In Focus - Susie Jones Posted On 23rd July 2024 To Magazine, Lockdown Sessions & In Focus
Introducing Susie Jones, our 78th In Focus interviewee. Susie is an artist, songwriter and musician based in the Northwest of England, find out why analogue photography is her latest expression.
SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND
SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU?
Jumping straight in with the difficult questions here. I find it impossible to choose favourite images, it constantly changes. We see so much of ourselves and our current state in images and how we relate to them is always in flux. Having favourites is futile.
JUST IN CASE ANYONE DOESN’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU DO, CAN YOU GIVE US THE OVERVIEW?
I am an artist, songwriter and musician based in the Northwest of England. I have spent more years than I can count trying to find ways to express and connect with others and the world around me. Analogue photography is my latest expression, since around 2020/2021. I write, record, and perform musically under Susie Jones and as a member of the improvised and experimental music collective, The Dissonance Collective.
HOW AND WHY DID YOU GET STARTED SHOOTING FILM?
Having, like many of us, acquired an inordinate number of digital images on my phone I found that I was developing an affinity for the visual and seemed to be able to see in a way through a camera that I couldn’t draw. I really cannot draw well. During my many solitary lockdown walks in early 2020 I found that my phone was becoming burdensome and soulless, the images weren’t meaning anything and yet I was framing everything around me. Having been exploring improvisation musically the idea of risk, chance and a lack of control was very appealing. A moment in time, a chance and physical manifestation of an image. The process. The process of making an image – that’s what I had been searching for and the whole process of film held so many possibilities. So, I bought a cheap camera, bought some film and here obsession ensued. I started just shooting the film, then developing, then printing and then stepping in to even more exciting experimental processes too.
WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PHOTOGRAPHIC INSPIRATION TO DATE?
The biggest inspiration to date for me is, without doubt, the wonderful community that I have been lucky enough to engage in. This includes the She Hearts Film photo group and the local Obscura Darkroom community in Blackburn. These groups of individuals are so full of ideas, insights and joy really inspire me to carry on, press on through mistakes and try things out. Their creativity and ideas are boundless.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF PHOTOGRAPHY TIP OR ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
Play. Respond instinctively. Photograph respectfully.
WHAT FILM PHOTOGRAPHY RELATED PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON (OR ARE IN THE PIPELINE)?
I have just completed my first exhibition, Recollections, alongside two wonderful fellow photographers, Charlotte Parkin and Stiff Pigeons. This is wrapping up but has a few small threads to tie up but has been a truly wonderful experience. The work included in the exhibition, Where The Crow Flies, is the first element of a longer piece that explores the shapes, impact and connectivity of the industrial revolution, founded in the North West of England, across the globe. This work is multi-media with accompanying improvised responses to each of the images. My aim is to release theses together in digital/physical medium in 2024.
I am also further exploring the darkroom to learn more about various experimental techniques and searching work within these fringe spaces. Alongside this I am also working with The Dissonance Collective on new work, including an album due out in early 2024 and currently working on a series of collaborations.
WHAT / WHERE IS YOUR NEXT SHOOT AND HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT FILM / KIT YOU WILL USE?
I tend to shoot in a couple of ways that are typically at either end of the spectrum. In the more rigid end, dates are set aside, and the project will have film allocated before even starting (I believe that constraints are the key to creativity). The other side is expressive, da-da-esq, random shooting with very little preconception. In terms of choosing film, I tend to keep a quite restrictive store. Exploring within a film is an interesting journey within itself and being quite a practical person. I choose a steady, unfussy stock of black and white films. Typically, HP5+, FP4+, Tri-X, APX for example.
Next up I will be taking my camera to a trip to Poznań in Poland to explore the life and architecture of the city. I also have a longitudinal study of the North West’s favourite seaside holiday town, Blackpool, that was wrapped up at the end of 2023, which needs some back-room attention in final development, scanning and sifting through. Always an exciting journey.
WHAT ARE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC GOALS GOING FORWARD?
