An interview with Zoomed In Festival creator and young talent Luke O’Donovan

He certainly got everyone talking a few weeks ago with his online festive curation of some leading photographers discussing interior & architecture. We talk to Luke O’Donovan about how he pulled it off, what to expect from him in the future and will there be Zoomed In 2?

Hi Luke, can we just start by saying a huge congratulations for the success of Zoomed In Festival recently, it was an incredibly well thought out and curated event, we take our hats off to you.

What brought about the idea of an online festival and how did you go about creating such an event?

Thanks Pete! It felt like one of those ideas where there was such an obvious circumstantial opportunity that I would’ve regretted not going for it for a long time afterwards.

I think that like most photographers around the world in that moment, I felt a bit useless not being able work as usual, and not really being able to do anything about what’s been going on outside in the same way that all of the key workers are. So bringing us as an international community of photographers together and keeping us busy, but also trying to use that as an opportunity to raise funds through our print sale to support those that are making a positive difference where it’s most needed right now.

Organising the festival was just a question of swallowing my pride and contacting as many people as I could. Luckily there was a really positive response from so many of the people I got in touch with, and together with a lot of hard work from the guest curators, we were able to pull together a really exciting and eclectic programme of speakers. It all came together in just a couple of weeks, and that wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and community goodwill of countless others around the world.

Well you certainly achieved something very special. Let's hear a bit about you and your background. What got you into photography?

I’ve taken quite a roundabout route into architectural photography, I did go to architecture school a few years ago, but I only lasted one semester before deciding it wasn’t the right place for me at the time. After a brief period stacking shelves, I became part of the team at Open City (most known for Open House London), and working there I learnt a lot about different ways to engage with architecture without being an architect, which has really helped to shape the career path I’ve taken since.

Photography has been something that I’ve taken very seriously since my mid teens, and I often allowed photo projects at school to take over my life a bit. Maybe because I’ve grown up in a comfortable if not slightly drab suburb, I’ve always enjoyed getting out and exploring where I can, and finding beauty and interest in the everyday and mundane. Recording that through photography has always seemed like a natural extension of those experiences to me, so it makes sense that it’s now become such a large part of my career when it was already such a large part of my lifestyle.

What is it about architectural photography that has become such a passion for you?

I love the idea of creating an archive of images that can act as a record of our civilisation over time, and how human ideas and characteristics are expressed through built forms. And at this point I have no idea how else I could make a living!

Part of what I’ve been trying to achieve through Zoomed In and other initiatives is to champion and elevate the architectural image culture, so that there’s a broader understanding of the cultural and commercial value of good architectural photography. Seeing photographers like Laurian Ghinițoiu or Hélène Binet present their work, I’m amazed that the work of leading architectural photographers is rarely celebrated in the same way that the work of leading fashion, portrait or documentary photographers would be. I believe that architectural photography is on the cusp of a big cultural movement, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings, and to be a part of that.

Talk us through a bit of your creative process and what equipment you are currently using.

The camera stuff is generally quite simple, I see that my role as the photographer is more about getting an understanding of the feeling of a space in a short amount of time, so that I can communicate that in an image. It varies a lot from location to location, sometimes I’ll be walking for miles to understand how a piece of architecture fits into its surroundings, or in a more intimate urban setting I could spend hours working within a few square metres.

Recently I've enjoyed working on commissions where I've been thinking about the wider creative direction of a project, so working with the client right from forming the brief, through to the final presentation formats. I'm interested in more work where I can take on a more curatorial role, working with exhibition, print and digital formats to bring to life some more complex ideas than just making a building look attractive for a press release.

The majority of the time I’m shooting on a digital SLR with tilt-shift lenses like most architectural photographers do at the moment. My go-to lens on my SLR is the 50mm tilt-shift. I’m trying to get better at taking pictures on my phone too.

I completely agree that as technology improves we’ll become more focused on how we document these landscapes rather than the equipment we use.

With Zoomed In Festival being such a success, are there plans for it to become a regular annual event?

A few weeks ago there weren’t even plans for the first version - let’s see what happens there...

Lastly, were there any highlights for you throughout the week and can you name other young talents out there you'd like to champion..?

Far too many highlights! We were spoiled with some incredible speakers throughout the week, but what made it extra special was seeing the same names back time and time again in the live comments on youtube, despite us running about 20 hours of content throughout the week.

I’ve recently launched the Architecture Photography Fund, a mentorship and small grant programme to support a young person from an under-represented background in pursuing a career around architecture and/or photography. I’m just about to select a candidate, so watch this space!

And if you’re not already talking to Joe Dudley you need to be…