Aged 18, filmmaker and photographer Joel Thorpe (@Joelthorpe) has amassed quite the following on social media. With his clean and calm take on cityscapes, inventive portraits and beaches, we caught up with the local creative and discover his take through images on a place we both call home, Brighton...

 

1. Let’s go right back to the start, when did your interest with photography begin?

I picked up my first camera when I was around 15/16 and starting shooting all kinds of stuff. The more photos I took, the more enthusiastic I became about photography and so I started taking the whole craft more seriously.

 

2. What’s been your favourite places to shoot?

 

When I'm at home, I mostly shoot at the beach; it clears my mind and inspires most my work. But my favourite place to be and shoot, too, is in the alps, surrounded by snow and incredible views from up high in the mountains. 
 

3. What currently inspires you? Is there anybody you look up to?

 

In terms of photography, I draw inspiration from everywhere really, whether it be my surroundings or the places I've never been. Music plays a big part in inspiring my photography, too. I look up to various visual content creators including Abe Kislevitz, Jay Alvarrez, Ben Brown, Tim Kellner, Dylan Furst and Bryant Eslava.
 

4. We’ve seen your photography used as a launchpad for other ventures such as Domore.co. How did that all come about?

 

Yeah, Do More Co. was an idea envisioned by my mates and I a few years ago. The brand reflects our passions, those being: travel, design, filmmaking and photography. Despite it being a clothing brand on the surface, it's in keeping with the kind of content my following support/share an interest in on Instagram, which is cool. I'm really excited for what lies ahead with the brand; we've got some big plans and upcoming endeavours to work towards.
 

5. What’s next?

As soon as college is finished, I'll finally have the time to chase what I wanna do: travel all over, continue to document my experiences through film and photography, challenge myself creatively, build and grow Do More Co. and work with and meet new people. I've been offered uni places for 2017 entry, but who knows what path I'll end up on by the end of 2016; I don't know if uni's the right choice. I'm just striving for something I can look forward to when I wake up each day.