Ode to Joy
Turning Life Into Art
Photographs by Kieran Woodham
Surrey, United Kingdom
For British photographer Kieran Woodham, photography isn’t just an art form; it’s way to connect with those around him. The camera gives Kieran a creative identity and access into people’s lives. “Photography is what a lot of people know me for,” says Kieran, “so that’s what they talk to me about. It leads to conversations on the street with strangers and meeting people through Instagram or at parties.”
Kieran’s favorite subjects are the people he loves and cares for the most. “I take photos of my best friends,” Kieran explains lovingly. “I surround myself with good people and whenever I have my camera I want to share and document the people around me and the time spent with them.” His love for his friends is truly reflected in the intimacy of work.
The people of Kieran Woodham’s images are just as important as the photographs themselves. “I’m trying to turn my friends and my life into art,” he expresses. They are his inspirations, behind the lens and away from the lens. His photography is an ode to their friendships.
In this gallery, Kieran Woodham introduces us to the subjects from his some of his most classic photographs.
“My mate Tom just finished studying fashion marketing at uni. He’s a really important person in my life as we are so opposite but we have taught each other so many things over the past few years. He’s taught me a lot about gay culture and also taught me how to be myself and to do what makes me happy. During his first year of uni he was everyone’s go-to model. He did like 40 photoshoots so him being comfortable in front of a camera made things so natural and easy in my photography. He inspires me because he is just happy in himself. He does what he wants and he wears what he wants because he’s true to himself and that rubs off on me. I think I’m a more confident person because of him.”
“James is currently living and studying in Berlin doing his Masters. He’s my best friend and we’ve been mates for about 10 years now. He’s really creative too, plays a tonne of instruments, he sings, he writes stuff. He’s done a load of blogs, music reviews and also writes poetry. He does photography too a little bit and has got into film which is cool. Although some of our hobbies are different we still have a lot in common, especially when it comes to music. We could be sat in Berlin drinking in a smokey jazz bar or jumping around a sweaty mosh pit somewhere. He inspires me because he has such a drive to succeed in things and he is always pushing me and supporting me to do well in whatever I want.”
“Megan’s got a fashion degree and used to work for a few clothing companies. She does photography too and had a paid job in it at one point. I’ve actually done a photo shoot with her for a friend's magazine a couple of years ago and we have both gone out shooting together too. She now runs her own business as an eyelash technician but she’s also a talented as fuck artist specializing in typography. She inspires me because again she is really supportive in what I do and she even helped me create a little zine a few years back of some of my photos.”
Harry, Connor and Gaz are members of the band The Doolallys. I started photographing the boys so they had some cool, slightly edgy photos that weren’t just of them playing on stage. I hang around with the boys just as mates too and their style is sick so I find myself just photographing for myself and they end up having the photos for free. Everyone wins.
The coolest story about the band was their first gig (when James was the drummer), in Megan’s kitchen during a house party. It was so sick! They inspire me to keep doing my thing, they’re always really excited and complimentary about my photography and are happy to have me working with them.
Dan features in a couple of old photos but he’s moved to Australia so I don’t see him really. We've been friends for a really long time and are still in contact but when he visits home we hang out a lot. We are really similar in things we like such as fashion, tattoos and music, and we play a lot of pool and snooker together. He inspires me because we are on the same page, he knows what I like and what I’m trying to achieve so he supports it and also advises and encourages me to better myself.
Will is someone I’m still really good friends with but I haven’t taken photos of him for a while. We usually just meet up for a couple of beers now and again and spend most of the time talking about tattoos. That, fashion and music (seems to be a running theme here) are our main common interests. I used to photograph him and his girlfriend Amy a lot, they’re both cool as fuck and were comfortable in front of the camera when we used to chill. Will's a really talented musician. He used to be in a band I saw live a fair bit now he does lofi hip hop under the name Factions. He’s one of those guys that’s just always positive and has a really laid back ‘fuck it’ attitude and that inspires me to just keep being myself and do what I’m doing.
