Interviews
Ian Howorth
Ian Howorth is a documentary photographer based in Brighton, UK. His work deals with themes of identity and culture. Through Sentanta Books, Ian sold out his first book, Arcadia, in 2019 and published his second, A Country Kind of Silence, in 2023. Ian’s work has been featured in publications including The Guardian, The New York Times, It’s Nice That and Huck.
Can you tell us how your journey with photography began and what initially sparked your passion for documenting the world around you?
It really began by chance – A friend lent me his 35mm film Olympus OM-1 on a long term loan and though i already owned a digital camera, it was the process with film that really piqued my interest. I was already shooting a lot of video at the time and had somewhat of a freelance career doing it so i wasn’t a total novice to using cameras.
Your latest book, A Country Kind of Silence, delves into themes of identity and belonging. How did your personal journey influence the narrative of this project?
It was mostly to do with the identity of the place – specifically England. But as with much of my work, it is always peppered with the viewpoint of me as a foreigner. So although I feel A Country Kind of Silence is more about England than it is about me – I guess to a degree both things are intertwined.
Photographically, it doesn’t always have to be highly conceptual – it can simply be fun for what it is, and it’s important not to forget that.
In both Arcadia and A Country Kind of Silence, there’s a palpable sense of nostalgia. How do you approach capturing the essence of a place that feels both timeless and transient?
For me its a feeling – after a while of doing this – exploring England, these moments just jump out at you – so I feel for the most part it’s very reactive. Obviously making the book is more complex, as you have to sequence and then try to make a narrative that makes some sort of sense. But in terms of the making of the images, for the most part it’s a very intuitive process and a i think its a personal response to how I see the intricacies of England – which sometimes has specific themes but also very much universal ones.
You’ve mentioned the significance of color in your work. Can you elaborate on how color palettes contribute to the mood and storytelling in your photographs?
Colour has been my chosen method of capturing my work up to now – simply because I wanted to capture England as close to how its seen as possible. I won;’t lie though, i do have a fascination with colour and I’m naturally attracted to clashing palettes and bright colour scenes. And though the world has become more and more devoid of it, in many ways these colour scenes that i’ve captured over the years have become a sort of beacon to alert me to the unusual or where there might be an interesting story.
Your images often depict quiet, everyday scenes. What draws you to these moments, and how do they reflect your perspective on English culture?
I think im naturally drawn to these scenes – i like serene places where i can be alone with my thoughts and think about the work or what im trying to capture. Sometimes a scene leads to another or to another train of thought – something i might aim to capture sometime down the line in a way that might aim the narrative of the work.
Having lived in multiple countries before settling in Brighton, how has this diverse background shaped your photographic lens and the stories you choose to tell?
I think probably quite a bit. I’ve found having lived in different places rather than simply visiting creates a lot of contrasting views and expectations as to how things are. The way we live, where we live, how we lay out towns and streets – it creates almost multiple ways of understanding the man made landscape. So naturally when travelling, you always contrast against these expectations – so anything outside of those expectations creates a flag – and i’m guessing this why foreigners can be good at documentating places as they can see things locals might otherwise take for granted.
You’ve cited influences from early color photographers like Stephen Shore. How have these inspirations informed your approach to documenting contemporary England?
I think simply in the importance of documentation of the spaces we inhabit. Stephen Shore simpl;y documented space, and this practice even in its simplicity, tells us so much about people and society – the choice we made and why we made them to even the lamentation of how things may have been better or more attractive. Its pretty incredible how much things can tell us about people as a collective.
For emerging photographers aiming to explore personal themes in their work, what advice would you offer to help them find their unique voice and vision?
Try to kick things off by shooting things close to you both geographically and metaphorically, as this will help you hone your craft and keep you interested. Your first foray into anything is where you are most at risk of being dissuaded to continue. Try to enjoy the process, photographically doesn’t always have to be highly conceptual – it can simply be fun for what it is and its important not to forget that. But for those trying to weave in narrative or a story make it fun and try to make it challenging but achievable.
