Interview with Mair Thomas

 A photography  interview with Mair Lloyd Thomas by Jade Vickers

JV - Can you tell me how you started in photography?

MT - I've had a passion for photography from a very young age. On both sides of the family my dad's brother when I was a little girl always seemed to have a camera with him when he came up from London and my mum's brother the same . Only in the last few years I discovered that my uncle (mum's brother) used to run the camera club when he taught at Barnsley Grammar school back in the 1970's and I have no memory of him not taking photos when on holiday here in Wales or when we as a family been over to Norway. My first camera was for our first family holiday to visit my relatives in Oslo back in July/August 1979 I was only 8 years old and my parents bought me my first camera a Kodak 126 compact camera with a flash cube kit from WH Smiths in Llandudno. I remember the moment clearly. I have a childhood memory of meeting Rhuddlan photographer with my grandfather Philip Jones Griffiths , who was famous for his images of the Vietnam war. I have a vivid recollection of being a very young girl and a conversation with the two of them, I was just looking up in awe at this man, with a camera case on his shoulder and a white and black shirt and a combat style waist coat. It has only been ignited that memory when on my first lecture on the A-level who I was in the company of around 45 years ago, I remember my grandfather asking him when he was going to Vietnam again and I had a feeling I was in very important company but in world photography history I had no idea how important his work back then was. 

I spent 3 lovely days at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth in October 2018 which has all the contact sheets by Philip Jones Griffiths from the Vietnam war, and a glass cabinet of his camera and Magnum agency card can be viewed along side other important personal photographic items. 

I have since aged 8 with my first camera not been too far with a camera and got thousands of images taken since with all kinds of compact cameras from film to digital , but some images not come out on one film camera as not put the film in the right way around.

JV - Briefly explain a little about your practice. 

MT - My practice is documentary , I like to photograph the everyday events or just a random moment like a landscape or location if out and can use my mobile phone. For example when I was in Oslo for my FdA course work October 2019 I was returning to the centre of the city on the tram and walking down one of the side streets towards the main centre vein of the city to hear a lot of shouting, it turned out to be a protest by the Kurdish citizens of Oslo against the bombing by Syria that week, rather than using my digital camera and didnít want to feel I was intruding or appear like a press pack I used my mobile phone which allowed me to be subtle yet again setting the mobile camera to pro settings I was able to get great images without blurring , here a taste of those images. 

Images Oslo Karl Johansgata Saturday 12th October 2019 

I like to photograph what people just ignore like a simple landscape image and before you know it its gone like nature. With the current changes to college with the covid-19 I think its important to record these moments. Walking through the once busy buzzing canteen now empty an eeriness about the place I just had to take a photo with my mobile phone to record how things have change including the dead flower heads reflecting the mood, only 7 months ago the canteen would have been full and the flowers would have been in full bloom. We live in a world of wanting to be living tomorrow instead of concentrating on now. 

For when I'm out on assignments I use my Nikon D5300 using monochrome and colour and for my Oslo trip I used this camera along side my 35mm monochrome and colour cameras and had 6 pin hole cameras. I like to experiment as all the formats can give a different result and then can pick and choose which is best for a project. 

For as an example one of the images I took as trying my best to avoid and it was annoying a photo of the panorama of Oslo with my DLSR from the roof of the Oslo Opera house last year , but a seagull chick had better ideas, the more I was getting frustrated the more people were laughing and eventually had to give in and take the image, which turned out to be one of my favourite of the whole 2 weeks. 

Even though taken in colour, when converting to jpeg I saved as a monochrome which adds to the image and the skyline. 

JV - Can you summaries in a nutshell your current project. 

MT - Yes, my current project is to photograph Llandudno today comparing the same locations from Victorian Llandudno. With the town developed so much in the last 200 years and the town changing right under our eyes buildings with history to the town are being taken down and not preserved and a newer modern construction replacing and no sympathy to the original expectations of Mostyn Estate whilst they allow these modern buildings being constructed . Iím looking at the images of Francis Frith taken during this time and beyond.  As an extra twist I want to take images from high vantage points inspired by the work of John Davies from Liverpool whoís work I studied for my photography A-level my first course on this journey I started back in September 2015 followed by the FdA 2017/20

JV - What is your favourite piece of kit?

MT - I could be sarcastic and say my feet, as I donít have a car all my work has to be done by foot I have to plan ahead my locations and weather patterns or conditions. Some locations will include a lot of walking especially in the next few weeks/months attempting walking the steep hills of the Great Orme to get panoramic images of the town . But on a camera footing my favourite piece of equipment is my Nikon DLSR as takes instant images and able to use colour and monochrome, but as old school I love the Chinon camera my brother has given me so can take 35mm images and gives me the opportunity to go in the dark room in college.

JV - Where do you see yourself after the BA?

MT - That is a tricky question, my big plan was to open my own photo gallery in Llandudno including a dark room and teaching facilities for school children or any social groups who would like a lecture on photography and using pin hole cameras. I live in a 2 bedroom flat and would love a dark room , but clearly not the space to create one. I can imagine Iím not the only one who wants to process their own film rather than paying for someone else to do it and have more control. The shop to have my own images and merchandise on sale, I would allow Llandrillo college students to join me for work placements experience and it is one area which would enhance their experience working with the public and their photography work. But due to covid-19 I could become a self published photographer working on my own projects the only issue if using a 35mm film lacking facilities to process the films, so my plan A with a potential of a plan B which is also workable. 

Thanks for these questions Jade Vickers glad I could help in your questioning.