Oliver Chapman: Analogue Hero

Oliver Chapman is an English photographer from Brighton. Shooting purely on film, he paints a picture of his life through the medium of analogue photography. After falling out with mainstream education, he decided to pick up a camera and hone his own skills. We speak to Oli about van life in New Zealand, skateboarding and his own journey as a Photographer...

How and when did you get in to photography?

I was studying another course in London and hating it there. I’m not a city person, so it was a strange choice. I decided I wanted to pursue something that would allow me to travel and have the freedom to do what I loved, which at the time was mostly surfing and riding my motorbike. So I dropped out, bought a film camera and started learning from YouTube.

What are your inspirations?

I think for me; I struggle to pin down inspiration to one clear source. It’s something that inhabits me in all different forms, from the places I move through and the people I meet, to my favourite music and books. I love the idea of photos being snippets from an authentic existence, so I try to capture things as I go and frame them in a way that will portray how I felt in those moments.

You’ve taken photos of more than a few people and places - can you tell us some of your highlights?

It’s pretty hard to pick out specific people. I’m moving more towards shooting anyone I come across that I find a connection with. I want my photos of people to be natural rather than conveying a ‘photographer - subject’ relationship, showing organic relationships I encounter. In terms of places, I have to say America. I love shooting landscapes and travelling through American national parks with that interest was too good to be true.

We also notice you’ve shot a few short films, mainly on 8mm - can you tell us a bit about that?

I’ve only shot a bit of 8mm. However, going forward I’m looking to make that a soul focus. From the beginning of my journey with film photography, I always envisioned cinematography as an end goal. My favourite photos are ones that resemble a still from some independent coming of age film. Shooting 8mm gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in whatever your subject might be, without worrying about constantly checking the footage. Without that option of playback, you focus on the vision that’s in your mind, along with exactly what’s unfolding in front of you.

You shoot everything on film. Is there a reason this is your sole focus?

I begun shooting on film because you have to understand what you’re doing before even correctly exposing a photo, so it seemed like the perfect learning tool. Since then, I’ve found value in the aesthetics it produces, as well as its history and the general feeling shooting film gives you. Things like the weight of the camera, and winding on the shutter, are all very pleasing sensory experiences. Over all though, film forces you to trust yourself, slow down and think about every frame, and that is the thing I love most.

In what way has your relationship with skateboarding and its culture influenced your life and photography style?

Since I was ten years of age, skateboarding has been a huge influence. It’s a genuine existing subculture. Although it has been popularised and has made its way into the public domain, skate culture still holds true to what it stood for at the beginning - an act of rebellion. Something that gave purpose to young people. Being an individual activity, it grants the freedom to run around reeking havoc, unlike organised sports. We were just having fun as kids, but now I see the documentation of skate culture as a very real insight into how young people actually exist when their life revolves around one thing – skateboarding. That’s a cool and very honest thing to see.

When we first spoke you mentioned you’d been travelling through New Zealand...

I’m currently still in New Zealand, living in a van. I’m leaving in the next few weeks though and hopefully heading through Bali on a surf trip. New Zealand initially came about because I wanted to go somewhere with incredible nature, good camping and solid, uncrowded surf. On the subject of funny stories, we did miss a ‘dry conditions only’ sign for an extremely steep, secluded road that led to a surf beach. We got stuck about a kilometre up the road on the way up and ended up having to call someone with the necessary vehicle to tow us back to safety. It was nerve racking as we drifted up the clay road, wheels spinning, with a sheer, unguarded drop to our right. Eventually the wheels began to spin and we were stuck. That’s where the embarrassment set in. Not my proudest moment.

Have you got anything exciting coming up, when you return home?

I’ve got a few super 8 projects I would like to shoot when I return to England, but they’re still in the planning stages. My next photos will be whatever sporadically presents itself in Bali I imagine. Hopefully something fun!