We recently connected with Allan Graham-tay and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Allan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

As a self taught photographer my projects are all based round capturing everyday street life whether it be group dynamics, individuals or character faces.

I think my interest stems from being a really observant kid and watching adult interaction whether it be family or friends or social events and the how the individual personalities would become more relaxed and vocal with more exaggerated facial expressions and body language. It made me become more of a people spotter and fascinated by body language.

I can spend days just walking the streets looking for inspiration. It could be based on crowds going about their everyday lives or I might come across an interesting building casting a shadow and I will sit and wait for THAT shot to walk into my frame and hopefully capture it, always being super observant as you get one chance then it’s gone.

By nature being a bit shy and slightly introverted it feels kinda natural for me to stand on the outside looking in and observe life. I always work in black and white, probably an influence from bygone years but also I feel colour can dilute the story or narrative in a picture, If a character wearing a bright yellow dress then the first thing the viewer will see when looking at the photograph is THAT yellow dress instead of the bigger picture.

My goal is to make anyone viewing my finished work stand back and question the picture or the narrative or feel an emotion

Whether it’s city life, group dynamics or silhouettes I think that everyone has a story to tell. Your life through my lens.

Allan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born in the late fifties in a small fishing town on the East Coast of Scotland and raised along with five other sibling’s by my single parent mother.

I left school at fifteen going straight into the workplace in order to contribute to the family finances and with no qualifications the work would always be in a factory or farm labour setting.

By the time I reached my mid twenties I was still living in the same small town and a single parent myself raising my two daughters. In order to give them a more stable life I went back to college worked hard and obtained all the qualifications that would enable me to find a career that fitted around my daughters upbringing

When my daughters became young adults themselves I followed my dreams and enrolled in art college studying figurative oil painting, and part of my approach would be to take photographs of my subject matter for reference.

As much as I loved and still do love painting, my passion for photography grew from that experience and became the main driving force in where I am today.

Now at age sixty seven I have been lucky enough to travel the world taking in the many diverse cultures, inspirational people and architecture.

Currently I am living and working on my photography in San Francisco which contrary to what the press or politicians would have you believe is the most amazing vibrant city in the world, full of life, people and opportunities and of course the weather.

The friendliness of the people have brought me out my shell to the point where I will now actively approach city characters and engage in conversations with them about their life story and photograph them.

Everyone’s life nowadays is lived at such a fast pace with very little time to stop and breathe and just notice the world around them, or the uniqueness of their community, so I hope my work captures some of that for them to enjoy.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Biggest lesson I had to learn at the beginning of my journey into photography was not to buy into the whole industry idea that you “must have” all the top range equipment and lenses. Especially with street photography the best piece of equipment you can have is an eye for a picture, timing, patience and spotting a moment or area that most people wouldn’t notice when they are going about their busy lives. I spent so much money on equipment and lenses and now find myself using the same camera and one or two lenses. Now I trust my experience and gut instinct.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I have been lucky enough for my work to have been included in a few exhibitions, but my major future goal or ambition is definitely publish a book/portfolio of my work to get my photography out to a bigger audience

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.grahamtayphotography.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/grahamtay_photography/

Image Credits

Allan Graham-Tay
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