Breaking New Ground

There is nothing more prevalent than stories to be told. Every event can be seen and recounted from endless perspectives. Some offer feeling, some fantasy, while others deliver abject truth. Stories are told through spoken word, writing, music, and imagery – and there are those among us lucky enough to communicate in more than one figurative tongue. One such individual is Conor Ferris. Called upon to photograph charismatic artist Kojey Radical, the Bristol-based filmmaker shifted from the moving picture and began a journey into the language of stills.

Conor has a specific direction when it comes to documentaries.

“It’s the more candid, natural elements that I’m always drawn to,” he says. “I like the exploration of how something fits into its environment – whether that’s framing, colors, lines that you can follow, or just examining the subject against a backdrop. I ask myself, ‘Does this character look like it belongs in this setting? Is it standing out, or blending in?’ In nature’s composition, if something is drawing the eye, it’s for a reason.

“I’m also constantly thinking about the footage, and how that fits into an edit. It’s different from photography in that sense. I don’t have to tell the whole story with one image. That was a whole new challenge – and a welcome one. Because photography has always been a hobby, but never something I’ve pursued in the same way as film, where I’ve put lots of time and effort into refining it.”

As the only performance in Students of Storytelling Chapter 3 to take place outside of the US, the setting could not have been more representative of London’s grime music scene. In Kojey Radical’s hometown of Hoxton, Conor and the team prepared themselves, surrounded by the worn brickwork and overhead rattling of an historic railway arch.

“It was an incredibly tight space, by the time the film crew and a whole band came in,” Conor explains. “We couldn’t cross in front of the other cameras, so ended up with a corner to operate in, with two channels to move along the side walls. You need a little bit of limitation to truly explore any space, so we were trying to find interesting ways of framing the performance.

“With these elements constant, I didn’t have to worry about any real surprises. So, I was asking myself, ‘What can I adjust to make these photos different each time, when I’m in the same space, with the same light, and the same people?’ That really forces you to be creative.”

“Lighting was nice. There were a few warmer, street lamp-style fixtures, but the space was mostly lit by projection. It was displaying album artwork, as well as some of Kojey’s own visuals. He creates music, poetry, fashion, and art – so the whole thing fit into one aesthetic.

“I used Velvia, ETERNA, and Monochrome. There were a lot of frames that really benefited from a lift in saturation, a more muted palette suited me as a filmmaker, and monochrome always offers the potential to heighten drama. I’d never even seen film emulation within a digital camera before using Fujifilm, but I loved it. It simply meant not missing any visual opportunity.”

While the experience was unlike Conor’s norm – framing a posed human animal in a firmly urban environment – it still spoke to his own nature as a creative, with an undeniable sense of veracity.

“The photos I’m most proud of were those that communicated the sense of what it felt like to be there, through my eyes, even if there were visual imperfections. What you’re aiming for within my niche, and the reason people watch documentary film, is truth,” he effuses. “Although the performance was staged, when you’re photographing someone who is such a natural performer, it does remain very genuine. And I learned you don’t always have to communicate that with a perfect image. Using a broader variety of options, there’s a better chance of capturing the essence of something more effectively.

“The truth of a moment doesn’t always come from a perfect exposure, excellent framing, and consistent colors. Often, the point you’re trying to get across is a feeling, not a fact. It’s abstract, so why not show it that way? Why confine yourself to a very clean reality, when there are so many ways to help a viewer understand a unique perspective?”