Alexander McLuckie

Alexander McLuckie is the incendiary shooter from parts unknown. The path he walks is a strange and interesting one, filled with ghosts and goblins and high speed photography. Having started the Holy Ghost Zine with his friend Matt, his approach to photography is pure and simplistic enough; McLuckie enjoys the thrill of making images and that passion is sure to serve him well.

Dazed Digital: What attracts you to the medium of photography?
Alexander McLuckie: I love the accessibility of the medium, the ability to record and document, i'm not looking to say anything through my photographs. I just like making images.

DD: You said you're not looking to say anything with your pictures, but a lot of times they end up telling stories anyway, how do you pick the moment?
Alexander McLuckie: Most of my images are fairly orchestrated, having said that I used to shoot a lot of street stuff off the cuff but ended up wasting all my money on poorly exposed negatives. I never really think 'now' when I'm shooting I just click the shutter.

DD: Any other photographers you admire?
Alexander McLuckie: Yes. Garry Winogrand, Martin Parr, Ryan McGinley's series Moonmilk is amazing.

DD: Any dream subjects you'd love to photograph?
Alexander McLuckie: The right place at the right time.

DD: How did you start Holy Ghost and who's in it?
Alexander McLuckie: An internet connection and a google account. No seriously, we never considered it would take on the form it has today when we first created it. It's just me and Matt. We get help from some close friends for our events.

DD: What are some of the things you've learned about the digital/internet age of photography?
Alexander McLuckie: Firstly that there is an abundance of talent out there. There's also a lot of shit; I hate Flickr.

DD: Why do you hate Flickr?
Alexander McLuckie: It seems to encourage people to upload anything and everything, a lot of time without consideration or any editing. We all have lots of frames we'll never use, let's keep it like that.

DD: Do you feel like the internet and computers in general have made people more distant from each other even though they're more connected then before? How do you think this will evolve in the future?
Alexander McLuckie: I'm not going to enter into some philosophical debate about the nature of human interaction. At the end of the day words are symbols; does it matter if they're spoken or typed? Obviously the internet's going to fuck up some peoples ability to communicate with others if they spend their whole life in front of a computer.

DD: What are some of your goals as an photographer? What are you trying to accomplish?
Alexander McLuckie: To be honest I'm just enjoying taking photographs, I've got a few projects on the go at the moment but I'm working at the Tate on weekends and at a broadcast house in Soho during the week so it's finding the time that's problematic. Having said that, I'm a lot happier about my practice now I'm not at Camberwell College anymore, I didn't like the way they wanted me to do things there.

DD: How often do you shoot? 
Alexander McLuckie: Several times a week. I used to carry a camera everywhere I went but my practice has taken a back seat recently, we've had some exciting developments with Other Space that's keeping me busy at the moment including solo shows for Ben Rayner and Blue Curry early next year.

DD: What camera do you use?
Alexander McLuckie: Leica CL and Yashica T4 are the everyday cameras. Occasionally I'll use my Zenza 645. I had been getting into making my own pinhole stuff but without a darkroom it's proving an impossibility. 

DD: What is the current thread that runs through your images?
Alexander McLuckie: Intimacy. 

DD: What's next for you?
Alexander McLuckie: A good friend of ours, Max Knight (photographer extraordinaire) is making a film about Holy Ghost, we're also running another event in collaboration with 14-19 at The C.A.M.P in Old Street sometime in the new year. We're also in the process of designing our new zine which will be available before Christmas.

DD: What words of advice do you have for aspiring image makers?
Alexander McLuckie: Think!