People, Passions & Projects #3: rec.ollections

J = Jinal
R = rec.ollections

J: Thanks for joining me today! How's your summer going?

R: I'm good thanks, just getting through summer right now. I'm not too sure where the time goes but I'm just getting through it haha.

J: First things first, talk me through the name rec.ollections. What's the meaning behind that?

R: So recollections is a word in itself, just like a collection of your past memories. The way I've spelt it is primarily because I needed a username that hadn't been taken, but it's quite organic the way that it reads off and sounds. The name itself because when I started doing this and started my Instagram account, it was all private, all for myself, more so as an expression and a photo diary and where I've been, what I've done, what I'm feeling, whatever. It's the one way I could express myself, and at that time I didn't have a camera, it was just me and my phone. Phone photography is still quite difficult, you have to find out what does and doesn't work, so I wasn't in the postition where I wanted to share everything. I first wanted to have it in someplace that I could instantly go look back on my work and see what I'm doing. So that was the initial idea of it.

R: The name then held quite true because everything I photograph is literally my experiences. I go out not with the intention that "ok cool, I'm going to take some pictures today, but it's more organic. If I go on a trip, or to central London, I do take my camera with me. It's not about having a quota of photos that you need to take, as that's not very organic for me. I've got plans, I've got my camera with me, and I'm just going to document my day. It's a recollection of the times that I want to remember.

J: So would you say your first aim was to record what you've been up to, rather than sharing what you do?

R: Yeah definitely, it wasn't in a sharing format to begin with at all. That came on later when I became more confident in what I was taking pictures of. Initially when I start a new craft of skill, I don't necessarily want to share it with everyone until I know what I'm doing. So to have my Instagram account set up but as a private account, it let me see what others would see when I start sharing my work.

J: So when was the turning point for you, when did you realise you want to make it public now?

R: It was halfway through the first year of university when lockdown happened the first time, there was a lot of stuff going on, and photography was a distraction and escape for me. Naturally I was spending more time with a camera and the outdoors. I had taken a lot of pictures so it would be good to share it. It was also about holding myself accountable, as if I do start posting I'll have to 'take care' of the page. I like to curate what I post quite a lot, I'm picky!

J: Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're background is a maths and physics student right? How did photography enter your life?

R: It was because I needed something that wasn't mainstream. Don't get me wrong, I love what I study and enjoy being a nerd about it, but there's also a cap on how much I can do of it every day. Photography gave me a creative outlet, I'm not too much into drawing or other arts, but photography let me think in different ways. It was to show myself I do have other skills.

J: What kind of work do you focus on, what sort of shots do you like best?

R: I like photographing people, as there's so much you can show with an expression or pose. Candid, in the moment, street photography captures my days and feelings. I don't think a picture in which someone is posing reflects much, there's not as much going on. I like to put people in busy locations, such when I went to a skate park. I met some people on the day, went up to them, told them I liked what they were doing and took photos of them. I like interacting with people.

J: I think that resonates with me because one reason I started a personal website/blog was to connect with other people who have similar interests to me. So when you go up to someone to ask to take a photo, how is that received?

R: You get mixed responses, but I'm able to socialise well with people. That allows me to lay a groundwork, during which I let them know I'm a fan of their work. Then they are a lot more open to it, but I make it clear as to why I'm taking a photo of them.

J: Prior to this interview I had a look through your Instagram, and noticed that a lot of the photos had a main colour theme to them. Why?

R: So that is to do with my post-editing. I let the picture sit there for a couple of days, and then when I revisit the image, whatever thoughts or ideas come to my mind, that is the recollection of the picture/day. In that moment, I get an idea or colour that sits strongly with my day. E.g. in nature I try to highlight the green. With the skaters and BMX'ers I wanted it to be black and white as I wanted to focus on the people themselves. I took about 150 pictures to try and get a good shot [in the skatepark], and I wanted to highlight the skill that these people had. So taking the colour away from that allowed focus and concentration.

J: So how much time do you spend editing photos vs taking them?

R: I favour being outside and shooting, but I have increased my time on editing. You can take 300 ok pictures, but those pictures will stay ok if you're not able to know how to edit them. The whole day has a connection to it, the lighting etc may change, but by editing you can have some uniformity.

J: Most trickiest/technically challenging photo you've taken?

R: Definitely getting good lighting. You may not get enough light, or with the British weather you may get too much light! But also finding inspiration from your surroundings, it can be quite bleak. You need to find inspiration, when I go on a journey I take my camera with me. As a university student, my day-to-day routine may not be so inspiring. But in my own free time I go to places where good pictures come, but finding the time is a challenge in itself!

J: What opportunities has photography opened up for you?

R: Not many people have directly messaged me, but near where I live at university there are a couple of local cafes, and after talking to them they reached out to me to help with their promotion and take photos of the business. In the coming year I will be working with them to create their Facebook page and help them grow. But other than that it's been more things to help with my own personal growth.

J: Have you had any interesting conversations with people, either online or in person, about your work?

R: In London, I go to vintage markets where they sell old cameras, as I'm looking to get into film photography, which is a lot less forgiving than digital photography. I get to talk to photographers with 20-30 years of experience, and I get to show them what I do, and have interesting conversations based off that. These guys have a profession out of it, and it's great for me as I get to learn from people who take it a lot more seriously than me.

J: If someone is looking to get into photography, how should they start?

R: Phone photography is accessible to everyone nowadays. I only got a [DSLR] camera 6-7 months into my photography, as you have to be invested enough initially. A camera isn't a cheap investment. Even using the manual mode on your phone, changing the shutter speed etc., you can do so much. I learnt online how to use all the features on the camera, and then I just went out there and took about 400 photos. You slowly then start to understand a camera and work out how to get those shots. But it's a long process, and the way to get good photos is to take lots of pictures.

J: How do you see your page developing, and where do you want to take it?

R: I want to keep it honest to what I started it out to be: to document what I do and how I do it. I want to keep it organic, nothing you see on my page is an artificial scenario. I document what I do and each stage of myself. 19 year old me isn't the same as 20 year old me, and that won't be the same as 21 year old me, so I just want to make sure stuff that happens to me I document. So when I look back I can see the journey and my constant evolution.

J: Thanks so much for you time and insights into the world of photography! How can the people find you?

R: Right now I've got my Instagram account. In the future I may get a website and Facebook page going, but for now find me on Instagram!