As it stands today, my main goal is to complete the next phase of ‘Where The Crow Flies’ and look to form this in a coherent presentation of the whole story. I would love to be able to collaborate with fellow artists and find more opportunities to combine my music and photographic outputs. I would love to be able to produce a zine or book, and to travel – another true inspiration to me.
SECTION 2 - SHOUT OUTS
We all need a bit of inspiration and love so this is your chance to tell the community about yours – from the film photographers whose work inspires you, the labs you trust with your film, your ‘go to’ film photography stockists, your favourite community darkrooms or just anyone in the community who you feel deserves a special mention.
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILM PHOTOGRAPHERS.
Here we are talking about favourites again. There are so many wonderful creative souls within the film community each who share their perspectives on the world through their images.
I cannot answer this without shouting out to my recent Recollections exhibition buddies – Charlotte Parkin and Stiff Pigeons. It was a fantastic experience to build and present the exhibition to the world with them. Their work is brilliant and you should go look at it.
A third would be Peggy from CameragoCamera’s whose engineering and inquisitive approach to cameras and her photography is always exciting and energetic.
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHY YOUTUBE CHANNELS.
I don’t use YouTube I’m afraid. I hear it is very popular.
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC RETAILERS.
Harrison Cameras (www.harrisoncameras.co.uk)
Analogue Wonderland (analoguewonderland.co.uk)
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR FAVOURITE LAB SERVICE.
I do this myself these days but on the odd occasion I do not, then I trust Analogue Wonderland with my negatives.
SECTION 3 - FAVOURITE KIT
WHAT FILM CAMERAS DO YOU OWN AND WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE?
Canon T70, Olympus Trip, Olympus OM30, Pentax Super and a Yashica Mat – 124 TLR. As it stands today, I think that the Canon T70 is my instinctive go to. I feel it is the one that I trust most fully these days.
ASIDE FROM YOUR CAMERA, LENSES AND FILM, WHAT ACCESSORIES MAKE IT INTO YOUR CAMERA BAG?
My notebook, some change for a brew, and a cloth.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF PHOTOGRAPHY KIT YOU HAVE FOUND OR BEEN GIFTED?
My Olympus OM30 was gifted to me by a family member and it’s a real trooper.
AS THIS IS AN ILFORD INTERVIEW IT WOULD BE REMISS OF US NOT TO ASK ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE ILFORD PRODUCTS. TELL US YOUR FAVOURITE ILFORD FILM, PAPER OR CHEMS AND WHY?
I find that constraints lead to creativity so I tend to limit my use of film and chemicals. Film wise, I am a firm fan of HP5+ and FP4+. These have served me well! For developer I use either Ilfosol 3 or Ilfotec DD-X depending alongside the ILFORD stop, fix and wash. ILFORD through and through!
AND FINALLY…
NOMINATE ONE OTHER PERSON YOU THINK SHOULD FILL IN THIS FORM AND WE WILL REACH OUT TO THEM.
Can I have two? It feels rude to pick just one of my recent exhibition mates.
Images ©Susie Jones
About The Author
Susie Jones
Lancashire based artist Susie Jones is an adventurer in sound and seeing on a mission to connect and express. Modern folk on the edge of falling apart, Jones’ strong and distinctive voice fall somewhere between Beth Orton, Dolores O’Riordan and Sandy Denny. She explores the gritty surrealism of modern day living through the liberation found in improvisation.
A singer-songwriter and artist in her own right, Jones is also a founding member of The Dissonance Collective [TDC]. Founded in 2019, following the recording of Jones’ album Not So Far Apart, TDC are a group of musicians and artists creating free improvised objects and reflect an ongoing project to explore sonic expression.
A prolific songwriter and storyteller Jones has self-released 3 albums and 3 EPs since 2008, written for projects such as the celebrated Preston Guild as well as co-writing with artists and songwriters across the UK. Alongside her musical work Susie has recently undertaken her first photography exhibition showcasing her film photography work which has been increasingly a focus in work.