Photo © Jonny Kaye
The best part about writing is all the work that happens off the page: the conversations and connections, the looking and the listening, the simple act of engagement that occurs when you slowwww down to take in the eternal essence of the ever-changing world.
.
My determination to write comes from a fundamental desire to understand, to acknowledge and articulate the questions, the answers, and the ambiguities of life. I’ve long believed that you can’t ever known how you affect anyone; you simply do as you must, and in an ideal situation that need would better both your own and other people’s lives.
.
One of the greatest pleasures is recognition: that what you do matters to someone else, and so it was with great pleasure that I received an email from Jonny Kaye, model and photographer, who wrote, “I stumbled across your piece on DAZED and fell in love with your writing. It’s the first piece I’ve read from top to bottom in a long time.”
.
While many people believe that digital media is killing literacy, I’ve working in book publishing and the media for far too long to believe the hype. Most people don’t read much, if at all, and they never really did—because literacy is an aberration in the course of human history. For the better part of our existence, we have expressed ourselves through oral and visual traditions; digital existence erases the myths that people hold in their hierarchical hearts, and restores truth to the fore by revealing that fundamental way people are compelled to communicate.
.
While I love words, perhaps entirely too much, I’m not inclined to exalt them above other means: I see them as the complement. The mind has nine intelligences, and linguistics is but one, one that I love to use to reveal and expose, unwrap and explore, discover and dialogue with strangers, colleagues, and friends. But never let it be forgotten: a picture speaks all languages at the same time without ever saying a word.
.
And the drive to create images is not always something one chooses to explore or explain, until someone asks why. Perusing Kaye’s photos made in Milan while on assignment with a group of models, I was struck by the fact that though the circumstances may change, the human condition remains the same. No matter where we come from, and when we arrive, we all share a yearning for something that is beyond our immediate grasp yet resides deep in us, this half animal, half divine creation that is entirely familiar—yet peculiar.
.
Kate graciously agreed to share his work and discuss his work on the other side of the camera.
.
Photo © Jonny Kaye
Photo © Jonny Kaye
How did you get into photography?
.
Jonny Kaye: I started out as a model and from there I started doing other things like a T-Shirt brand. With that I was coming up with concepts for photo shoots, putting together shoots, and booking models and photographers. I think that sparked something inside of me to want to get more involved in the creative side of things.
.
I love modeling; its taken me around the world, I’ve met some really cool people but you’re never really involved in the creative process. You just turn up on set and do your thing, have a laugh, and go home. I felt like I wanted more from it all.
.
As a model, I imagine you’re used to being on the other side of the camera. How does this experience influence or inform your sensibility as a photographer?
.
Jonny Kaye: I think it helps when I’m giving direction. I remember how sometimes my anxiety would have an impact on me in front of the camera for at least the first hour or so, so I always bear this in mind when I’m shooting models myself.
.
When did you realize this was something you want to pursue beyond a casual hobby?
.
Jonny Kaye: Almost immediately. When work started getting in the way of shooting, all I would think about was ways to make money from photography so I could sack my day job off.
.
Photo © Jonny Kaye
Photo © Jonny Kaye
I’m fascinated by what it must be like to be born into the digital age. I’m interested in knowing what is it like coming up as a photographer in this world?
.
Jonny Kaye: When I first started, I was using digital because it’s all I really knew at the time. I think a lot of photographers use it because of cost and how fast paced we have become today. People want things done yesterday, at least in London anyway.
.
I shoot mostly on 35mm now. I find the images a lot more dense and real. I love shooting a roll of film and not actually knowing for certain what you’ve really got. It builds the suspense almost. When I get emailed my images from the lab, it feels like Christmas Day.
.
Oo nice! When I came up taking photos was a bit of a luxury because it cost money, you could only afford to make so many, and you didn’t see them til they came back a week later — so basically every photo was “an event.” What makes the situation special for you? Do you feel compelled to do something different or edgier because everyone is shooting?
.
Jonny Kaye: When I started out shooting digital, I found myself pushing the images so far in post-production to try and stand out. A lot of the stuff I’m shooting for magazines at the moment is staged so there’s quite a lot of planning that goes into the actual shoot from various people on the day, which makes it pretty special when it all comes together.
.
What’s your dream for photography?
.
Jonny Kaye: I love to use my photography to bring awareness to certain subjects that I feel need more attention in the media. i.e mental health, equality, and global warming.
.
For more information, visit
JK Pops | Jonny Kaye Photography
.
Photo © Jonny Kaye
Photo © Jonny Kaye