Stanley John
We came across Stanley John on Instagram while scrolling through #mainetheway to find images to feature on our page. I continually found myself drawn to his photographs and quickly gave him a follow. His feed was filled with rich tones and beautiful compositions, capturing familiar scenes in a new way. We’re thrilled to have a photo essay of Stanley’s in our latest Issue 09: South. Please enjoy this Q&A with Stanley where we hear more about his process, inspiration, and non photography related things too!
Maine the Way — Introduce yourself!
Stanley John — My name is Stanley John, I am a Vincentian native (From St. Vincent and the Grenadines) photographer by night and I work in Software Sales here in Maine. I am 33 years old and have lived in Maine since 2011, when my wife and I moved here after we graduated from college in 2011.
We met in Maryland while we attended St. Mary's College in Southern Maryland and graduated just as the job market was on an aggressive low after the 2008 market crash. I got a job here in Maine, even though we were willing to really live anywhere, and that set our trajectory in the ideal direction.
The lifestyle here in Maine is ideal for someone like myself from a small island state, who loves being surrounded by peaks and shoreline. Maine, aside from the frigid winters, feels very similar to home for me, because of the connection to the coast, and the ability to hit the woods whenever you feel the need. I love the numerous spots to catch sunset from, and, more than anything else, the endless amount of fresh salty air available everywhere I go.
MTW — What has your journey with photography been like?
Stanley — A never ending series of lessons is truly the best way to describe it. I would say that really within the last three years I truly started practicing and honing the craft, but I have really been a photographer in a more subtle sense for much longer.
I got my first professional DSLR about four years ago and challenged myself to work on compositions at least once per day, even if it was in my living room. I had spent so much time before this looking at scenes, knowing they could be photographed exactly as I see them. But I did not have the skills to do so. I realized over the last 5 or so years, the importance of utilizing lines and shapes all around me, to capture the light no matter how dimly it may be illuminating a scene.
Once I started figuring these things out, it meant that everything could be photographed. Boats, buildings, rocks, trees, but I still haven't figured out wildlife (every animal moves too fast for me). I didn't realize just how fetching those scenes were before I actually committed the time to it. Cellphones and point and shoot cameras were great for getting my appetite going. In fact, within just 5 years, cellphone cameras of today may have accelerated my commitment to photography. That said, I was also happy to use these cameras that seemed to be beyond me.
Finding the tools I enjoyed using meant friction was entirely removed, now I needed to find the places I wanted to capture, get my boots dirty, slap away the biting bugs, climb every mountain, fjord every stream, and blow out the highlights of a crazy mountain vista because I did not concentrate enough on how bright the sky was and I wanted every leaf's texture in focus. Or under expose a road in the distance, that in post I realized, that was the thing I wanted to capture.
I thought every photo had to be perfect when I took it in the camera. To this day, every single photo has a little something in it that I had to compromise on, and you know what, I absolutely love that. I learned to embrace grainy images, errant rocks, random cups rolling about the street, a bird caught mid stride flapping its wings. These used to be the things I fought hard to avoid, and now, I embrace them. What's important, nail the light, catch the scene. Where would I like to sit for hours and watch the time pass and this place change from? That's the composition I want to take.
MTW — Where do you find inspiration?
Stanley — Details of a place always catch my eye, and the advent of the cellphone camera makes it easier for me to share the specific elements of those details. But truly, what fills me up with joy when capturing places, is seeing it in different light.
Fall in Maine means new rich colors for capturing light. Hurricane season in St. Vincent means stormy conditions among the mountains and rich deep red sunsets. Those unique displays of natural color in light catch my eye, and all I want to do is show how I see it and find out how everyone around me is experiencing these unique glimmers.
Also, admittedly, I am massively inspired by the photographers I am a fan of. I enjoy the work of a lot of photographers. Many of them do landscape like myself (Jack Bjorn), some of them combine activities they enjoy doing with film photography like Stephen Wells' surfing shots. Then there are videographers who like rustic and gritty tones and textures like Sam Brilliant, all of whose work I am consistently blown away by. I see their work and it makes we want to get out and shoot; sometimes I see Jack's work and I want to sit on a rock and capture every wave that hits the shore. Or I see Stephen catch a surfer right on the edge of a wave with a sun star blaring through the scene and I need to get out in the height of the day catching people in motion. Or I see one of Sam's music videos and I need to walk around the Old Port or any other Urban Scene and leave no texture un-photographed.
MTW — Favorite time of the day to shoot?
