“I’m lucky to live in a city like Liverpool because apart from the amazing architecture, there’s always something going on in the city to photograph”
Liverpool isn’t, and has never been, short for talent. Whilst it’s conventional to concentrate on what’s in front of the camera, we like to look behind the camera from time to time and peek through the lens of local photographers. No two captures are ever the same and we love to see the many different versions, angles and colours of Liverpool. We met up with Chris Mckay, a budding photographer taking social media by storm as of late. With his unique take on sky’s Chris manages to capture the drama of Liverpool in a way we’ve never seen before and despite being such a busy city, managers to capture the private moments we all have with this city that mean the most. Flicking through his pictures it can sometimes feel like you’re in a Wes Anderson film and we had to sit down with him to find out his story.
What’s your name, what do you do when you’re not taking photos?
(I feel like I’m writing a Tinder profile ha) My Name is Chris Mckay and I work as a digital creative for a large retailer. In my spare time, I enjoy watching Liverpool FC, going the gym and trying out new places for food & drinks. I love live music, going out and trying new things and meeting new people.
Thanks for that! What about long walks on the beach? Just kidding – how did you get into photography?
A key part of my job is product photography so I’ve always enjoyed working with cameras, but I had never owned one. My Uncle was selling his camera with a couple of lenses and I bought it thinking I could do with a new hobby to fill the gap in between football seasons.
To be honest I didn’t really know what I was doing at first; I was just pointing, clicking and hoping for the best. I’ve been doing it for just over a year now and I’ve learnt so much. I’m lucky to live in a city like Liverpool because apart from the amazing architecture, there’s always something going on in the city to photograph.
What do you take your pictures with?
Camera: Canon 5D Mark I,
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40mm, Canon EF 24-105
Software: Photoshop, Lightroom
What’s your favourite picture?
The Anglican Cathedral is my favourite. I love the way the cathedral pops out of the city skyline and how the sun hits it. It’s also one of the first photos where I started exaggerating the skies and sunsets; it made me realise that’s the direction I wanted to go in.
It’s definitely my favourite building too. It offers the best views of the city from the top of the tower and I recommend going after sunset to watch the streets of Liverpool light up.
Any advice for budding photographers?
When I started out, I just took as many photos as I could. 99% were terrible, but the more I took, the more I learnt. My best advice would be to take time with your edits and experiment; you’ll find yourself going in a direction that you enjoy and is personal to you.
Finally, put your photographs on your favourite social media site and use it as your platform to show off your work; you’ll be amazed at some of the feedback you get. I’ve found the photography community, especially locally, is so supportive, and really helps motivate you to do more. I’ve been doing this for just over a year and although I’ve learnt a lot, there’s still so much about photography for me to discover.
Below are a selection of some our favourite pictures he has taken. We hope you enjoy. You can see more by following him on Instagram here.
