Photographer Theo McInnes on timing, trust and originality

In partnership with MPB — In the first instalment of our Photographers In Conversation series, created in collaboration with MPB, the London-based shooter dives into his storytelling process.

Theo McInnes was 10 years old when he received his first camera. The device in question was a gift from his dad, given to him ahead of a trip to South Korea to visit a school friend’s family. “It had a 3.2 megapixel sensor – which was serious at the time,” he remembers. 

While the subsequent images turned out “pretty terrible”, it kick-started a fascination with photography. He studied it at A-Level (at the expense of economics, to his tutor’s frustration) and quickly fell in love with it. But when it came to choosing a degree, the idea of making a career out of taking pictures seemed far-fetched. Instead, he opted for geography, and regretted it almost immediately. “I spent the whole time at uni kicking myself,” he says. “‘Why didn’t I do a photography degree?’ So as soon as I finished it, I went and did one.” 

After securing his MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, he began pitching ideas to editors, as well as working on personal projects. Things quickly snowballed. “I’d read about the classic photojournalists and loved that way of viewing the world, being out and about, covering a situation and creating a story around your images.” 

Today, that approach has seen him work on all manner of stories, documenting disparate communities around the world. For McInnes, any form of self-expression is interesting: he has photographed ‘Bike Life’ kids in London, hip-hop upstarts in Greece, and a football tournament, hosted by the Republic of Artsakh, that offers the displaced, isolated and stateless an opportunity to win a World Cup.

Right now, he’s shooting on a Canon 5D Mark IV (digital) and a Hasselblad 500 c/m (film) to capture these kinds of stories. In the first instalment of Photographers In Conversation, created in partnership with MPB – the world’s largest platform to buy and sell used photography kit – he reflects on his journey up to now.  

What are the universal things you look for in a good picture?

I am fascinated by – and I know this sounds simple, but it’s true – people expressing themselves. There is so much to every single person and that’s what interests me: human stories. 

I’ve shot Greek rappers, Bike Life kids, pigeon fanciers – these people are all fascinating in their own right. You might not be interested in wheelieing bikes, or hip hop, or racing pigeons, but I’m interested in anything that people are passionate about. 

Take those kids on those bikes, they live and breathe their bikes. It’s amazing to watch that. That’s what I love and that’s what brings it all together – the desire to learn about people; to learn about the different ways we all exist and flourish. 

How significant is luck when it comes to photography?

It’s a balance. There is luck. I find, a lot of the time, I’m really unlucky! With street photography for instance, which comes into my work a lot, you need a bit of luck.

There might be a beautiful ray of light coming in, and you’ll hope for some big geezer covered in tattoos and smoking a cigarette to come out and stand in it. You’ll be standing there for 20 minutes, waiting, waiting, waiting, and as you leave the geezer comes out. But sometimes you’ll get that beautiful backlit scene and birds will fly past, a kid will blow some bubblegum. It can come together. 

I think luck is one thing, but it’s also being able to find those lucky moments. Luck is important, luck is a factor – but you make your own rules. It all comes with practice. You learn to see little things. 

What’s the key to developing your own voice? 

Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. The more you shoot, the more you develop your own style, your own aesthetic, your own eye. I see things differently now than how I saw them five years ago. 

I see my work sometimes and think, ‘It is too generic, do I look like every other photographer?’ Then I’ll speak to someone and they’ll say, ‘I see a photo and I know you’ve taken it.’ There are so many brilliant photographers out there who are going to be taking incredible photos. So you have to think, if you’re not necessarily going to be better than them, how are you going to be different? How you do it, and how you as an individual photographer stand out, is really important. 

I guess there’s no right or wrong way of photographing. Some people might have ideas of what photography should be. But just because you’re doing it differently, that doesn’t make it wrong. With painting, you have surrealists, expressionists – they’re doing their thing, and that’s how it comes out for them. I think it’s the same with photography. It might be more subtle, but it’s there.  

What kinds of challenges do you tend to face in your work?

I am always coming in as an outsider. I am going in and some people might see me as taking advantage of them for my own gain. I’ll say, ‘I want to come and take photos of you.’ They’ll reply, ‘Well, why do you want to do that?’ It’s hard, it can be a bit grey sometimes. 

Nan Goldin, as an example, her photographs were amazing and honest and she photographed within her own community. What is my close community – a bunch of idiots down the pub?! So that’s tricky. You have to grapple with it.

When you’re shooting a documentary project, 90 per cent of the work is getting the access, then getting those people to trust you. To use the cliche, you want to be a fly on the wall, the unnoticed person, so that you can wander around and photograph these organic moments. That comes with trust; trust comes with time. 

Photographers In Conversation is a series produced in partnership with MPB, the world’s largest online platform for visual storytellers to buy, sell and trade in used photo and video kit. MPB makes kit more accessible and affordable, helping to visualise a more sustainable future. 

See more of Theo McInnes’s work on his official website

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.