Gage Arneaud is a 17-year-old freelance urban street/portraiture/event photographer from East London who is also a studio photographer at Masa Studios in Canning Town. His work has already been exhibited in London’s Saatchi Gallery as part of a competition about images of the lockdown. Here he describes how his passion for photographs has changed his life in the past two years, and his hopes for the future

My whole Journey and break into photography began through Masa Studios which is based In Canning Town.

Photography has always been my passion and a way for me to express my creativity. I hope to make it professional and start earning and have my own studio in the future and I feel like it gives me the chance to play around with various shapes and patterns when out on the street.

I believe photography has no limits and there is no right or wrong way to take an image, hence why I work with a lot of shapes and lighting on my work to make the viewer wonder, and to begin storytelling that sends them on an imaginative journey.

My images are often shot in monochrome/black and white architecture. Focusing particularly on the city of London helps me see the images from different perspectives and draws the viewer’s eyepoint, differentiating from the normality of the colourful images which we see in magazines and magazine covers. Although I still do shoot in colour to keep the perspective focused on the viewer’s eye.

Being a photographer you face many challenges along the way due to everyone’s tastes being different although I believe that photographers do need to allow a chance for the upcoming generations to shine and express their creativity rather than the standard rejection which they give for young people chasing their dreams.

Photography has given me the chance to meet new people from so many different walks of life although being a photographer allows me to express my creativity, there are a lot more challenges to face, such as rejection and the constant battles with money and restrictions. But if there is one thing I would say to the next upcoming generation of photographers my age, or beginners, is do not give up as it is only the beginning and we have this.

I am looking forward to what the future holds with my career and travelling adventures, meeting new people and networking along the way, leading eventually to a lifestyle I can enjoy. I would say to future creatives in Newham, or any upcoming aspiring business owners, it is hard but you will make it in the end if you have resilience and the drive.

If you’re interested in my content, feel free to check out my Instagram @Ph.otographer480 for more information about what I do, or to book me to cover your event or just a general shoot or just a general question.

My image from Saatchi Gallery was part of a competition made by Westminster which the exhibition was called: ‘Lockdown: Westminster’s taking a positive view’

In this one of my Canary Wharf images appeared with leading lines colourful shot which one of my favourite photos created and edited by myself I am very passionate and photography has made me make so many new connections and in the future, my plan is to make it as a freelance photographer or run my own social enterprise around photography.

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