How old were you when you took an interest in photography, and when did it become more than an interest?

Not until I was 21 and studying design at University in England. And then when I fell out of university and decided I hated sitting at a desk and having the same routine every day, it became more than just an interest.

What do you love most about photography as an artform?

The ability to mix the reality of seeing a physical subject that we know and understand with the illusion of an idea or story that might be a complete fabrication.

What is your favorite thing to shoot?

I’d love to make my name as photographer of people and culture. All the great photographs that have ever enticed me have been from the photographers who capture people and emotions, whether they be truthful emotions or completely fabricated. I’d feel a sense of satisfaction when I know I can always pull a potentially iconic image from each person I meet and photograph, more than photographing anything else.

“All the great photographs that have ever enticed me have been from the photographers who capture people and emotions…”

What is your favorite piece of equipment?

I recently bought a small Japanese toy 8mm digital video camera. The quality is so poor and laggy that it creates a feeling of very early digital video technology – which is something I’m really aesthetically pleased by at the moment.

Which person most inspires your photographic passion? Which professional photographers do you look up to?

I’m inspired by anyone who really defines their taste and style in photography, and then sticks by that as they become a commercial success. The people I’m currently inspired by for these reasons are Viviane Sassen and Jamie Hawkesworth. Someone I’ll always be inspired by is Martin Parr.