“Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliot Erwitt
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 Law, better known as Snackophagus on Instagram, who has had many of his pictures go viral recently. From vanilla sky’s to summer evenings, Chris manages to capture the drama of Liverpool in a way we’ve never seen before. We sat down with him.
Tell us about yourself? What do you do when you’re not taking picture?
Well I work as a graphic designer so mainly that. If I’m not working I go the cinema a lot, I love films. Other than that it’s the usual stuff, hanging out with friends, watch football, etc…
How long have you been into photography?
I’ve always been into film making and video production and most of the skills are exactly the same as photography. I got a DSLR about six years ago just to shoot video, I only really started taking pictures with it about a year ago after seeing some YouTube videos by a French photographer called Serge Ramelli. My pictures are nothing like his but seeing how he edits his photos and what can be achieved really inspired me to turn my camera from video to photo mode.
Where is your most favourite part of Liverpool to capture?
Liverpool is such a photogenic city, I’m always finding new and interesting spots to shoot that I didn’t know where there. If I had to pick one area it would be along the waterfront, around the Pier Head and the docks. The architecture around there is fantastic with the contrast between classic and modern styles and lots of water for some nice reflections.
What advice would you give to any budding photographers?
Take lots of photos and only show people the good ones. I might take 40 or more pictures of the same thing just trying out different compositions and framing. Light is so much softer around sunset and sunrise so if you’re taking pictures outside this is a great time of day to shoot.
Out of your whole collection, do you have a favourite picture?
I have a few. One of them is a picture of the Beatles statue at the Pier Head. It’s normally got a number of people around it taking pictures but, on that day, it was raining hard so there was nobody around. I had to run, trying not to get my camera wet, hold my camera low to the ground, take a few shots and then run back for cover. Luckily the picture turned out ok and I didn’t have to try again.
See the rest of his incredible work here.