The Lens covers come off for this month's interview installment as we sit down with photographer krohmatik......
Can you give us your name and where you’re from?
So my name is Tennyson Nott, A.K.A Krohmatik. I was born in Far North Queensland but I currently reside in Brisbane.
What drew you to photography? At what age did you realize you had a love for photography or photographs in general?
I’ve always been interested in photography/digital art since a young age. Growing up my Dad took a lot of pictures with old film cameras, so it was always around me. But I never really picked it up till I got a bit older; well quite a bit older.
High school was also where my interest continued as we had a subject of Film and TV, which gave the students access to old Linear Video editing systems and later on early digital editing systems. We also had a dark room but it was underutilized as a storage room.
After leaving school I never really had a camera but still continued to follow artists and photographers via Deviant Art for many years. It is still a constant source of inspiration to this day.
It wasn’t until quite a few years later that I finally decided that it was time for a change of job location and just to try something different in life. So with the little bit of money that I had I got my first camera.
So my name is Tennyson Nott, A.K.A Krohmatik. I was born in Far North Queensland but I currently reside in Brisbane.
What drew you to photography? At what age did you realize you had a love for photography or photographs in general?
I’ve always been interested in photography/digital art since a young age. Growing up my Dad took a lot of pictures with old film cameras, so it was always around me. But I never really picked it up till I got a bit older; well quite a bit older.
High school was also where my interest continued as we had a subject of Film and TV, which gave the students access to old Linear Video editing systems and later on early digital editing systems. We also had a dark room but it was underutilized as a storage room.
After leaving school I never really had a camera but still continued to follow artists and photographers via Deviant Art for many years. It is still a constant source of inspiration to this day.
It wasn’t until quite a few years later that I finally decided that it was time for a change of job location and just to try something different in life. So with the little bit of money that I had I got my first camera.
What was you're first camera and what do you remember about the experience of those first photos you captured?
My first camera was a Sony Nex 5n with an 18mm pancake lens and 16-55mm lens, and having a mate that was more experienced then me with a camera I was always asking if he wanted to head out and shoot and shoot anything that we could find.
As I was starting off I found that light painting and long exposures where quite rewarding and very easy to get the hang of quickly. Hence, I started taking a lot of pictures at night. Those first pictures where amazing and I loved them at the time and was very proud of them, showing them off to anyone that would look. But looking back at them now, and being my own worst critic, I still had a lot to learn.
How long have you been taking pictures professionally?
I work full time in an office five days a week, so I can’t say I’m a professional photographer; far from it. I have a heap to learn as it’s a constant learning process and when people say professional they tend to make a living from photography and I don’t at the moment…but it’s still early days.
Is there a difference between taking pictures professionally as opposed to taking pictures for fun?
If I’m taking pictures for fun then I don’t really have expectations for what I want out of that shoot. I’m just happy to be shooting. If I don’t get anything I’m happy with then I look at it and say, “Well this worked and that worked but this didn’t”. So it’s more of a learning experience.
Is photography or photographs worth paying for?
Well, for myself, I would say yes, they are. But again, that would depend on the person and what they’re willing to pay to have that one image. I have a few photographers that I follow and would love to have some of their photographs and I’m sure that will happen at some stage.
When you take a picture do you already know what the shot will say to the audience or what the audience may take away from the particular shot, or does that come later?
Depending on what your shooting will depend on the meanings or feelings you wish to convey, and it’s completely subjective to the person viewing the image.
What is the message/messages that you are trying to get across with your photography? Does the message change with each shot/location/time of day/position/equipment/etc…, or is there a universal message/story you are trying to tell?
I don’t have any undertones or hidden meanings for my photographs at the moment –past or present—I’m just trying to learn as much about this art form for the time being. I guess the only real message I would like to get across is that I like to take images and a wide variety of them. So everything from street photography, Urbex, portraits, fashion style stuff and anything in between.
Have you ever seen or captured something that you wish you could un-see? Something that nobody should ever have to look at? And what if, if you don’t mind sharing?
So as for capturing something that I could un-see: That would be a no. But I have once, when I was out dong some street photography at night, came across a homeless man sleeping on a bench which in itself is not that bad. But while I was getting ready to take a few pictures of him sleeping he woke up and decided to have a bathroom break there on the street. So I left him alone and decided not to take that picture.
