Jonny Kaye
Brighton, United Kingdom
Bio:
Jonny Kaye is a portrait photographer and filmmaker based in Brighton, UK.
Through his work Jonny explores a multitude of subcultures and the human behaviors from within them.
He is influenced strongly by the seventies punk rock scene. With a dark and playful undertone Jonny deepens themes of love, sexuality and intimacy in his own way, focusing on a celebration of the human form, body and Its emotional background.
All the images are captured using various film cameras then digitally processed. Sometimes hand sketched then manipulated with words and sentences.
His work has been published by the likes of PAUSE Magazine, Fucking Young, Schön! and Bricks amongst others.
He recently self published the the first volume of his zine “Sorry Jonny Died”.
Where are you from, where are you based now? Could you tell us a little bit about both?
I’m from a place called Horley which is a small town just outside London, it’s very green and the high street consists mainly of charity shops, hairdresser’s and that’s about it.
I’m currently based in Brighton which is a small city by the sea. It’s quite liberal, has a nice mix of culture and a lot of students.
When and how did you get into photography?
I was scouted as a model back in 2016 and through that I picked up alot about fashion photography. I met some amazing people who would give me their time and show me a lot of what i still use today.
Could you tell us a little more about Brighton and its underground community of today?
Brighton has a nice mixture of underground communities music, art, kink etc. I think the heart and soul of Brighton is the music scene, pre lockdown you could see multiple gigs any night of the week. It has a similar vibe to Berlin but smaller and by the sea.
Which is the most significant photograph you took from the lockdown period? and why?
Hmm that’s a hard one. I like all of them.
What do you think about the concept of Inclusivity? And about Sexuality?
I think everyone has unique talent and beauty within and I don’t think anyone should be excluded based on where they come from or what they look like.
Tell us more about the image manipulating process
I shoot on film so I try to keep things as organic as possible but something I’ll adjust the contrast slightly just to bring through some colour.
How do you deal with Intimacy while working with your subjects?
I try to build a connection and remain as humble as possible so they can be comfortable and express anything they like. Most of the people I photograph i’m genuinely interested in as a person and want to hear their story so I think that’s a nice way of breaking down any barriers.
Which artists are you most intrigued by visually at present?
Warhol and Nobuyoshi Araki. As you can probably tell from my work, haha.
I love the way that Warhol would observe human behavior and that’s definitely something I can relate to. I’m fascinated with human beauty.
Where can we find you online?
Instagram @ Sorryjonnydied
Jonnykaye.com & I’ve recently entered the NFT space on SuperRare.co/sorryjonnydied
Words: Nicole Oike
