ARTIST INTERVIEW: Paul Armstrong
Paul Armstrong
Please can you give me an introduction about yourself
I was born in the North East of England and since my mid-20s, I have lived with my wife in Whitby, first as a teacher and now as a photographer; The Artistic Lens. We live in the centre of town, where I have my studio, surrounded by gothic churches. I started out as a portrait photographer and have diversified to regularly photograph events, particularly for the performing arts, trawler builds, musicians, and a variety of corporate commissions. I always carry a camera with me and can be seen around the streets of Whitby documenting everyday life around the town. At weekends, I regularly play gigs as the bassist of a ska band.
What inspired you to do photography?
My interest in photography began in my late teens, when my dad gave me his old 1959 Kodak Colorsnap 35. A few years later, having taken a photography module in my design degree, I travelled around Europe with the SLR my parents bought me for my 21st birthday. There, my love of travel and street photography began. With a great interest in art, design and architecture, I aimed to capture the atmosphere of trips and many iconic buildings and landmarks. Over the next couple of decades, I mainly did landscape and nature photography, but over recent years, my resurgent interest in street photography caused me to realise that, to me, people are the most interesting subjects to photograph. So, these days my real passion is portraiture, with the aim of capturing the character and individuality of the people in front of my lens.
What are your favourite settings to take pictures?
I particularly love working in the studio, where I can take time to get to know my subjects and be creative with various lighting setups. However, outside I enjoy street photography, particularly in early mornings when few people are about or, conversely at midday when the streets are teeming and the hard light produces dark shadows in the narrow Whitby streets. I’m also drawn to small details – pebbles on the beach, rusty metal (always great to photograph), or the structural details of leaves, fungi or other living things.
What is your best-loved piece of work and why?
My favourite piece is one of my first portrait commissions, which has become known as ‘Guardian Angel’; the name was given by the mother of the girls in the photograph. I set up a portable studio at their home and with a pop-up black backdrop, one light and one reflector, I used a classic Rembrandt lighting setup to create a series of low-key portraits. In ‘Guardian Angel’, the younger child has a moment of calm and her look of innocence is supported by the calm expression of the elder sister who gently holds her. The photograph was one of my pieces displayed at the ‘Vision of Whitby’ exhibition in Pannett Park Art Gallery. As a portrait, as well as capturing that particular moment in time, I love the composition and mood of the piece, and how it represents sibling love and responsibility.
How do you get the person in front of the camera in the way you want?
On location on in the studio, I like to explain what I’m doing so nothing comes as a surprise to the subject. Before the shoot, the subject will have had the opportunity to think about what to wear and they choose backdrop and seating options when they arrive. I give them time to get used to the studio lighting and test shots often produce some nice images. Some lighting setups require specific seating positions, whereas others allow the subject to move around more. Showing the subject, the results of the shots as the shoot progresses gets them involved in the creative process and helps them relax into the shoot. Throughout the shoot, I chat with the subject to capture natural expressions and show them the results so we can refine the poses to produce images they love.
Is there any other photographer that you consider as a kind of idol? Do they have an influence on your work?
Like many street photographers, I am very much inspired by the work of Saul Leiter – his creative and often quirky compositions made an artform out of capturing the urban environment, while his ability to capture the individual is seen in his beautiful candid portraits. As a portrait photographer, however, I love the natural light work of Nirav Patel and the fine-art creations of Laura Sheridan, Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk and Giulia Valente. Their creations involve many props and costumes and I am working towards moving in a fine art direction with my own studio work.
What does photography mean to you?
For me, photography has moved from being a creative escape to a way of life. I make photographs every day and am continually experimenting with subjects, light and composition; often with the mundane and sometimes with more ambitious intentions. I aim to compose in-camera as often as possible so as to be creative in the moment. So, when I’m photographing an event for example, as well as aiming to capture the action, emotion and atmosphere, I’m continually thinking about how to compose the shot in a creative way. I want each image to be a creative piece, with post-production being more of a refining process.
What it is you want to say with your photographs?
When I take a series of portraits, I want to say something about the personality of the subject; to draw out those characteristic expressions that people will recognise them for. Looking more broadly at my photography, whether it be an idea of my own, a collaborative piece or a commission by a client, I want the work to show that any image can have artistic worth. As I said when I gave feedback on a competition that I recently judged, I am a stickler for composition and, although rules are there to be broken, a photograph can be a thing of beauty if imagination and care are put into it.
Why do you think art is important in society?
Art has so many benefits to society. As well as the enjoyment of creating something, through shared interest or collaborative works, it can bring people together. It can educate, promote discussion, give a voice to people who find it other ways of expression difficult and help heal those who are finding life difficult. With art, society is immeasurably richer.