What about something on a more positive note: What is the most beautiful image you’ve seen? Any favorite pics, locations or interests at the moment?
I couldn’t say I have just one favorite image; there are too many. There are so many amazing photographers out there.
And my favorite images kinda change over time as I take new ones, but at the moment my favorites are: Double exposures portraits, Urbex pictures, Infrared landscape photography, creative portraits and street photography/documentary photography.
In your personal life, do you have pictures that you hold close to your heart? Something you’ve had for a really long time or were passed down to you?
The one picture that I hold close to me is a picture I developed from a 35mm negative I took onto an A4 print in the dark rooms. It was one of the first images that I got to develop in the dark rooms and it made me really appreciate the process of film and the work that goes into it, and I find it much more rewarding then digital photography.
As far as equipment goes, what is your brand or style of camera that you prefer to shoot with?
As for equipment, I have a Canon 5dmrk 3 with 35mm prime, a 14mm and a 70-200, a Pentax O-EM1 35mm film camera, a Canon EOS 500 35mm film camera, a Canon EOS 650 35mm Film camera and a Sony Nex 5n with a few lens.
Any digital or physical tools you like to use more than others?
I would love to be able to use just 35mm and medium format film and develop and print it myself rather than digital. But for the time being I am happy with the digital stuff I’m putting out.
Any must-know tips that you would like to share with the audience that you’ve learned over your time behind the lens?
Having patience and realizing that not every image you take will be perfect every time. Look at it as a learning curve.
What is the best piece of advice you could give to newbies trying to get into photography? What about some advice for that semi-seasoned camera wielding artist who wants to get into photography professionally?
Ask for advice. Ask questions. Talk to other people about photography. Learn and just have fun with it. That’s all I can really say.
What about for you...what is the best advice you have ever been given, whether related to your profession or not?
The best advice that I still get are just words of encouragement from friends and family. If they like it maybe I’m doing something right. Or maybe I’m wrong and doing it totally wrong. I’m just having fun at the end of the day.
Walk me through the editing process:
How do you choose an image to edit and are all pics worth editing to some degree or are there some that don’t get touched at all?
Usually I’m choosing an image that has a good exposure to begin with and go from that. But yes, most of the time there are quite a few images that are not touched.
After you have a pic chosen, what’s the first thing you like to do? How do you know what pieces to enhance and add to and what do you leave alone?
Like most people, I have a process or work flow. I usually do the same things to an image via camera raw adjust, exposure tweaking and a few other things, and then it’s into Photoshop to finish the image.
In editing, are you trying to recreate the image as you saw it or is there an added artistic flair that you’re putting into the pic that wasn’t there?
Most of the time I’m trying to get everything the best I can when I take the picture, as I don’t like to spend a lot of time playing around in Photoshop to fix images. In a perfect world I would just like to tweak exposure settings, highlights and shadows and be done. But it’s not always the case.
Transitioning now to your work with AGNTS, tell us how you hooked up with the company and started snapping pics for them? What have you shot for the company?
So it started on the social media app, Pheed. Stephen started following me, as he was digging the stuff I was putting out, and I started following him. Soon we added each other on Facebook and started talking about shooting some stuff for him to use. I was always keen to the idea, it just took a while for the time to be right and now where getting it done with some dope pictures to follow.
What stands out for you when you think about shooting for AGNTS? What’s your inspiration or motivation when working with AGNTS? What is different about shooting for them as opposed to another brand or what have you?
I just wanna put out some killer shots that represent the brand and my style collectively and something we are both proud of and happy with. I’m quite lucky with the creative side where Stephen has given me a fair bit of trust to just do what I want. So fingers crossed he’s stoked on the final images.
What should we expect to see in the future from you in regards to AGNTS gear?
Well I’m always keen to do more work with the company and see where it goes. And as for the future, only time will tell; but I’m sure it will be great!
Where else can we find Tennyson Nott’s photography? How can we
purchase, view or acquire some work from you? Any other works we should look for from you outside of AGNTS?
If people are interested in purchasing prints and copies it would be through direct contact via email, as I don’t sell enough prints to warrant having a site set up for the demand.
Most images will only ever be sold as a limited run –all signed, numbered and dated—and posted anywhere in the world.
Images for sale can be found here: https://instagram.com/krohmatik
Email: Krohmatik@outlook.com