Life

Through the lens: Oldham photographer dreams of developing mobile phone camera hobby into full-time career

By Arandeep Singh Dhillon

An Oldham photographer is hoping to develop his hobby into a fully-fledged career after starting taking pictures on a humble mobile phone camera.

Starting off with a measly handful of pixels Karl Jones started snapping the world around him including famous Manchester landmarks, scenic routes and historic buildings.

From there, with the support of his family and friends, he has started to take his hobby more seriously.

The 28-year-old revealed his passion for photography is fuelled by what Greater Manchester has to offer.

He said: “I’ve always had an eye for a photo since I started getting cameras on my phones –that opened up a whole new world of being able to take pictures, then I just started taking pictures everywhere and got better cameras as I got more into it.

“The whole Greater Manchester area is brilliant, you’ve got the city centre where there is plenty of great places to take pictures and plenty of old buildings and famous landmarks.

“The further you go out of Oldham you get places like Dovestone – and a lot of natural beauty – is all within reach of Manchester so the city is a great place for any photographer.”

And Karl revealed he’s hoping that Manchester will have a white Christmas to add a special festive touch to his shots.

“I’m hoping to get a lot of nice wintery pictures as it’s a good time to take them and with Christmas coming up hopefully there will be a bit of snow but not too much so I can’t get out!”

But it’s not just scenery that Karl shoots, he is happy snapping a variety of subjects.

He said: “A lot of photographers tend to stick to mainly one type of market or application, whether it be weddings, landscapes or portraits but I try to do a bit of everything.

“If I see something which looks good I will take a shot of it.

“Photography is something I have a strong passion for and something I’m hoping to do full-time in the future.

“I have a little business plan I have put together and hopefully I’ll be making a living of it one day – that’s my goal.”

Alongside building up his portfolio Karl is also a volunteer photographer for Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“For the long-term my goal to start legitimate business to really get my photos out there and get a bit of exposure, not in the sense to make money but just to get some feedback. It’s nice when people like my photos and makes me proud and I want to keep doing that.”

Pictures courtesy of Karl Jones, with thanks

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