Imran Ciesay and That Whole Vibe
So, Imran Ciesay, right? And Places+Faces. You’ve seen the photos. That raw, in-your-face style, all flash and real moments. Looks dead cool, doesn’t it? Almost like anyone could just pick up a camera and do it. That’s what I thought, anyway, for a hot minute.
I remember scrolling through endless feeds, seeing those P+F shots from parties, backstage, just an endless stream of cool. And I thought, “Hey, I could try and capture some of that. My town, my mates, our little scene.” It wouldn’t be P+F, obviously, but you know, get that candid, gritty feel. So, off I went on this little mission. My own practical experiment, if you like.
First thing, I figured I needed the gear. Didn’t go crazy, just got myself a decent enough point-and-shoot film camera, the kind that wouldn’t break the bank but had a good flash. Loaded it up with some cheap film. Felt pretty good, thought I was halfway there. Big mistake. Turns out, the camera is just a tiny piece of the puzzle.
Trying to Get ‘The Shot’
So, I started taking this camera everywhere. To the pub, to local gigs, just hanging out with friends. My plan was simple: point, shoot, capture the ‘authenticity’. Sounds easy, right?
- Awkwardness Overload: The first few times I whipped out the camera and used the flash, people just stared. Or worse, they’d do that stiff, awkward pose. So much for candid moments. It felt less like capturing a vibe and more like I was a weirdo with a sudden flash photography hobby.
- Access Denied (Mostly): Imran Ciesay and his crew, they’re in there. Backstage, VIP, right up close with artists. Me? I was mostly trying to get a decent shot in a dimly lit, crowded pub without spilling my drink or annoying the person next to me. The best I managed was some blurry photos of the back of my mate’s head.
- The ‘Look’ is Hard: Those P+F photos have a specific aesthetic. It’s not just random flash. It’s the composition, the moment, the vibe of the person in the photo. My early rolls of film? Mostly a collection of overexposed blurs, people blinking, and just plain boring shots. Cost me a bit to get them developed too, only to realize most were rubbish.
I particularly remember this one time I tried to shoot a local band. They were friends of a friend, playing in this tiny, sweaty room above a bar. I thought, “Perfect! This is gritty, this is real!” I was buzzing, popping off shots with the flash. I felt like a proper documentarian for about ten minutes. Then the singer, mid-song, actually squinted at me and said, “Can you, like, not do that right in my face?” Fair enough, I suppose. My grand artistic endeavour pretty much ended there for the night. I just sheepishly put the camera away and bought another pint. Felt like a right lemon.
What I Really Learned
It made me realize something. That whole effortless cool thing you see online? It’s rarely ever effortless. Behind those Places+Faces photos, there’s a whole lot of hustle, networking, being in the right place at the right time (which often means always being out there), and a genuine eye for a moment that most of us just don’t have, or aren’t willing to work that hard for.
It’s a bit like my old job. I used to work in a small marketing firm. From the outside, on our shiny website, we looked like this super creative, dynamic agency. Always on, always innovative. The reality? We were mostly scrambling to meet deadlines, dealing with nightmare clients, and the most ‘creative’ thing we did most days was figure out how to make instant coffee without any milk left in the fridge. We spent more time talking about being creative than actually doing truly groundbreaking stuff. It was all about perception.
So, my little photography project didn’t turn me into the next Imran Ciesay. Shocker, I know. But it did teach me to look past the surface. That raw, authentic vibe? It often takes a ton of work, a bit of luck, and probably a lot of failed attempts that you never get to see. It’s not just about having a camera; it’s about what you do with it, who you know, and how much grind you’re prepared to put in. And honestly, sometimes it’s just about knowing when to put the camera down and enjoy the moment, even if it’s not perfectly ‘captured’ for the feed. My film camera mostly gathers dust now, but I reckon I learned more from that failed experiment than if I’d actually gotten a few decent shots.