Kelan Molloy
‘There’s nothing like experiencing a new town and city for the first time with a camera.’
Really glad to feature an interview with Kelan Molloy, a street, music and portrait photographer based in Ireland.
When I discovered his work, I really liked how he manages to capture people.
For Travelling Light Club, he is sharing his photographic journey, what inspires him and the favourite photos in his portfolio.
Kelan Molloy © All Rights Reserved.
Vincent Dupont-Blackshaw: How did you get into photography?
Kelan Molloy: I got into photography around the age of 15/16 when I found a small point and shoot camera in my house. I began walking around town and taking photos of anything and everything that caught my eye.
V.D.B.: In a world where everyone is taking pictures all the time, do you remember the first time you felt like a photographer?
K.M.: I think after the first few paid jobs I had. Up until then I had just been taking photos for myself which of course still makes me a photographer but getting hired because of my images was probably the first time I felt like I was a photographer and could do this as a career.
Kelan Molloy © All Rights Reserved.
V.D.B.: Is there a photographer whose work you particularly appreciate?
K.M.: There are definitely a few that come to mind that I would take inspiration from. Josh Edgoose and Shane Taylor would be two of my main sources of inspiration but I think my style has also been influenced a lot by the photos of Andrea Pozzoni and Mirko Saviane.
V.D.B.: Is there a photo of this particular photographer that you wish you had taken yourself?
K.M.: Far too many to choose from! All of them?
V.D.B.: Is your work influenced by other artworks or artists (painters, directors, musicians, writers, etc.)?
K.M.: I definitely look to artwork as an active source of inspiration. There aren’t too many that I could name that I would say influenced me but certainly when I was looking into the work of photographers such as Andrea Pozzoni and Mirko Saviane I researched the paintings of Caravaggio and took some influence from how he used light and shadow.
Kelan Molloy © All Rights Reserved.
V.D.B.: How do you define your work?
K.M.: Mostly documenting the things, places and people I see. A mixture of street, portrait and music photography.
V.D.B.: What equipment do you use?
K.M.: I shoot with a Canon EOS R paired mostly with a 50mm prime but sometimes using a 24-70mm zoom. All of my post processing is done in Adobe Lightroom with the odd bit of Photoshop for retouching.
V.D.B.: What are your three favourite photos in your portfolio?
K.M.: I think these three would probably be my favourites. They were all taken in Venice, Italy across two different trips.
V.D.B.: Are you a frequent traveller?
K.M.: As frequent as I can be! My girlfriend and I are both still in college at the moment and working part-time so getting the time to travel is tricky but we try to get away as often as we can.
V.D.B.: Does travel play a role in your photographic practice?
K.M.: Absolutely! While I love shooting in the streets of Dublin and Drogheda there’s nothing like experiencing a new town and city for the first time with a camera.
V.D.B.: What is your favourite place in the world?
K.M.: I love my hometown of Drogheda, knowing I’ll meet someone I know every time I leave the house and seeing the people that make the town what it is is a wonderful feeling! Although since my first visit to Venice that’s been a close second.
V.D.B.: Any idea of your next trip?
J.B.: Heading to Barcelona for a few days in the middle of June.
V.D.B.: What are you working on at the moment? What is your next project?
V.T.: Always working on something! Hopefully after my visit to Barcelona I might have another collection of images ready to put out.