Kezhaun Brown is a Film Club Member and a photo of his was recently featured in our University Student Show. After meeting him at our Student Open House and seeing some of his work that he submitted to the show we thought it would be nice to get to know him a bit more. Read on for our interview with him and see some of his work!
Q: What got you interested in photography?
A: What first got me interested in photography was my father. He has always had a keen eye for composition and recognizing the potential of natural settings. It’s been a hobby of his since I can remember, so like any other adolescent son I wanted to be like my dad. I have been lucky enough to receive some of those skills and be able to be a student. Over the years I gained more of an independent interest for the craft and wanted to see where I could take it.
Q: What type of camera do you use? Have you shot with 35mm or 120 film before? If so, what type of film have you used?
A: I currently shoot on my iPhone 12 and Nikon F3. I got my Nikon F3 in March and it was my first time ever operating or even seeing a 35mm camera. I have been using Portra 400 and Kodak UltraMax 400 just to get started.
Q: Many of your photos have a very saturated color quality to them. What made you want to edit these photos in this way? What is your goal for the color to evoke a sense of?
A: I have always been someone to love color, primarily warmer tones. I typically saturate my pictures for two reasons. One being to contrast the almost everyday natural settings of the pictures. And the other to elicit positive emotions. Seeing the world through a cold lens is appropriate given the specific occasions, but I prefer to depict the world in a more optimistic lens. I want people to experience the joy I do when taking these pictures through the colors I choose.
Q: A good amount of your images are landscape photos. What do you enjoy about taking landscape pictures? What is challenging about it?
A: I love the idea of taking something ordinary and natural and turning it into a spectacle. There is nothing more gratifying than making the world around you art. I also gained an appreciation of this pocket of photography from my favorite photographers such as Simon Roberts, Paul Sanders, Stephen Shore, and Tod Hido. What’s most challenging about it is noticing the potential then personifying that potential. It’s honestly not something everyone can do and something I am still working towards perfecting.
Q: What are some objects or elements within a scene that inspire you to take a photo?
A: Initially it’s the composition and geometry of whatever is in the scene. If I like the architecture of a building, the color of a wall, the position of a tree etc. To put it in simplest terms I’ll take a picture or be inspired to take one if I see something cool.
Q: Out of all these images, which one is your favorite and why?
A: I would definitely say the one of the deer. I love how natural it is and also the irony of it. If you look on the back wall there’s a peace sign. The setting is peaceful, yet something so awful happened. I also thought the peace sign being in a blood red tint was ironic as well. It was honestly the last thing I expected to see on my walk, but that goes to show there's beauty in even the worst outcomes. That's just life for you and I think this picture captures that philosophy perfectly.
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