Joshua Elliot: August Photographer of the Month Interview

Interview by Olivia Goss/
Photos by Joshua Elliot

Joshua Elliot, 19, from Leeds, England, is our August Photographer of the Month winner. He competed against three other photographers for this title, and his photo received the most votes. Elliot previously won Photographer of the Week during the fourth week of August. We love his photography and his urban perspective. 

We interviewed Elliot to get to know him better as a photographer and to share his experiences and advice for all photographers to see.

The photos in this story are Elliot’s original images (© Joshua Elliot).

What is the story behind the photos you’ve submitted?

Elliot: [This series of photos] all stemmed from the urge and passion to go out shooting, try new things and linking up with new people!

Do you have a specific theme or topic that is the focus of your photography?

Elliot: Mainly I focus on night, urban and portrait photography as those are the subjects I’m most confident in. In terms of my “professional” photo shoots I love the nightlife, so bars, nightclubs, bands, etc.

What have you gained/experienced while working with these topics?

Elliot: Mainly just how to take photos better, how different techniques and lenses work for different shots, stuff like that. Oh, and how to deal with people who get angsty when you take a photo of them or near them, but that’s mainly in nightclubs!

Tell us something about yourself that most people wouldn’t notice about you.

Elliot: I’m a massive introvert but I love interacting with others! It’s a double-edged sword when you think about it. Like I work in nightclubs but it can take a while for me to get into the groove of things, or I could be doing street photography one day and be confident but be scared and anxious to do it another day.

What’s a piece of advice you would offer to other photographers to encourage their creativity?

Elliot: Three words. Just. Go. Shoot. Watching videos on Youtube only gets you so far. You need to go out, shoot a f***ton, get burned out, reflect on your work, realize what’s bad and good about your photos, get real constructive criticism. Photography can be a grind, but the grind is so worth it

We at Bokeh Focus appreciate Elliot‘s exploration of the urban night and his portraits of people. It is a pleasure to feature his work on our site. Joshua, congratulations again on your creative imagery. We hope to see your photography in an exhibit in the future!

View Elliot‘s full size gallery