Adam Lang : North East photographer

In our latest blog featuring North East artists and photographers DAVID SIMPSON talks to 44-year-old Gateshead-based photographer Adam Lang of Lang Shot Photography.

Boat By The Bridge by Lang Shot Photography

How would you describe your work?

Somewhere between city scapes and street photography, its constantly changing as I explore different types of photography.

Tell us how you first started out as an artist?

I bought a decent camera (Sony A5000) to take on a trip to Prague a few years ago. I took typical holiday snap shots with it and that’s as far as it went. Around 6 months later I started shooting pictures of the bridges around the Quayside.

When I figured out how to take long exposures I was hooked and spent many a morning wandering the streets of Newcastle when anybody with any sense was still in bed. I posted the results on my Facebook profile and got lots of praise from friends and family so I started a Facebook page to show my work, the reception was great and it just seemed to grow in no time at all.

Grey Street @ Dawn by Lang Shot Photography

What work are you most proud of?

That’s a difficult one. I’m normally proud of work that produces a style or mood that I’ve never done before. I’m very proud of my High Bridge shot, it gave me confidence to be different and was instrumental in developing my style.

High Bridge by Lang Shot Photography — High Bridge, Newcastle by Lang Shot Photography

What inspires you?

Comic book art and the look of film noir. My surroundings and the people around me are always inspiration, there is always beauty or a mood to be captured if you look.

Adam Lang photographed by Darren William Hall

What influence if any does North East England have in inspiring your work?

Newcastle is such a photogenic city and is small enough to walk around. Living so close to Newcastle means there is always something for me to shoot. The people of the North East have been great in responding to my work, I’m not sure if it’s true of everywhere but the people from here love the area and seeing pictures of it in all its glory.

What has been your most challenging creation?

I’d say a shot of the Corn Exchange in Leeds. The place is huge and trying to capture the scale wasn’t easy. The end result is one of my favourite shots and went down great with the people of Leeds. I’ve used the same methods to create shots in Newcastle which captures the area in a way I haven’t seen too often.

Leeds Corn Exchange by Lang Shot Photography

Do you have any tips for up and coming photographers?

Take risks and don’t be afraid to fail. I was very close to not publishing a shot as I thought I’d maybe over processed it and would attract lots of criticism. I showed it to my father who said I should post it as it was interesting so post it I did.

The amount of likes it received was like nothing I’d seen before. A typical shot would attract a few hundred likes on Facebook, this one got two and a half thousand and was seen by around a hundred and fifty thousand people.

Which other artists or photographers inspire you?

There is a comic book artist/painter named Bill Sienkiewicz who I just love. The first time I saw his work was when I was around 13, it was a painted cover and the perspective and proportions didn’t seem to make sense but the mix of red and white in the painting was beautiful. I still love that cover and follow his work on Instagram religiously.

Swinging Bridge Sky by Lang Shot Photography

What are your ambitions for the future?

I’d love to make a living through my photography but not at the expense of my passion for it. I get so much enjoyment from shooting and processing my shots and I’d hate to lose that. I’ve had a few people asking me to teach them. This is something I’ll be looking at shortly. I’d eventually love a gallery or shop somewhere when the time is right.