DEAN: ‘Untold’ as a theme is both direct and diverse. How did that influence the works you have displayed?

STV: I love the idea of photos having stories behind them. I think it stems from my love of all things creative which includes writing. I developed ‘The Fridge Series’ with this idea in mind but  in putting this exhibition together and going through the millions of photos I’ve taken I discovered a lot of them actually had an element of this untold story to them and I began choosing photos based around that theme.

I also love viewers putting their own interpretation on things, I find it a bit more interactive. I love finding out peoples initial thoughts when they see one of my photos too because sometimes it’s something completely different from what I had in my head, which is a great thing.

DEAN: ‘The Fridge Series’ is a great contrast to your other works. How did you create those shots?

STV: Well, on the technical side I lit the scene and then literally stuck the camera in the fridge. There wasn’t any cutting out the back of fridges or fake doors or whatever. (Oh and a little tip for anyone who wants to try it – don’t leave your camera in the fridge while your model is getting their makeup done. Fog central)
The initial inspiration for this concept happened when I got out of bed for a little midnight snack opened the fridge and I noticed the beautiful soft light spilling out, illuminating the kitchen.

Then I considered the fridge as having different meanings like being the closet of the kitchen or representing someones mind or soul but also just as a window that opens just to get a glimpse of a scene in the middle of the night.
I enjoy having themes to work with, I feel that even if they’re not obvious to everyone they help to tie things together. I had an initial vision for the “Adam & Eve” photo and started coming up with more concepts based around biblical themes.
Incidentally there are theories that David & Jonathan had a gay relationship in the Bible so I wanted to play with that too.

DEAN: What was it like shooting people and places in New York?

STV: New York is such a diverse place. A friend of mine described New York best when she said that the city amplifies the mood you’re in. If you’re in love in New York you’re on top of the world and the bustling city seems to energize you, if you’re depressed then it can seem like such a lonely place full of people who are just in it for themselves.
So, whilst being such a geographically enormous place and having so much visual variety it is also extremely emotionally dynamic, which I think is why it tends to be a street photographer’s dream location. When I’m there, and my camera is basically attached to my face anyway, how can I resist taking photos.

DEAN: There are some personal “Not for Sale” artworks in the exhibition – was it a challenge to put this up for public display?

STV: Yeah it definitely was! I’ve been explaining to friends how putting this exhibition up has given me a similar feeling to pre-performance jitters… but elongated over 4 weeks! Particularly with the two portraits titled “Important Men”. For anyone else these are probably just two black and white portraits, but for me they represent an abundance of emotions, love, heart-break, fun, loss, friendship, support, distance… i could go on for hours. So it’s a bit of a heart-on-sleeve kind of feeling for me but I guess I feel that these two amazing people in my life deserve to be immortalised through an exhibition like this as men that I’m proud to be connected to and not something I’m hiding.

it’s a bit of a heart-on-sleeve kind of feeling

DEAN: What’s Next for Steve Edwards?

STV: Well, The Laird Hotel have asked me to put on another exhibition in April based around my Big Drift series which everyone has been really responding to so that should be great fun! I’ve also got tons of people asking when the next photo workshop is so I’ve got some of those in the works. And of course there are new videos coming out for Asian Envy soon as well as a whole new album in the works.