Monday, November 16, 2015
Featured Photographer 7thkind
Through the Steller App, I discovered a photographer who shares his work under the name of 7thkind. The story of how he learned to appreciate his city through photography was my introduction to his work. He was kind enough to agree to an interview.
What is your name and where do you live?
NJ: My name is Nick Junior but social handle is "7thkind" and I'm from Toronto.
I know you shoot with both your iPhone and DSLR, but the focus here is on your mobile work. How did you get started with mobile photography? What device do you use?
NJ: Yes I recently started posting DSLR work on my Instagram feed but I got started in the mobile photography scene about a year ago when I told myself that I should start using Instagram more. I followed friends and others then followed a photographer who I was a fan of on tumblr. I checked to see who he was following and from there it opened up a whole new thing with taking photos with your phone was cool (to me) but all I had at the time was an iPod Touch. I went to my first Instameet here in Toronto to get a sense of what the community was like and everyone had the iPhone 5's and stuff and Samsung Galaxy's and there I am with an iPod Touch. From there it ignited the motivation to finally leave my Blackberry and switch to an iPhone. As time flies and the more people you follow you get an idea of what you want to express through your photos.
Who or what inspires you?
NJ: There are a lot of people that inspire me realistically but one person who I look up to really got me to be more involved with my work/subject. That would be Jonathan Mannion. If you don't know him you've probably seen his work around a lot if you're a fan of the hiphop culture. Everyone should google him haha.
I came across your work while checking out the stories on Steller. I loved yours story about Toronto and learning to love your city. How did photography help you on that journey?
NJ: Thank you! Photography to me personally was like searching for your self. As I mentioned in that story, I was really disappointed about where I lived because I wanted the city to be 'that city' that everyone talks about. After following and meeting some cool urban explorers here in Toronto you start to feed off of their vibe and where they go and you really start to appreciate the little things that you've never seen before or seen often in a new perspective and from there it led me to really find the gold that the city has. A perfect example would be when I started climbing to the top of buildings to get to the roof. You see a whole new city, a new perspective of your home. You really take in so much that you appreciate it even more and when it boils down, it all originally started with my passion for photography.
Do you plan your shoots or just go about your day and photograph when something catches your eye?
NJ: I usually go about my day and get what catches my eye. I will plan here and there but rarely because usually, through experience, every time I plan on doing something, my expectation is so high that if my plan fails it just seems like a waste of time but at the same time it's a learning process on what to expect, so just going about my day is always better for me cuz I get to capture moments and make decisions based on how I'm feeling as soon as I get into the city. One day I get into the city, I may want to shoot subway lines or climb roofs etc.
NJ: I usually go about my day and get what catches my eye. I will plan here and there but rarely because usually, through experience, every time I plan on doing something, my expectation is so high that if my plan fails it just seems like a waste of time but at the same time it's a learning process on what to expect, so just going about my day is always better for me cuz I get to capture moments and make decisions based on how I'm feeling as soon as I get into the city. One day I get into the city, I may want to shoot subway lines or climb roofs etc.
Do you do a lot of post processing of your images? If so, what are your favorite apps?
NJ: Yes I do a lot of post processing. My top apps for editing my iPhone photos would be Snapseed, VSCO, and Afterlight. Great apps.
Have you ever exhibited or sold your work? If not, any plans to do so?
NJ: I have never exhibited my work before but I've had two opportunities to do so but complications arose and it stopped me from doing it. I haven't sold my work yet as well but I will soon. Just trying to build a larger audience first.
What advice would you give to photographers just starting out?
NJ; The best advice I can really give to anyone starting out would be to just do what you're doing with passion. If you're doing something long enough and if that passion still remains, you will start to see opportunities arise to get you farther in what you're pursuing. Everything happens for a reason.
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