Archie Locke – Capturing Nostalgia in a Digital Age
Archie is a passionate photographer who started his journey with a compact digital camera as a kid. He’s developed a unique, nostalgic style and still uses his trusty Canon 750D. Inspired by emotional stories and other photographers, Archie balances his creative pursuits with a job at a supermarket, where he humorously deals with the annual stress of early Christmas preparations.
Can you tell the story of how you got into Photography?
Yes! My cousin was gifted a compact digital camera and we would often play around with it when we were young. I was amazed about the photos you could achieve and wanted in on the action. I got my first and only digital camera (Canon 750D) which I still use today. It was just as Instagram was becoming popular with photography and I became hooked.
Was there a particular moment or experience that solidified your passion for this art form?
Probably when I started university. I spent three years walking around Birmingham, UK eventually knowing every corner of the city. I got all my friends hooked and we took film cameras everywhere went. It really was a time of my life I look back on fondly.
What message or feeling do you hope to convey through your work?
It’s funny, I have never gone out of my way to convey a message with my work really. I would say it was my time in London that I decided I wanted to land on this ‘dreamy’, ‘nostalgic’ feel. It has been fascinating seeing people’s comments on social media on how my work makes them feel. I am typically a very nostalgic person, so I suppose it seeps into my work.
What inspires your work and how do you choose the themes you explore?
A big inspiration to me growing up was a YouTuber called Mathieu Stern. He adapts old camera lenses to modern systems which I loved. I regularly do this and try to play around with lenses when I can. A photographer called Maya Beano is brilliant. She arguably has the same style as me and I use her as inspiration with themes and which film stocks to use.
What have been some pivotal moments in your career?
I got hired by my university after them seeing my photography and became a content creator which was a great feeling. I learnt a lot from them. I graduated university with two degrees in filmmaking which was a big accomplishment. Finally, it sounds a little silly but hitting 1500 followers on TikTok really meant a lot and I have loved seeing people wanting prints of my work. I feel like I am only just starting my career now!
Can you share the story behind one of your most significant projects?
I did a small project on a surfing therapy dog called Scooter which was a lot of fun and very interesting. I spent some time in a small British coastal town and met some of the people who have had their lives changed by him. I tend to be drawn to emotional stories that deal with mental health or other struggles someone maybe going through.
How has your approach to photography evolved over time?
I would say the biggest thing is my skill in colour grading. I went through many strange styles before landing on this one, which I encourage everyone to do. Never just copy someone’s style completely, try and find your own voice.
I now develop all my photos at home, which adds to the dreamy aesthetic as I do it all DIY with buckets and a meat temperature gauge. It’s really fun but very stressful as my chemicals and gear are getting old. Overall, I would say I now lean heavy on the nostalgic feeling.
Can you describe your creative process from concept to completion?
I tend not to plan too much. My portrait work, I will have a small list of locations that I want to take photos at, and I will take a more laid back approach and see where it goes. I will develop the photos at home and scan them with my flatbed scanner. I use an Adobe Lightroom plugin to transfer them to positive images and then adjust the colours to match the style. I will then revisit them a couple days later to make sure I have not gone to over the top with grading!
My landscape work really is just trusting my judgement and walking around until I am inspired by something or someone. It sounds strange but after a couple years you start seeing the world and colours differently. I will see one colour and think but how I could adjust it in the edit or maybe I have just been doing this too long.
How do you see the role of photographers evolving in the future?
It is hard to tell. I feel like it is slowly getting phased out with short form video content like TikTok and Instagram Reels. The optimistic side of me says that there is always a place for photography, we saw it with the iconic assassination attempt photo of Donald Trump at the rally. Sadly, it will be more carousel reels and thinking of photos more as a collection then a singular image. I hope people will gravitate to emotional photos taken by real people and not AI. Companies are using more and more AI for their photography work, and I hope it doesn’t get rid of us.
On a funny note, what groceries have been stressing you out lately?
Christmas! I work at a Supermarket and It is all out and ready for customers. It triggers a fight or flight response in my brain every year. I will go to home dreaming of mince pies and advent calendars, it isn’t healthy ahaha.
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ArchieLocke
Read other articles in the issue
- Artistic Architecture with Katie
- Echoes of Its Autumn
- Elly Veritas-A Life Shaped by Words and Imagination
- From Strings to Studio: The Unexpected Musical Journey of Asgard Raven
- Ink and Soul – The Artistic Odyssey of Ellie Zalar
- James’ Blossoming Thoughts
- Mary Lawal’s Mission in Mental Health Awareness
- Siria Ferrer -How Developing Film Sparked a Lifelong Passion
- The Heart and Soul Behind Mollshandmade
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