Tell us something about yourself
My name is KC Locke and I am a 26 year old Director and Cinematographer. I am currently the Head of Visuals at Manchesterbased agency EY3 Media and work across the fashion, music and lifestyle industries curating content for brands.

How and when did you get into photography?
My college specialised in Performing Art so everyone I grew up with wanted to be an actor or a dancer. I quickly realised that I wanted to be the person behind the camera, capturing their performance in a cinematic way. I picked up my first camera at the age of 16 and studied photography for over 5 years gaining qualifications and experience within the industry. It was addictive and I haven’t stopped since!

What does photography mean to you?
Photography is a vessel to vent my creativity by capturing emotions, feeling and moods in a cinematic way. Everyone I know, all my friends and people I respect, are in the industry and together we’ve had some incredible experiences. We’ve travelled, met some amazing characters and get to be inspired every working day. Working with people and being able to visualise my ideas and thoughts gives me great satisfaction and fuels my drive and ambition to perfect my craft every day.

Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.
My main aim when photographing moving images is to capture emotion. My style is raw and I'm not afraid to break usual rules of lighting and composition. I shoot a lot of video and photography and being able to approach photography as a cinematographer allows me to consider more elements within an image and compose every shot as if it was a still images from a film.

Where do you get inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from performance art and film and take note from watching well directed films as well as what is around me. I love finding new locations and meeting new and exciting people.

Think you in advance what you want in the picture?
Planning ahead is always important when considering any creative process and having some sort of plan during a shoot is going to save you time and allow you to engage in your ideas rather than going onto a shoot environment blind and free styling. We’ll always story board a shoot and make sure the whole team are on the same page so we can better control the end result.

Studio, on location or both?
I enjoying shooting in studios and I believe there is a lot you can achieve in a studio with simple creative lighting. I like the challenge of location shoots and the ability to use the place to your advantage to carry the message of the visual piece. Locations provide an organic personality and narrative to an image, something that’s harder to recreate in a studio.

Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?
I’ve been working as a professional in the industry for five years but it’s still my main hobby!

What has been your most memorable session and why?
I was given the opportunity to travel to LA for a shoot three weeks before my University dissertation was due. I was there to shoot a female musicians press images and we were stationed in the middle of the desert for a few days. It was my first real job with a team of five so the pressure was on.
I was frantically typing the last chapter of my dissertation in the middle of Hollywood whilst editing these incredible images when I realised this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens?
My favourite camera is Canon 5DMk3 combined with a 24105 F4 L & 1635 2.8 L with these tools I'm able to approach most situations I would come across.

What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?
My main piece of advice would be to experiment with lighting and don't type cast yourself as a “Wedding Photographer” or a “Fashion Photographer”. I believe there are more layers to photography and not exploring all areas would only slow your growth and progression. Break the rules and make your own path. If you like the look of something then continue to develop and adapt.

 

What do you think of our new magazine?
I think the new magazine is a great place to find emerging talent and draw new inspiration from the creative community.

 

www.ey3media.com - www.instagram.com/kc.locke - www.twitter.com /kclockefilms - www.kclocke.com