Dissecting Imagery With Charlie Chich

London-based photographer Charlie Chich’s work is characterised by the personalities that are brought to life in his portraiture. Creating a relationship with his subjects through music, conversation and humour, the raw energy and emotion of the most intimate moments are captured digitally. Buttery-skin tones, vibrant action-shots and a knack for knowing when to click, Chich is making waves as a young artist.

How did you get into photography?

Charlie: Photography was something I fell into accidentally. I used to live in Brighton where I studied and played in a band. Just as we began to get noticed, I realised I had something called Lymes disease. It made me pretty ill which meant I had to stop playing. Picking up a camera and snapping landscape shots was the first form of escapism I’d had since being sick and I haven’t put the camera down since. It’s been great to be able to satisfy my creative ambition in a new way.

What inspired you to pick up a camera?

Charlie: A very old friend called Daniel Dugmore who shoots incredible wildlife photography out in Africa really inspired me to pick up a camera. Stories of his adventures gave me a thirst to get out into nature and experiment. Particularly a photo he took of a lion he’d been tracking, which he actually realised was hunting him. It’s an image I cannot forget….the things a camera can capture became an obsession.

What influences your work?

Charlie: Life, art, music and fashion…..my inspirations are very sporadic depending on my mood. A huge one is the energy and vibe created with the subject during a shoot. Another huge inspiration was the late great Peter Beard who sadly passed away recently, his work and creativity blows my mind. Instagram is a massive source of influence. Early on shooters like Mark Del Mars, Zach Allia, Kate Bellm, & Jeremy Paige filled my head with ideas. Their tones, compositions and storytelling really resonated with me. The last one I have to mention is Haris Nukem. The creativity and depth of detail in his work is incredible and having spent some time with him he is an inspiring human being. A real artist!

What is your personal creative process like? Are you a lock-yourself-away type of guy?

Charlie: I can get quite obsessive, borderline antisocial at times! I’ll really dig into ideas with the model or artist; to try to create something original and capture a moment. I like my shoots to be as energy appropriate as possible depending on the concept and always take a minute to focus on the final goal, try to not overthink things, you’ve got to work in the moment. Editing, sorting and conceptualising is normally accompanied by loud music, coffee, walks and late night thoughts.

Could you tell us about the work you do with Digital Picnic?

Charlie: Before I started working with Digital Picnic I was existing in the model and small brand spaces. Having done a short stint in Cape Town it was Shamus who inspired and enabled me to shift my focus back into the music world, where my passion really lies. Having him on board as creative management altered my course so positively. Now it’s all about connecting with artists and creating meaningful content for their projects. I love the variation of work in the music world, from artwork to press shoots, live shows to editorials, it’s never boring! For me there’s nothing more satisfying than working with musicians you listen to yourself and contributing to their careers.

What’s your most memorable moment with a camera in your hand?

Charlie: That’s a tough one….it’s either shooting Lianne La Havas’ portrait, as her music is very special to me or sneaking into a party at the Grand Africa Cafe in Cape Town (camera in hand) where I hung out and shot with some amazing South African artists like Moozlie and Moonchild Sanelly. I ended up shooting all night, including a 2am shoot with Dash, better known as Zulu Mkhathini. I then found myself at a party on a yacht out in the middle of the Atlantic shooting DJ Lag during his set. He’s gone on to work with Beyonce which is amazing for their scene. It was a blur, but a week I’ll never forget!

Tell us a bit about the selection of photos featured...

The photo of Jess was taken in my early days at a Divergent workshop I went to meet and work with other shooters. (Having a friend group of like-minded creatives is very important to me). This is a prime example of what I mentioned earlier, working in the moment, being silly and taking advantage of the vibe in the room. I loved directing Jess for this shot and really bounced off her energy. I remember catching a glimpse of her lip tattoo and the rest revolved around that. This was also the first time I met Haris and he became the inspiration that he now is to me.

The portrait of Rema was taken when I was shooting him and Thutmose for Notion on the set of their video shoot. They have a killer tune called “Love in The Morning” together. I had a very short window to snap him, without much chance to connect beforehand. Thankfully, Rema was super chilled and his energy and charisma meant he was great to work with. I think I only took ten photos of him, so very pleased they came out the way they did.

The shot of Jelani was for his single Swerve. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know him well recently and I shoot with him regularly so it doesn’t really feel like work! We’d discussed a rough concept around his lyrics and tried a few different things that day. One of which was based around a chicken shop. We were actually just chilling at the location and the idea of him throwing a burger over his shoulder popped into my head. We ordered another chicken whopper and rolled onto the street to try it out. It just clicked and I knew I got the shot I had in my head. “Eat, work and then I swerve” – Maybe I should send the chicken shop a print…..?

I’d wanted to shoot with Pia for a while so it was really dope to collaborate. We didn’t have much of a concept to be honest, we just dug each other’s work so I wanted to capture her as her. Shooting in my studio with great music and her experience in front of the camera meant the shoot really flowed. Pia is a G!

I took the picture of Master Peace when he performed at Annie Mac Presents and I’ve been a fan of his ever since. He came on stage with such mad energy, I got completely wrapped up in his set and felt like I was shooting a special moment. I knew the shot I wanted so positioned myself and waited for the jump, thank god I had my wide angle! Lava la Rue headlined that night too, it was a crazy shooting experience. Pure energy!

The portrait of Saffiyah was when I did some work for Elite Model Management. The best shoots are when it doesn’t feel like work and this was one of those. By the way, shout out to Melissa Gardner. Saffiyah, Melissa and I rinsed cigarettes, to loud tunes and flowing conversations, it was super chilled from the get-go. I’ve always had a love for more abstract work, it can create such a range of emotions and story. This shot really embodies my love for black and white and the motion blur is something I try and showcase regularly in my work. I think Saffiyah brings that young Angelina Jolie sophistication, such a dream to work with. As a side note my inspiration for motion blur and black & white photography comes from Peter Beards incredible shot of a charging lion – how he pulled that off with a film camera, I will never know!