Stanley - Like any photographer, I started off just taking photos at any time of day. I wondered how all these photographers caught these locations with long shadows? The first time I went out in late afternoon, it became clear. How obvious, you can't create shadows where they don't exist.
I then started timing when I would go out to snap photos on the street, but I then ran into a fresh problem. Late afternoon was crowded, folks going out to dinner, or it was the coolest time of day, and I was more concerned with capturing isolated scenes. So, I flipped the time of day, early mornings when the sleepy streets are just waking up mean I can stand in the middle of the road and catch a perfectly framed spot between buildings much more easily.
Waking up early also meant visiting mountain ranges, lonely trails and empty beaches where the tide is pulled out and no footprints in the sand. I would sit on the beach and wait for that ideal light. On a morning when it looks like the sun will never come through, a faint crack in the clouds could render a blood red sunrise.
To actually answer your question though, I discovered it but revisiting one of my favorite coastal scenes at sunrise over and over again, I knew the place well enough, and knew precisely where to sit to capture the shot I wanted. So, I sat there waiting for the oval sun to burst, but instead, that half an hour before the sun came up, and the sky lit in a soft magenta, pink and purple, I snapped away vigorously.
I ended up never actually taking the photo I showed up to capture, I keep trying to re-capture this light as often as possible.
MTW — Is there a moment/scene you’re most proud of capturing?
Stanley — There are two particular scenes that I always remember fondly. Neither of the photos I caught would I say are even near my best. One of them is from the summer of 2018, my wife and I were in SVG and we hiked La Soufriere volcano. It was my wife's first time climbing, and my first time in well over a decade. I had forgetting how grueling the hike can be, transitioning from forests to volcanic rocks and river beds. We got to the edge of the crater and I was shocked to see how much the dome plugging the volcano had grown, but what was still there that I remembered from over a decade ago was the crater covered in clouds even on a bright sunny day.
Secondly, is a shot I caught just over a year ago. My father-in-law and I decided to hit the mean streets of Portland for some rainy day photography. I was walking along Fore Street, and noticed while I was standing directly outside Bull Feeney's that the building on the corner of Exchange was making the most crisp and clear reflection in the water logged street. I leaned down and caught the snap, hand held, with all the grain and grit of a poorly planned and rushed shot as I tried to avoid getting hit by the slow moving traffic. I just enjoyed how playful the shot was, also the fact that I had imagined capturing something similar for years!
MTW — If you could travel anywhere for a month, no strings attached, where are you drawn to?
Stanley — Somewhere away from any landscape I am familiar with. I enjoy photographing abstract landscapes filled with interesting light more that anyting. The Faroe Islands, between Denmark and Iceland are top of my list for both relaxation and photography. Endless hikes, beautiful shoreline and the simple rustic lifestyle that exists in these islands combines both my origin and adopted home. Most importantly, and somewhat surprisingly, it looks like the Faroes maintain an even slower lifestyle than I have lived among. Everything about that feels just right to me!
MTW — What else to do you like to do in your spare time?
Stanley — Play soccer, I am a rabid Manchester United fan. Aside from my family and one very close childhood friend, this football club has been a consistent part of my life as long as I can remember. In addition, when I am not injured, I love to play. I like the fluidity of the sport, how it transitions quickly from defense to attack and most importantly the social aspect. No matter where I go in the world I always find someone else to chat with about this sport, and share similar stories of triumph and disappointment.
MTW — Advice for aspiring photographers?
Stanley — Don't let "bad photos" demotivate you. I am convinced I will never stop taking poor images. It is just a part of evolution and developing a style. More importantly, it helps to really soak in a location and enjoy it. I find the more "difficult" a subject is to photograph the more satisfying that image that feels right is. That comes from getting past that list of images that include angles, lighting, shadows and foregrounds that didn't seem ideal. - There is always something to photograph. No matter where you are, no matter what camera you use, no matter what you capture, it's always worth capturing. The photo is no where near as good as how you feel in the moment that compels you to photograph. When you hit the shutter, you immortalize that feeling. Whether or not that photo is gallery worthy, or gets 1000 likes on Social Media is irrelevant. Let that feeling guide you in crafting each photo, in deciding which images to keep. Avoid trends and don't be afraid to adapt the styles of other artists you like. Capture the subjects you enjoy, and do it often!
MTW — What are you looking forward to these days?
Stanley — Getting out on more adventures, exploring and re-discovering the places I have visited without my camera. A Manchester United title win again and most importantly, getting home and seeing my family!