Cleveland Aaron AKA One Man and His Pen - Shapes from the Street

About

Born and raised in East London Cleveland has had a love affair with photography for as long as he could remember. After sixth form he spent 11 years working in the city before finally breaking free to pursue a career in photography. Always looking forward and never looking back, he started shooting music portraits, fashion and urban street culture. It was during this period (1999) that his association with Olympus digital began. In more recent times his commissions have been in advertising due to the diverse and eclectic nature of his imagery and has worked with brands the likes of Bacardi, Nike, Adidas, LK Bennett, Oliver Goldsmith & French Connection to name but a few. Always evolving he has been making strides into all things architectural rekindling a childhood passion but, looking through his vast portfolio it’s clear that he has no allegiance to any particular genre, he just loves taking photos! Today he divides his time between being a photographer and educator. He has a teaching qualification (PTLLS) and runs a bespoke tutoring service, RightEye Dominant.

"I’ve always enjoyed personal projects. I think of them as a means to creative growth through self understanding.

The following are a collection of images that attempt to document light, shapes and space. The inspiration for the first instalment was architecture and the city and the aim was to shoot a series of architectural images of details on the streets. As people enter my frame I document their interaction with the city. I look at how the streets influence our movements and how the city’s numerous buildings and squares afford passage ways and meeting places for us. Then I make shapes and capture people in the composition to show scale and functionality.

I feel fortunate to be an Olympus Ambassador. I was asked to test the Olympus PEN f a few months before it’s launch and produce images to be used for marketing purposes. I fell in love with the camera instantly. Due to the size and retro design I think it’s less intimidating to those around me but, most importantly it allows me to shoot monochrome images with more control. That’s what sold it, as I don’t have the appetite for post.

I hope you’ll enjoy viewing the pages of this book. Visit www.f5point6.co.uk to see more of my work and visual blogs.

I’d like to say a special thank you to Olympus UK & Europe for all their support and cameras that have inspired me plus all the people who unwittingly featured on my various stages."