For 19-year-old Dhillon Sohanpal, photography was always something he had been interested in. Whether it was using his phone to take photos or “just having an eye for stuff and being like ‘oh that would be a nice photo’”. But after seeing a close friend get into the act around late 2023, using 35mm film photography on the shoots for his clothing brand, he started soon after. Dhillon then decided to buy a camera in early 2024 and pursue a photography career.
As for his choice of camera, “I use Canon Sure-Shot Tele 35/75mm as one of my point & shoot and also an Olympus Mju II as another point & shoot camera.” He also likes likes using Lightroom to invert his photos once he receives his negatives. His favourite photo was one of his first, “I took in the Barbican in Central London, and it was in one of the first rolls when I got the camera.”
Dhillon has developed and adapted to certain types of cameras while using his equipment. “Film cameras are different to digital ones it takes a bit to get used to, you have to tweak each specific bit of the camera to make sure the photo comes out perfectly, even after taking the photo you cannot see what has been taken so it is down to pure intuition and making sure you have all the settings on the camera perfectly adjusted.” Even after all of that, his photos still might not be perfect, so it is all down to practice, as whenever he can buy a roll of film, he’ll make sure to dedicate a day to shooting and perfecting the framing, ISO, shutter speed, etc. Doing so to make sure they are all perfect. “So I would say yes, I have bettered my craft but not fully, and I still have plenty to learn.”
For his style, he likes “focusing on a person’s face or their whole body, clothing style, etc.” He wants to say that he tries to portray a story through the photos or some nonsense like that but that would be a complete lie. In the year since he bought a camera, his style has developed and improved as he has gotten used to analogue photography. “My photos are clearer and easier to depict the stuff that is going on.”
Dhillon believes that he has somewhat managed to make a name for himself, as he has “worked and been recognised by some significant people within the music scene, as that is also what I take photos of.” He has worked with people such as Samm Henshaw, a very talented artist who makes amazing music, “definitely recommend listening to him if you have the chance.” He worked with him to take some photos for his brand Fred’s, using 35mm film to shoot for a short Instagram reel. As for what he wants to achieve, “there is still so much more I want to do.” He would love to be at more concerts and take more photos of big artists, something he has tried to pursue but hasn’t been so successful so as I said before. As such, “I have been trying to perfect my craft to make sure managers/tour managers don’t have the chance to turn me down because I’m too good to turn down.