When moving to London from Malaysia in 2018, Karisma found himself angry at the fact that there was no photography society at university. He says university is where you’re supposed to meet and network with people of the same mind set. He is now the president of City University’s photography society, which he started in his first year.
One of his projects is the society’s newsletter Mico (Latin for flash), which he created with the intention to inspire members and at the same time exercise the editors’ eye for design. The editors investigate a current issue, such as climate change and the effects on the environment for the first edition, by finding the work of other photographers and doing their own write-up about it.
Outside of his work with the society, Karisma has a big portfolio shooting fashion, lifestyle, or nature, and collaborating with brands such as Eagirl and Roomaku.
When did you first pick up a camera?
I did not start taking photos until I was 15, because I honestly just wanted a prettier looking Instagram feed. The second, deeper part of why I started taking photos is probably the fact that, as a kid, I was never really good at anything creative; I tried the piano and the violin, I have tried painting and music production, but nothing really stuck with me except for photography. I quickly realised that I do have the mind-set for it, I have the eye for composition, and it just took off from there. It is a place for me to express myself in a creative way, which I had never felt before. In my family, no one really likes taking photos, so I am mostly self-taught and really just experimented to get to where I am today.
Analogue or digital?
I had never touched film before January, when I picked up my first film camera because my photographer friends convinced me to just try it out and see if I like it. So I headed over to Brick Lane market and bought myself a vintage camera, it was a Pentax, and I shot my first role of film. I was blown away. There was something special about bringing my creative mind back to its roots. What I mean is that as a photographer, you shoot digital photos very quickly; you don’t really get to absorb the experience. When I shot film, it really made me stop and think properly about the photo before winding and shooting it. Because once you have shot there is no reviewing or deleting it, it is going to be there and you are going to see your mistake whether you like it or not. And so I found myself really enjoying it to the point where now, at the end of the year, I shoot about 50/50 on film and digital. Shooting film is personal, it’s more for the work that I shoot for myself. And for the work that I shoot for clients or for friends or for anything that’s professional, definitely digital is the way to go.
Your recent project is called 11,755 steps through the streets of Kuala Lumpur, talk to me about that
It is an experimental fresh-post-first-lockdown project, going back into the city I have lived in my entire life. I left London in March to go back home to Malaysia, and I was stuck at home until lockdown ended. When I was finally able to go out and see the city again, it felt refreshing; it felt new and exhilarating. Before this, the city seemed boring like there was no more place to shoot, but after a forced break, my passion for taking photos in the street was reignited.
I wanted to make it seem like a journey. In reality it was not a long day, I spent 4-5 hours walking through the streets shooting. But the feeling that I got walking out of my car and getting my camera and walking down the street, it felt like your first baby steps when you first start to walk. It just felt so strange, the place felt completely new, and I wanted to have that feeling reflected in the title, hence 11,755 steps.
The project is an ode to my grandfather as well. He passed away when I was very young, and I recently discovered that he left behind a huge collection of films and photographs. All of his works inspire me, so I dedicated that project to him.
Do you have specific influences in your work?
Besides that of my grandfather and his eye for composition, I think I don’t draw on a specific person. I draw upon what is current, what is right now, what the creative world is looking like. There is never just one single thing, it is always a collection. I like having a wide range of situations inspire me.
How have you mastered the challenge of covid-19 until now?
When COVID really hit, it was hard for me, and I believe for any other creative person as well. Your clients cancel on you, you are not getting any income, and it’s difficult. I decided that 2020 is not a year for me to actively pursue jobs with clients but is more to work on myself. Out of the lockdown, I have decided to come up with the production of my first photobook. I was looking through my archives and I stumbled upon the images from a project about Richmond Park, and I thought “wow, these images just have something special about them”. I decided I had been waiting long enough to ever see my photos printed. Having your work in front of you in a physical format is something else. So in August, I reached out to a graphic design company based in Malaysia because I wanted this project to be true to my roots. We have been working very closely since then, and hopefully by January the book will be printed. It’s a pretty nice thing to come out of the lockdown for me.
Is there something you would like to tell people?
I would love for more people to get into the art of photography, it’s my message that I’m sending out. We are spoiled by phones nowadays. If we look at any photographer’s comment section on Instagram, we can see comments like “I could have taken this shot on an IPhone”. Yes, you probably could have, but you are missing the art of doing it. It sounds complicated, “the art of photography”, but it is a very enjoyable experience and the results can sometimes stun you. I would just like people to go out, take photos, sign up to classes, do whatever you can to get invested in photography. It’s a dying art, so I hope more people answer that call.
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