Will Elsom - An Interview

Carolanne Rose
Mar 13, 2016
3 min read

You are about to see some stunning landscape/travel photography, so I warn you now; you are going to want to buy a medium format camera and a plane ticket after you see Elsom's photography. Don't tell me I didn't warn you.

When I saw Will's instagram account I was blown away. Instantly you know that not only has this guy got a GREAT eye, but you can feel his heart and soul in his photos, if that's even a thing. Once again I just had to find out about his photography, and it's good to know we started in the same place; with a trusty OM1!! Representing!

Please visit his Instagram account here: instagram.com/willelsom and if you are super great - leave a comment or share your love via twitter through @carolannerose.

Who is Will Elsom?

I'm 24, from Oxford and am a freelance photographer!

When did you discover film, how?

I started out using film so probably from the get-go! My first camera was an olympus om-1, which is a great 35mm slr with a huge viewfinder.

Why do you shoot on film? What is it about film that you like?

Simply put, film just has a different quality to it. Technically, the dynamic range of negative film still supersedes digital (as far as I know!) this makes it excellent for shooting landscapes. I also find I’m more engaged with whatever I’m shooting when you’re not spending half the time looking down at the screen on the back of your camera.

What do you shoot on? Camera//film?? Favourites? Are there any out there that you are really keen to try? Why?

My go to set up is a Mamiya 7ii with the standard 80mm lens. As for film, I shoot Kodak Portra 160 or 400. I’m totally happy with this set up, I’d rather spend money on funding new projects than collecting gear!

What makes you take a photograph? What makes you click?

I love exploring new places, recording those experiences lends itself well to photography. I’ve always been into drawing and painting, photography led naturally on from that. Nature / the outdoors are definitely big inspirations. This is probably why I’ve never been that interested in studio photography.

What is your best experience shooting on film? What happened? How were the photos? What were you shooting? What were you shooting on?

Recently I went on a hiking trip around the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal. Its such a stunningly beautiful country and the local people were all so friendly. It combined so many of the things I love; photography, hiking, nature… As can be expected most of the photographs are landscapes, which the Mamiya lends itself to perfectly. Although having to carry all that film in my backpack was not as great!

What is your favourite way to display your photos?

I love making photo books, its such a great way to show narratives in your work, I’ll hopefully be getting a couple of large prints done this year too. Instagram is great for sharing photos with friends, its also a fantastic platform to showcase your work to a growing global audience.

What right now is really inspiring you and influencing your photos?

Right now I’m interested in capturing more stories and focusing on narrative within a body of work rather than just the singular image. That feeling to grow and keep learning is definitely whats driving me at the moment.

I can be found at these places online...

website: willelsom.com

tumblr: willelsom.tumblr.com

instagram: instagram.com/willelsom

How much do you L O V E these photos? Tell me by tweeting me on @ carolannerose or via instagram. See below some of Will's beautiful photography.