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Cam Crosland

We are very proud to present our new London representative, known for fishing with dynamite – the one and only – Cam Crosland!

Welcome to Full Frontal Flash Cam, we are very happy to have you in our collective.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a non-binary person from Surrey in England, close to London. I play guitar, though currently the guitars are jealous of the camera. I started out as a Modern History & Political Science graduate working as a software tester, trained in counselling for a year and then photography came along…

When did you start with photography and more importantly when and why did you start to use a flash?
I’ve always been fascinated by visual art, and when I left my job in 2009, I began dabbling in photography. Then, in 2010, I discovered that Street Photography existed as a genre and became hooked.

My philosophy in life is to squeeze every opportunity out of my circumstances, to appreciate what I have, rather than focusing on what I’m lacking. When I first started Street Photography, my opportunities to go out and shoot were very limited, so I couldn’t afford to be picky about lighting conditions or subject matter and using only ambient light was very important for me for a long time.

After many years of feeling out of control and overtaken by life’s events, things began to change for me. At the start of 2017, I took a conscious, deliberate decision to embark on using flash as a way of taking control and being more pro-active in my picture taking, and at the same time celebrating my new-found zest for life… and thus “Fishing with Dynamite” was born. 

I’ve always made pictures that come out of my life experiences and emotions and reflect who I am as a person, so it’s not by chance that I started using flash at a key time in my non-binary gender transition. Making changes to my body and appearance finally allowed me to feel comfortable and confident in myself and to feel confident with being close to people – and comfortable with being seen by people. After taking control of my life by legally changing my name and finally gaining a sense of ownership over my life, picking up a flash enabled me to take control artistically, by allowing me to go out and pro-actively make pictures in a way that I hadn’t been able to before.

Could you describe your photographic style?
Using flash allows me to create pictures expressing the intensity with which I experience the world. Often the information flooding into my senses is a source of great delight but it is also frequently uncomfortable and overwhelming – it can bring me to the point of sensory overload. Flash is a tool which allows me to shed light on things both metaphorically and literally; it’s a way of highlighting not only details, colours and textures but also the gestures and interactions which grab my attention. It’s about energy. I love to make images which are vivid, cinematic and dramatic but at the same time balance that with subtlety and detail. 

Show us some of your flash photos and tell us something about them.

This picture was taken between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, part of the area known as “Theatreland”. I was drawn to the cinematic elegance of this mysterious looking woman.
This was made in London’s China Town, one of my favourite places to make pictures.
I love the mix of tourists and people at play, intermingled with busy and sometimes jaded locals going about their business. It’s near where my grandma used to live, a long time ago. Back in the day, as a young “flaneur” accompanied by my grandma, I often used to stroll around central London and I was fascinated by China Town. Not that I knew at the time that there was a fancy French word for it! Many decades later, apart from my age, the difference now is that I have a camera. Back then, I just took pictures with my eyes. 
Something I’m very interested in is how people express themselves through their gestures and the energy of human connection. This was taken late in the evening and this group of people seemed to be at the end of their night out together.
My most amazing one-off photography experience so far has been a trip to New York. There are so many depictions of New York on screen, in photographs and in songs that I wanted to see what it looked and felt like through my eye. I really the energy of the place and I would love to go back when circumstances allow. This picture was taken at the edge of Times Square.
This was made in Soho on a London Pride afternoon. It was a wonderful feeling to be immersed in the crowd, soak up the energy and connecting with such a strong sense of joyfulness, celebration and belonging.

Thank you Cam and welcome, were stoked to have you onboard!

Links to Cams Portfolio and Social Media

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