NAME :
Callum O’Keefe.
OCCUPATION :
Photographer and photographic assistant.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN :
Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE :
London.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SHOOTING PICTURES :
Just over 10 years.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE SHOOT :
Probably one from my series Antiques of the Future, photographing collectors in their homes, I have met so many fascinating individuals from that project, it’s quite hard to narrow down. Maybe Captain Beany, who collected Baked Beans, it was the first shoot for the project and really set the tone and visual style for the whole project, also he was mad in the nicest possible way.
WHAT’S BEEN THE MOST DEMANDING SHOOT :
I recently collaborated with Welsh designer Adam Jones, my first delve into fashion photography, trying to make it translate in my style. Shooting stills and directing is quite a challenge as they’re two very different ways of thinking, so I would say that, but it’s probably biased as it was one of the most recent jobs.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A PHOTOGRAPHER IN 10 YEARS’ TIME :
Hopefully showing work in major galleries and working more commercially, it’s a long game and still a very unpredictable industry, which doesn’t make it easier.
WHAT PHOTOGRAPHERS INSPIRE YOU :
John Myers, Peter Mitchell, Martin Parr, Sophie Green, but a lot of my visual style comes from Andy Warhol.
IF YOU COULD SPEND A DAY WITH ANY PHOTOGRAPHER ALIVE OR DEAD, WHO WOULD IT BE :
David Bailey he shaped a generation of photographers and changed visual culture forever.
WHAT IS YOUR CAMERA OF CHOICE :
Hasselblad 501cm.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON AI :
I honestly don’t know, and probably stupidly try to avoid the whole subject. I get that it’s forward thinking and
the future, but it’s also terrifying and awful for the planet. There’s something in the art of making, it’s why I still
shoot on film, to me that’s photography, something tangible that you will never get from being sat behind a computer.
IF YOU COULD PHOTOGRAPH ANYONE WHO WOULD IT BE :
Probably Paolo Nutini.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS :
Inquisitive, Ambitious, and Organised.
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY :
I think it’s rubbing my dummy on the paper and ruining it, much to the delight of my parents, who hadn’t read that day’s paper.
WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A KID :
I loved exploring as a kid, and living in South Wales was the perfect place for it, always some mountain or field undiscovered to us, but I’m a creature of habit, and that has always stuck around.
Probably my solo exhibition in London where I showed my project Antiques of the Future.
DO YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS :
The Rest is Entertainment, Politics Joe, and The Messy Truth.
WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE :
I love collecting anything I think will disappear in years to come, but to me that seems so normalised to me that I wouldn’t consider it an guilty pleatsure, so in that case maybe Sabrina Carpenter.
WHAT’S THE BEST THING YOU EVER STOLE :
Probably a pint glass, quite boring, I know, but I feel that describes me quite well haha.
Yes, sometimes. Unfortunately, I think the thing I do least as a photographer is take photos; there’s a lot of pre-production, planning, and editing that goes with it, and some of these days can feel like an uphill battle, especially when working on a few projects at once.
PICK YOUR TOP 5 MAGAZINES :
Rolling Stone, DIY, Clash, Another, and Huck.
WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ :
Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key.
WHAT WAS THE LAST GIFT YOU GAVE SOMEONE :
Tickets for ABBA Voyage, and it was way better than I expected.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU :
My Dad, I feel like everything I do has his imprint on it.
YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE DESTINATION :
Benidorm, do I need to say anything else.
WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST :
To visit/photograph North Korea, drive the length of Route 66, and have a solo show at a major gallery.
DO YOU LIKE BEING INTERVIEWED :
Yes, mostly. Especially when the questions are this interesting.
WHAT’S THE CLOSEST YOU HAVE COME TO DEATH :
I was in a car crash when I was about 7, I think that’s the closest, I tend to be rather safe, haha.
IF YOU HAD A BOAT WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED :
Steve.
WHAT’S A PERSONAL MOTTO OR MESSAGE :
Stay on the fucking bus (Helsinki Bus Theory).
