Featured Artist: Karen Bentham

Artist: Karen Bentham

Location: Blackpool, Lancashire.

Shoot Film UK would like to introduce Karen Bentham, Artist, Film Photographer, Musician & Film Maker based in Blackpool.

"My current work combines

contemporary portraits

with a vintage cinematic feel."

"I grew up in a working musical family (I'm a tenor sax player) studied fine art and ended up becoming an independent music video producer - eventually being contracted to Getty Images producing stock photographs for their international catalogues, whilst continuing to study art-based photography - which culminated in me being awarded a fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society. My current work combines contemporary portraits with a vintage cinematic feel - people react differently when a film camera is pointed at them, so the results are always intimate.

I tend to shoot 35mm film, unless I'm using one of my homemade cardboard box cameras, which I line with photographic paper to create paper negatives - an ancient process that yields unusual, dream-like and mysterious images. I don't tend to labour over the technical side of photography. I understand what my camera will do for me, and there it ends. Film to the bone, and nothing digital."

"Everything Changes, always."

"A single tear and all the souls of all the worlds angels"

"Who knows what she is seeing, what pilgrimage she's making..."

"A more profound truth."

"Not a conscious choice. Bring my spear"

"There is never a place, or if there is, no time."

"This fierce shadow, it's your own."

"Leap after leap in the dark."

Keep up to date with Karen's work and be sure to follow her on Instagram @caran_caravan

Thank you.

If you'd like to share your work in the Artist Features space, see the submission guidelines at the bottom of the Artist Features Page or contact ShootFilmUK by using the form at the bottom of the homepage.