an only child and my parents were unambitious and unadventurous, so at 17 I joined the RAF as an RAF Regiment Gunner. I wasn't particularly clever, ambitious or competitive, but 42 busy years of service helped me progress through the ranks and I eventually left as an Officer with a good pension. My career was diverse: new roles, new places, new teams, new challenges and, occasionally, a new wife! It was common to be away for eight months of the year, including deployments to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

My grandad, who was my stand-in father until I was four, handed down his cameras to me. I've always loved photography and often watched the specialist photographers attached to my teams in conflict zones. My final six-month deployment was to the Falkland Islands, where I was fortunate to travel extensively by boat and helicopter, photographing the wildlife. One evening at dusk we watched petrels gather from the sea in a huge swirling mass. It looked like a Spielberg film. As my friends continued firing away with their modern cameras while the birds disappeared into their burrows, I found myself asking: why am I not doing this as my main hobby?

I upgraded my gear, left the service and, after a spell teaching mental health, became a property photographer covering Scotland. The job kept me on the road, but it also gave me the opportunity to photograph Scotland's beautiful landscapes.

Although I enjoy landscape and studio work, people photography remains my passion, especially on the street and during my travels. In many ways, it's a bit like being back on patrol.