We are excited to share with all of your our conversation with guest judge and professional photographer  Nicholas Goodden. Nicholas Goodden is an award winning London based urban photographer, Olympus ambassador and founder of the Street Photography London collective. His work encompasses London street photography, London urban landscape photography and slightly more conceptual photography.

 

Hi Nicholas! Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you describe your photography style?

Nicholas: I'm an urban photographer based in London. I shoot everything to do with London but my main focus is street photography, urban landscapes, graffiti / street art and more conceptual stuff.

In general I really work hard to develop my own style. I am currently working on a street photography project called The Great Londoners in preparation for my annual solo show which will take place for the opening of the Hoxton Hotel in Holborn, London, and will last 4 months.

When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?

Nicholas: I have always taken photos, like anyone else. I'd say more seriously in 2008, although it's not like I woke up one day and said "That's it, I'm serious about it", no these things creep up on you.

What has been your favorite shoot and why?

Nicholas: I do some commercial shoots aside from my urban photography / print sales. I'd say I'm pretty lucky this year to have been invited by no less than 2 Formula One teams to take photos, and also shooting the interiors and red carpet at the British Fashion Awards 2013 was pretty cool.

Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?

Nicholas: Yes, I've had a bit of a nightmare recently with being asked to shoot interiors in a location with very bad light and all artificial. But any tough situation just teaches you something making you learn new skills or be better prepared the next time.

what do you carry in your camera bag?

Nicholas: I travel light. I'm an Olympus Ambassador so I shoot with an EM-1 which I'm very happy with. I have a great range of lenses (mostly Olympus and Panasonic MFT) for different use but recently with street photography I've found myself using a single lens attached constantly on my body. That way I am less noticeable than when carrying all my gear, and I achieve a consistent body of work as this particular lens gives a very unique result / aesthetic to my photographs.

Can you share a couple of tips on how to improve Urban Photography?

Nicholas: Well Urban Photography is a very broad term. It's just any photo taken in a city. So it can be Urban landscapes, architecture, street photography, graffiti,... All of these are very different genres with very different techniques. But if you can practice them all, you learn these various techniques and they become transferable skills you can use elsewhere. Light is the trickiest bit as you are working only with natural light and it's constantly changing. As you revisit places at different times of the day, week, month or year...they never look the same. As a whole I'd say travel light. You'll be walking a lot so avoid a heavy tripod or a massive DSLR. Don't try to emulate others. Find your own style, believe in yourself, listen to people's feedback but don't let it demotivate you or let you become pretentious. I try to stay humble and my worst critic. That way I don't post all of what I shoot but a selection of my very best work. Remember that your portfolio is only as good as your worst photo, so be selective.