"One on One" With Axel Karlsson-Lacy

Go on – *drum roll* - Introduce yourself:

Hi there… I’m Axel, I’m 11 and I love capturing and sharing images. I think it’s in my blood. My granddad was deep into photography back in the day and my dad’s a passionate amateur photographer and videographer. I’ve grown up with cameras and images around the house and my dad was always ok with me handling and using his beautiful cameras - so I learnt a lot quite early by experimenting. My mum’s Swedish and my dad’s from Melbourne - and we travel a LOT, which has given me so much inspiration and opportunity to capture images around the world and meet loads of interesting people.

What defines your photography style?

Right now I’m loving low light photography - especially when it’s raining. There’s something about light reflecting and bokeh that I just LOVE, and I’m always at dad to take me out at night shooting. That is SOOOOO fun.

How did you become interested in photography?

When I was about six years old I would take pictures on my dad's camera and then have just loved it since then. I stumbled across a memory card the other day from what might have been my first shoot around the house - it was so funny to see :) I’ve always loved watching slide shows of our trips and the feeling I get from revisiting memories through images - that really fed my interest.

What inspires you?

So many people on social inspire me. Having access to so many people on YouTube and Instagram really feeds my interest and helps me learn and inspires me to try new things.

What type of photography do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy taking photos when it’s raining at night because you can get some really nice bokeh.

Who are your favourite photographers and/or artists as of right now?

My favourite photographers at the moment are @northborders and  @7th.era because they find such unique ways to take photos and they look like they have so much fun! Their passion is infectious!

What is your proudest moment as a photographer?

Has to be when I got my first spread in a magazine - the January edition of Myssfit magazine. That was such a buzz for me :)

What’s your favourite photo that you’ve ever taken?

There are two I absolutely love…

1. The first was one I took when I was 9 on a heavy snowy day in Hakuba, Japan. I was hanging around the train station there with my dad, just watching people, and I saw this guy looking at his phone taking a selfie. It was such an interesting moment to observe from a distance and the light and colour were special. I love it.
2. One is a photo of a super nice sunset in LA because it has some super nice colours - it takes me back to that moment - and it makes me feel relaxed.    

How important is editing to your works?

I find that editing is really important when the photo is a little dull so you can make the photo more vibrant or "up" the exposure.

What’s on your gear list?

• Sony A7 Mark 3
• Sony 28-70mm f3.5-5.6
• Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II
• Red Label Camera Bag RDB-SL300

Funniest photography memory:

It would have to be when I got to a shoot in LA and forgot my SD card. So we had to rush back to the hotel to get it before the sunset finished…

What is the best advice you have ever received?

I got told by my dad that you should not worry what other people think, and to do what I love. It does not matter about the likes on the posts.

Any big plans for the future?

I love the saying ‘the future is bright’. I made my own merch with that printed on a tee-shirt. Who knows what the future holds but I’m so optimistic about it. I love chasing my photography and videography passion - and that will def be a big part of my future. I love sharing what I’ve learnt - so maybe a photography vlog is on the cards?

I’ve been working on a podcast project too - I’ve done 3 interviews so far and I’ll be launching that before long, Just have to fit it all in with school!!

I’m soooo excited to keep moving forward in my collaboration with Teds and Sony to create some awesome content for the future.