Seen x Interview: Barry Macdonald [UK]

Left Bank had the opportunity to sit down with the London-based photographer, Barry Macdonald. What happened on a chance digital encounter has opened us up to his world of dynamic and visceral photography—see some of his work and get to know him below.

Left Bank: Hey Barry, nice to chat with you! Could you describe the photos in this set and the inspiration behind them?

Barry Macdonald: I took these photos on a work trip to Thailand. These are the things that caught my eye on my free days. When working it’s sometimes important to break away from briefs and let your instincts take over in your time off. Thailand has a lot of interesting use of colour and lots of hard light which creates really different possibilities from what I can normally shoot in Europe.

How long have you been a photographer?

I got a second hand film camera when I was 15 and started shooting mainly music in London with it. I’m 35 now. I just realised that’s 20 years!

Which photo is your favourite in this set?

I like all of the photos in this series because they all have personal memories for me, which is an interesting part of photography where sometimes you are making photos as much for yourself as for other people. My favourite is the man having a wash in a bucket, he had finished work in a market in China Town. He was framed by the columns and the exposed stairs and pipe above him all fit together. I took 1 frame and it turned out to be the best shot I had taken all day.

Finally, if you could shoot anywhere in the world where would you?

I am hoping to go to Brazil to shoot. It’s another country with an amazing use of colour and strong light to work with and what looks like an open culture. It might be a really interesting place to make photos. I am always excited to visit new places, it’s hard to know if you will enjoy the place on all of the different levels so visiting is the only way to find out.

Thanks so much for chatting with us! Where should our audience go to find more of your photos?

www.barrymacdonald.co.uk or on Instagram @barrymac84