[Photographer Profile] #25 xshayx

#1 · 02-01-2014 10:05pm #1

The idea of these threads is to give some insight as to how some of your fellow photographers operate. Each person invited will write about their photography and provide some examples. This thread will be sticky for about a fortnight (longer if needed) During this time feel free to comment and ask questions. Please allow the subject to answer questions and do not do so on their behalf. While this process is taking place, the subject will approach the next person to be highlighted. Please keep this secret and do not prompt. All normal site and forum rules apply.

My name is Shay Murphy (37), living in Greystones/Dublin. I got my first camera when I was about 7, an Agfamatic 55C, I still have it! I took photos kids take for a couple of years, then probably lost interest, spend pocket money on other things! Then when I was 13 and started secondary it was take up sports or have a hobby, wasn’t into any sports/slight disability, so I started using my Dad’s Canon SLR, loving this I sold my computer a couple months later and bought a Pentax P30T.

At the time the RTE Guide had a company from Belfast advertising in it that processed and sent a fresh roll back for £3.49 so every two weeks I would send off however many rolls I could afford to develop. I took a lot of photos, a lot! I snapped away throughout secondary school. Don’t have too much to show from those years, some day I’ll go through the negs I can find and scan them in.

Homeless man, Rock of Cashel. 1992.

World Trade Center, New York. 1996

When I went to college I took up videoing hardcore & punk gigs, so photography took a back seat. Starting off on VHS-C then moving onto DV I videoed a couple hundred gigs, and really enjoyed this. A job soon after college was restoring photographs from 1880s-1920s and this re-ignited my love for photography and I promptly went out and bought a Nikon F80 (I had loaned my Pentax to a friend who emigrated with it!), from here I never really stopped and just widened my subject range, and moved up the digital ladder! Unemployed last few months, taking less shots than ever, but I know 2014 will jump start that.

Mainly I just drive around looking for a shot, sometimes the shot just looks at me!

Don’t do it often enough but Street would be one of my favourite subjects, a car crash in 2012 helped this along as I bought a Fuji X100 (fantastic camera, particularly for street stuff) as for a while I couldn’t lug any of the Nikons around for every day use. The Fuji is still my everyday camera, and the Nikons for gigs/going in the car shoots!

Bray Summers

Some park, New York

Underground, London

Don’t video much anymore, but gigs/bands still play a major part of my photography

Skeleton Crew

Betrayed

Bouncing Souls

Have Heart

I did a few US tours but more time was spent driving/selling merch/lugging gear! It’d be nice to travel with a bigger crew and to be able to document it properly. One of the few I managed to take!

Baltimore, 2008

Long exposure is another fav of mine, nothing better than standing around in the cold, bought thermals recently, so hopefully some new shots soon! I often return to a spot I find in the day when the right night comes along.

Wicklow

Dublin

Irish Sea

Briefly got into fashion/portrait stuff, when I had a room in my apartment I could turn into a studio, loved doing it but lost the apartment and somewhat the interest! Might return one day

Protests are something you can’t miss in Dublin especially in last couple years, I like documenting whats going on in this little country of ours, but far too many to pick some out for here (plenty of sets here if anyone is interested http://www.flickr.com/photos/xshayx/sets!

If you’ve made it this far, thanks! Looking forward to seeing all your work in 2014.

Thanks to Barry (The Baz) for the profile invite. Check out his exhibition at the Centre for Creative Practice, Pembroke St., Dublin, on 23rd January.