Recently, I had the chance to interview Francis Keating, a professional photographer from Australia who spent many years in Hungary.
1. Q: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get involved in the art of photography? Do you remember your first camera?
A: I’m Francis Keating and I was born in Australia. I still remember my first camera, which was a Minolta one with fixed lens I had in high school when I was a member of the photography club there. However, I cannot really recall the name of the exact model I used back then.
As for my journey to photography, it was a long one. The first time I got closer to photography emotionally was when I saw my uncle’s photos and it just started to interest me. After graduating from high school, I started to work and I didn’t really have the time for photography. Then in the 1990s, I travelled through Europe and the States and I found myself involved in photography again. I had a small compact camera, which wasn’t really a flagship model. In Israel in the year of 1992, I met a good friend of mine who gave me his old camera gear which consisted of and old Pentax Spotmatic SLR and many lenses.
As I got more enthusiastic about photography, I took courses in Budapest in 1996-1997. Well, the teacher told me that I was one of the best students in the group and it gave me a boost of confidence concerning this field of art.
After getting my education degree, I realised I wasn’t fond of teaching and I took elective courses at the College of Arts. I liked taking photos –nudes, portraiture- way more than teaching.
I continued my way to Taiwan, where I taught English. Actually, I had my exhibitions there and at that time, I mainly took photos of the Yangtzee and photos for magazine covers. I also took photos of jewellery and other products.
A: I’m Francis Keating and I was born in Australia. I still remember my first camera, which was a Minolta one with fixed lens I had in high school when I was a member of the photography club there. However, I cannot really recall the name of the exact model I used back then.
As for my journey to photography, it was a long one. The first time I got closer to photography emotionally was when I saw my uncle’s photos and it just started to interest me. After graduating from high school, I started to work and I didn’t really have the time for photography. Then in the 1990s, I travelled through Europe and the States and I found myself involved in photography again. I had a small compact camera, which wasn’t really a flagship model. In Israel in the year of 1992, I met a good friend of mine who gave me his old camera gear which consisted of and old Pentax Spotmatic SLR and many lenses.
As I got more enthusiastic about photography, I took courses in Budapest in 1996-1997. Well, the teacher told me that I was one of the best students in the group and it gave me a boost of confidence concerning this field of art.
After getting my education degree, I realised I wasn’t fond of teaching and I took elective courses at the College of Arts. I liked taking photos –nudes, portraiture- way more than teaching.
I continued my way to Taiwan, where I taught English. Actually, I had my exhibitions there and at that time, I mainly took photos of the Yangtzee and photos for magazine covers. I also took photos of jewellery and other products.
2. Q: Could you explain your philosophy for photography?
A: For me, it’s about going against a lot of rules, for which people tend to look at me in a strange way, but this is how it is. Firstly, I always focus on the composition and the aesthetic side of the photograph; and for me, concept comes later. I usually just take a photo and see if it fits a concept or not. A lot of my photos depict sadness, loneliness, solitude; which is not intentional at all. It may somehow come subconsciously.
3. Q: How much do you think Budapest is inspiring –in terms of photography- compared to Hong Kong or great urban areas of Australia?
A: I have to admit that Budapest is a beautiful place and it has what I miss in Australia. Budapest has this uniqe, distinctive architecture and atmosphere that one can’t find in Australia. For instance, a few weeks ago, I took a photo of the frozen Danube, and I believe I couldn’t have taken a similar photo in Australia. However, my homeland is more than perfect for landscape photography.
As for Hong Kong, I didn’t find it that inspiring, but small villages in China can really blow your mind! It’s important to note that the term “inspiring” highly depends on your style.
4. Q: What are your habits of taking photos in the streets?
A: It highly depends on the mood. When I travel, I usually use wide-angle lenses to get as much content into the photo as possible while getting closer to the subject to be able to separate it from the background and distracting factors. However, sometimes it’s not possible to take close-ups of subjects in the streets. For example, a couple of years ago, I took a photo of some old men playing chess in a park. I took that with a telephoto lens which had a focal length of approximately 200mm. A long lens is good to have if you don’t have the opportunity to get closer to what you’re trying to capture. There’s always a proper time and place for both kind of lenses.
5. Q: If you were to tell an amateur what to do when doing photography, what would you say?
A: Take the time to improve your composition; it’s very important. You should keep things simple and not try to get too much into the frame, because it’s distracting. Also, you should always focus on your subject, as this is one of the most important ingredients of a great photo. Apart from these, it’s also great if you dare to change your perspectives. People tend to take photos from eye level, which can become boring. Capturing images from ground level or waist level may make your photos way more interesting. Another common thing among shutterbugs is that they take the photo perfectly horizontally. Dare to go against the rules and tilt your camera a bit to give your image an unusal look.
Light is just as important as composition, an adequate setup can improve your photo, while bad light conditions can ruin the whole image. If you take photos outdoors, avoid the mid-day time when lights are very harsh. Cloudy days might be a bit better light-wise, since clouds act as light diffusers that filter the light coming from the sun.
6. Q: When teaching photography, what’s the first thing you tell your students they must always bear in mind?
A: Photography is a mixture of art and science; it’s about creativity. There are two basic groups of people. There are those who know everything about the technical side of photography and understand every single term, such as choosing the proper shutter speed, setting up lights etc.; but they don’t have the eye to creat a good image. And there are those who have a great eye and creativity, but don’t know the technical aspect. The most important thing is to have both; have a proper camera with fairly good technical knowledge, but also have the eye to use your equipment to capture great moments in a creative way. Having the latest and greatest camera and lens in the world won't help you if you don't have an eye for photography.
