Behind the Camera
You can listen to an audio recording of this article below:
Minesh Patel Photography is a recent project of mine highlighting a more creative and experimental side to my photography. Unlike other, more confident photographers, I have nothing in the way of a YouTube channel or website, and since creating the '@mineshpatelphoto' Instagram account, I have published next to nothing about who I am and why you might care about my photography, so here's a bit about me:
(Photo taken in Bristol UK, where I currently live)
I'm Minesh, I grew up in Oxford UK, but started my photography journey at university in Worcester. I have always had an interest in photography, taking photos with the family camera on holidays and trying to get creative with my first smartphone camera (back in 2011 - a HTC Desire, which shows my age). It wasn't until I picked up a Canon 750D while studying at university that I turned a pastime into a real hobby and a way to make some extra pocket money.
(Photo taken of the Bodleian Library in Oxford UK)
At the time I was studying Computing and had a soft spot for web design, which paired nicely with photography and grew my interest. Pairing typography with minimal, blocky designs and good photography was my idea of fun. As a tech enthusiast, when I first started shooting with a DSLR camera, I enjoyed learning the more technical aspects of photography, such as the exposure triangle and composition. I took a scientific approach to making photos and found satisfaction in creating a 'formula' for getting repeatable, aesthetically pleasing results. Photography was a fun way of weaving a hobby into my studies.
For a time, I enjoyed photography in this way, but the more I played around with different styles of shooting, the more I wanted to use the skills I'd learnt to earn some money and expand the choice of lenses I had in my camera bag. As a student on a tight budget, the variety of camera gear available felt both bewildering and completely unattainable. This was when I looked to online stock photo sites to sell my photos - the one I found to be the best fit for me was Twenty20.
While not the most glamorous form of photography, over the course of 6 years, I created a stable platform for earning some extra income outside of my full-time job working in the field of Cyber Security. I followed trends of photos that were selling well and engaged with the online photography community. I entered into peer reviewed competitions and earned money to create a self-sufficient hobby, using the income from selling stock photos to buy more camera gear. Over this period I built a portfolio of images that helped boost my confidence enough to agree to photographing one or two paid events (which is another world of its own and a group of separate skills which, while I enjoyed, is a commitment I am unlikely to make often in the future).
Unfortunately, this stable platform was disrupted when Twenty20 was taken over by Envato, and while I had the option to switch to the new Envato platform and attempt to reconstruct the success I had on the previous platform, I felt the change was a good nudge to try something new in photography.
(Occasional event photography - photographing a Jago party)
Several months before I decided not to join the new stock photo selling platform, I had begun to sell prints of my photography on Etsy, having invested in a professional printer to make products at home and package them for shipping with the help of my partner, Vicky. When I made the decision to stop selling stock photos altogether, any time that I had previously devoted to editing and publishing photos for selling online had gone into creating the new Etsy business, flexing the old creative, graphic design muscles to develop a theme and a brand for the new venture. Seeing my photos printed as a tangible product brought a new dimension my photography and has been a fun and interesting way to reinvigorate my creativity.
You can take a look at my prints shop at https://mvpprints.etsy.com
(A print added to the MVPprints Etsy shop - a photograph taken of Bermondsey underground station in London)
Since my Canon 750D, I have shot with smartphones (mainly Samsung's Galaxy S line), with a Sony A7III, a Leica Q2, a Sony RX100VI and dabbled in shooting with a Canon 35mm film camera, though I heavily favor a digital workflow and love the photo editing process.
My photography style has developed with time with my more recent taste leaning towards film simulation - conceptual, abstract shots using longer exposures and introducing grain. I may soon write about the evolution of my style and my photo editing process.
(Some recent favourite shots, all made with my Leica Q2)
While selling prints is my focus for the time being, I can say with confidence that I envisage a return to selling stock photos - while it is not the most lucrative form of photography, for anyone who is working full time or may otherwise find it difficult to commit to something like event photography on weekends, building a successful portfolio of stock images is a great way to earn some money through photography and can be a fantastic way of taking your hobby to the next level. I think for me, the current aim is to create work that I myself enjoy and to each year come away with a few shots I feel are truly unique.
I invite you in the comments (either on this post or on my Instagram) to tell me a little bit about your photographic journey. I find it interesting to hear from the people behind the camera and draw some more context and insight into the images I see on my feed.
