Meet the TEN AND ONE AWARDS Judges: Chris Pollard

The fast-paced world of fashion is Chris Pollard's area of expertise. To keep up with the industry's ever-changing face, he continuously explores and experiments with new concepts. Get to know our TEN AND ONE Awards Judge from London in this interview.

Aside from photography, what are your other interests?

I love being active and spend most of my time (and money) away from photography trying to do as much kickboxing, skiing, surfing, cycling and shooting as I can. I'm also a very novice blacksmith doing my best to improve...so a little eclectic.

What does photography mean to you?

Predominantly experimentation, and exploration. Some of my most creative projects have occurred hidden away in tiny darkrooms or tinkering with old cameras that haven't had film in them for decades. I love 'falling down the rabbit hole' or becoming totally immersed in researching a concept and not realizing hours have slipped by because of reading and testing. I think this times can actually be more creative than the completion of the final images.

How did you get started in photography?

I first began shooting properly when I was studying my fashion imaging degree and began using digital photography as a way to record my journey, research and create original artwork. This soon sparked my interest and I began to learn as much as I could about analogue.

While taste is subjective – in your opinion, what makes a good photo?

If what I like on Instagram is anything to go by, it seems any image of a motorbike or dog gets my approval. But from a professional perspective, if the image has captured someone's emotions, an honest portrayal of a moment in someones life or convincingly an "un-posed" unique snapshot in time it will certainly catch my attention.

What is your fondest photographic memory?

Photography has shaped the last seven or eight years of my life in a many different ways. I have made great friends through it and it allowed me to shoot incredible situations and people. Some of my proudest moments have been due to my love of shooting. Picking just one moment seems impossible. In retrospect, perhaps my fondest memory happened long before all these. In fact, receiving my first camera aged about seven (a Kodak Trimlite Instamatic 28 that took 110 film) from my Gran is the most poignant of all of them.

With so many cameras and other image-making devices available today, more and more people are getting into photography – it can be a little difficult to make one’s work stand out. What advice would you give someone who seriously wants to pursue and succeed in this craft?

Don't shoot what you think people will want to see! Shoot what you want to shoot, the way you want to shoot it! Invariably, that ends up being of more interest to your viewers as it captures your unique viewpoint of a situation or subject.

To see more of Chris Pollard's photography, head to his website or follow him on Facebook and Instagram. Meet the rest of the TEN AND ONE Lomography Awards jury.

2017-01-24 #people #competitions #ten-and-one-jury-2016 #tenandoneawards #2016judges