R. Cleveland Aaron OM magazine

INTERVIEW
OM | ISSUE 001 | JAN-MAR 2021

What’s in Cleveland’s kit bag

PEN-F

OM-D E-M1
Mark III

M.Zuiko
12mm F2.0

M.Zuiko
17mm F1.8

M.Zuiko
17mm F1.2 PRO

M.Zuiko
25mm F1.2 PRO
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M.Zuiko
7-14mm F2.8 PRO
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got to be a little curious about the
grand design and, like many artists,
curiosity is a good place to start.
I am still a photographer, so
imagery forms the basis of the
inspiration behind the music I create.
I script using storyboards to help
with the musical arrangements.
Being a recording artist on an
independent record label does have
its perks, as I’m also an in-house
photographer and some of my more
conceptual imagery is being used as
cover art for the other artists. As one
door closes, another opens.
How important to you is it to
get outside and capture the
environment around you?
It’s essential! During lockdown’s
permitted hour of daily exercise,
my son, Lorenzo, and I spent odd
days cycling around the city of
London, capturing the very changed
landscape. I’m not sure if in years
to come we’ll be saying, ‘wow,
remember when we had to wear
face masks’, or ‘you see that... this
is where it all started’. I also think
it’s important to document all facets
of life, not only in our environment
but also around the globe. I
watched David Attenborough’s
A Life On Our Planet and ended
up quite depressed. I have great
respect and admiration for wildlife
photographers, who brave the
elements with unwavering patience,
so we never forget the beauty and
diversity of life.

What is the first thing you would
like to photograph or a place you’d
like to visit when moving around
gets easier?
I’d like to finish a project I started a
couple of years ago photographing
the works of architects Zaha Hadid,
unfortunately now deceased, and
Renzo Piano. They have quite
contrasting philosophies to their
creations but I’m an admirer. When
I was a teenager, I wanted to be
an architect.
Don’t get into photography
if you want to make a living
taking pictures, but do if
you feel like you have no
other choice but to express
yourself in images
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Azerbaijan, and almost anything by
Bjarke Ingles.
What advice would you give to
someone starting out in your field?
Don’t get into photography if you
want to make a living taking pictures,
but do if you feel like you have no
other choice but to express yourself
in images, as you’re more likely
to make a living doing something
What would be on your ultimate
wish list to photograph over
the next five years if you had
the chance?
Renzo Piano’s creation for the Pathé
Foundation (from the air), Zaha
Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Center in
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you love doing. The industry has
changed so much since I started,
and continues to do so as new
technologies push the boundaries
of what’s possible. A vast majority
of photographers have added
video and 3D photography to their
service, others graphic design. I
couldn’t really see myself using video
commercially, it seems too much like
hard work.
(6) PEN E-P3 | M.Zuiko 17mm F2.8
1/1250s | F2.8 | ISO 320
(7) OM-D E-M5 Mark II | M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8
1/60s | F5.6 | ISO 200
(8) PEN-F | M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8.
1/1000s | F5.6 | ISO 80
(9) OM-D E-M5 Mark II | M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8
1/800s | F5.6 | ISO 320
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