I often wonder if attending a pricey photography school / course is worth it. Everyday shuttercrack.com presents us astonishing pictures of photographers, that most of the time just picked up a camera and went crazy with it. The beauty of self education is that it let's you wonder around on the best creative playground that knows no boundaries or rules: your own imagination.
Chris Jones is such a self taught artist residing in the Victorian UK seaside town of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Using a mixture of digital photography and image manipulation software, Chris images present themselves on his website www.chemicalgdns.co.uk as altered realities; scenes that are at once familiar, simultaneously obscure, bizarre, puzzling or alien. Why limited yourself, use what feels good, in the end they are all instruments of your imagination.
Chris photography is greatly influenced by the ongoing and often tenuous balance between the dark and light sides of human perception. Of particular interest are the chemical reactions, thoughts and moods that translate, perceive and decode the world outside of us.
Who's the person behind the photos?
My name is Chris Jones. I am a dad, image maker and purveyor of twisted perceptions. I think art, poetry and music could possibly save the world one day.
What got you into photography, and what makes you keep on doing it?
I remember the first picture I took; I must have been around 5 or 6 years old and I asked my dad if I could borrow his camera - just some shitty point-n-shoot - and take some pictures of some small horses in the forest. It was a beautiful day, very cold and autumnal with lots of mystical mist rising from the damp undergrowth. I remember being wildly fascinated by how the world was suddenly altered by the constraints of a frame and cheap lens. I snapped away, and the results were…. wildly disappointing of course. But I think that's when the seed was sown. I've tried loads of different things since; painting, illustration, graphic design, music and poetry (all of which feature in my photographs to some minor extent) but photography seems to fit in with my mind the best… I still haven't lost my curious wonder of how reality changes through the viewfinder.. It's an endless discovery.
If we'd like to trade something for a photo you made, what should the CFYE delivery man bring to your door?
That's hard. I'm not hugely materialistic. Perhaps some frames for all the artwork i've been collecting over the years. I've acquired loads of prints, but many have never seen the light of the day just because I haven't been able to get them framed properly!
What's your favourite item to take on the road with you?
green t-shirts and sunglasses.
Something really fun about me:
That depends upon who you ask!
Best shooting location we should check out?
There's this strange little hidden beach a couple of miles away from where I live (the Isle of Wight, UK). It's peculiar in that the beach has long since swallowed up remnants of some small scale human occupation, but traces still remain. Alongside all of this, the beach merges abruptly with some intensely otherworldy wilderness, trees, and rickety old beach huts. In the right kind of weather, the whole landscape feels convincingly spooky and haunted. I have yet to taken any photos that do the place any justice.
Tell us about your work as a photographer, did you just picked up a camera and educate yourself?
I am a self taught photographer, yes. I think the best thing about self learning is that I am able to educate myself purely on things that interest me personally. I can get inspired by whom and whatever I like whenever I like, get into it for as long as I like and reject it if I say It's time to move on. Saying that, I would've loved to have had the chance to study these things academically but, due to one thing or another, I wasn't able to partake in such things. Regardless, I think if we love doing something enough, we will naturally find a way to do that thing. I'm lucky enough to know what it is I'm looking for when I'm taking photographs. You can have all the education in the world but if you don't know it is you want to say, your photos will always feel hollow and meaningless, I think.
At present, my work as a photographer is mostly concerned with subtle variations in perception. That's about all I can really say about it. Everything else can be found within the images; the viewer may take as much or as little as they like. I always put in a few hidden surprises within the images for those who care to spend some time with them.
What's your camera setup?
A Nikon D200, & various lenses. Nothing overly luxurious.
How does your environment react on you taking your camera everywhere and shooting all the time?
If you mean the environment itself, It generally changes to suit the mood of my photography. If you mean how do people react? I can't say I've really noticed.
What's the strangest thing that ever happened to you when you were out shooting photos?
That's a good question. Yet, I am unable to think of anything untoward that has ever happened to me. Odd. Perhaps the strangest thing is that nothing strange has ever happened to me? I'll work on it..
Who is your favourite movie/gaming/cartoon character?
Movie - the lead character (Ho Dae-su) from Oldboy He has to go through such a devastating ordeal from start to finish. Poor guy, but thoroughly entertaining to watch.
Game - Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil 4. I love the RE games. Such flimsy characters, yet I still totally relate to their ordeal.
Cartoon - Hugo the Hippo. Such psychedelic vision in that movie!
Which artist would you like to work with?
Of all the big name photographers, I think Gregory Crewsdon. I think his work has had the biggest influence on me as a photographer, and helped me to see just how fantastic (and endless) a medium photography can be when handled with a true, singular vision. I love how his photographs are all meticulously crafted, lit and put together, and how the resulting images seem to conjour a cinematic moment from a movie that never was. The production values are outstanding. I would love to just sit and watch him for a day to see how he goes about setting up these grandiose visions.
There are a lot of my friends and contacts on flickr who inspire me on a continuous basis. I think many of them could definitely be a lot of fun to work with.
If you could fill a swimming pool with something, what would it be?
Seawater, sharks and a big desert island in the middle.
Favourite city, and coolest thing about it?
Paris. I've only ever been once, around 5 years ago but fell in love with the place. It's a cliche, but I love the romantic vibe surrounding the city. One day, I would like to live there.
What can we expect from you in the future?
More of the same, I think. Expand upon it, push it, keep it real and stay clear of pretension, delusion or any nasty, bad stuff . I would definitely like to work alongside musicians and other artists in the future. I've recently done a commission with a local magician which was a lot of fun, so more of that would be fantastic. Also, I am looking to self publish a new collection of my work in a limited edition book in the first half of next year so keep tuning in..
