If traveling is a job then Ed Schofield would be employee of the month. This young photographer from a small town just south of good old London UK, has spend most of his time traveling around the world. Accompanied by his close friends and camera he sets sail to explore and document the world through his viewfinder. The result is a everlasting 2 frames a day documentary about his adventurous life. We took our chance to conduct an interview with this neo Jules Verne while he was back on solid ground.

Tell us about your work as a photographer, did you just picked up a camera and educate yourself?

When i was 15 my grandad  gave me his digital camera as he couldn’t work out how to use it and thought id enjoy it more.  So with this in hand i started going to all the partys that were happening in my school year at the time.  soon enough i became the only guy taking photos at these partys, so i decided to set up a website where everyone could see the photos from the night before, this proved really successful and id say this is how i got into the events and partys side of my photography.  This lead to me getting my first digital slur and continuing to shoot photos of people and all the events around me and my life, 3 cameras later and im still going strong, party photography is great fun as most of the time people are dressed up and its hard to tell whos who! i would defiantly say my style of photography is going towards the “lifestyle documentary” sort of thing.  So yeah i would defiantly say im self taught and have my grandad to thank for all of it. thanks pops! R.I.P

What’s your favorite item to take on the road with you?

If its photography related its got to be my cheap and dodgy off camera flash system, never fails me! (unless the batteries run out) but in general i would say my ipod for sure.  One of my main inspirations has got to be my music. A scrap book and lots of pens is also a pretty essential thing for me.

Something really fun about me:

This kind of questions really hard to answer..…I guess i just love to explore and travel to find new places and new environments to take photos and plan to spend most of my life doing this, i find this pretty fun to do so maybe thats “something fun about me” i do also wear scuba gear to chop onions.

Best shooting location we should check out?

In my home town there is an abandoned garden centre which used to be inhabited with crazy gypsies but they all upped and left as they thought it was haunted. they left behind an incredible place to go and take photos. (take someone with you) there is 3 large outhouses there which are full of amazing props and backgrounds, in one of these houses the floor is this awesome vintage pastel coloured floral lino that makes for a really nice portrait background but look out for the needles and glass shards left behind. One other place i loved to take photos was buenos aires.  The architecture and people there is just incredible. so much passion surrounds the city that its hard not to catch it.

If we’d like to trade something for a photo you made, what should the CFYE delivery man bring to your door?

Well it would have to be a one way flight  to new zealand or argentina (perhaps a speed boat ticket as im pretty scared of flying.)  Yeah that would be incredible! or an exhibition slot somewhere really cool for me and my friends work! but to be honest being featured with you guys is a pretty good trade im thinking! maybe just a beer.

What’s your camera setup?

Its not to impressive really i have 1 camera and 1 lens, i use a canon 40d and a sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens, all combined with my cheap and easy bodged up old school canon flash and cactus v2’s off camera triggers. cheap and easy from hong kong.

How does your environment react on you taking your camera everywhere and shooting all the time?

I think some people did begin to get perhaps slightly annoyed at me always taking photos instead of drinking etc but i used to be pretty scared of harming my camera, now id rather get the more interesting photos that often come hand in hand with drunkenness etc…..so i think i’ve found a nice meeting point between the two, people seem to be pretty cool with my taking their photos. perhaps everyones just grown used to it!

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you when you were out shooting photos?

Hands down its got to be the time in New Zealand when me and my friends stopped off at a lake side for some lunch and a few photos, me and Ryan thought it was a good opportunity for a wash down, as we were travelling by camper van showers were often hard to come by. So in we went into the gleaming lake, after a good 10 min scrub down involving a full facial mud   face mask, soap, shampoo, the full 9 yards! we were then informed that this lake was in fact a “toxic algae” lake and had recently killed a number of dogs.  being told this by a large and scary New Zealander lady telling us we may want to get to a hospital asap was a very crazy and strange moment. but hey I’m still here! even if i am a mutant from the algae lake!

Who is your favorite movie/gaming/cartoon character?

easy one! it has to be Michael Caine hands down.

Which artist would you like to work with?

I admire the work of a photographer named clayton james cubitt, i’ve loved his work for years now! check him out www.claytoncubitt.com his portraits from the aftermath of hurricane Katrina are inspiring.

If you could fill a swimming pool with something, what would it be?

pens, paints, glues, scissors (ouch) a sofa, a fish tank, my mac,my camera,a desk, a sofa, a lamp and a mini fridge full of icy cold beers and a couple of cans Guaraná Antarctica, a ladder so i could get out if my mac caught fire.

Favorite city, and coolest thing about it?

I cant narrow it down I’ve got to say my 2 favourite citys are Hong Kong and Buenos Aires.  Hong Kong is an out of this world experience, i love how every corner hits you in the face with an unexpected alley way, elevator, escalator, shopping center, food market, Rolex dealer, Indian suit maker, the culture there couldn’t be any more different from what i usualy experience day to day here in the uk. Buenos Aires is fantastic! the atmosphere and passion that surrounds the city is hard to put into words. The colours and architecture are a great mix between the brand new and the old fashioned with a very Spanish feel. the coolest thing about my trip to Buenos Aires was the hostel we stayed in, a great place named Hostel de Estoril, and it was a roof top hostel on the busiest road in the city, kicking back on the roof top every day to enjoy a cold bottle of Guilmes and listen to the mad combination of noises produced by the hustle of the streets bellow. Oh and learning to tango. that was pretty cool although i wouldn’t like to admit that. ahem.

What can we expect from you in the future?

early in the new year me and my great friend josh hobbs are embarking on a trip around asia, hopefully ill take a lot and a lot and a lot of photos on this trip, so yeah expect to see lots more photos from me, when i arrive home from this trip im hopping to either move to the city of brighton and set up shop down there, or possibly move to new zealand for a year. ill have to see where the wind takes me.