Member Spotlight: Aaron Kelly

In your 2024 Q&A, you mentioned that your 20-year career in design informs your layout and color theory. When you’re walking the streets of NYC, do you find yourself 'designing' a frame before the human element enters it, or does the person usually dictate the composition for you?

Unfortunately, yes, and I find it distracting. I’ll think of an angle or subject that I want to capture, framed a particular way. Then I’ll head out for a walk, and find myself chasing the concept more than being present with what’s around me. When I reflect on photos of mine that I’m happy with, they’re never pre-planned.

Given your expertise in color theory, is there a particular film stock you find yourself returning to because of how it renders specific tones. If so, which film stock is it?

Yes, and it’s black and white! I love Ilford HP5 for my film cameras. Lately, that has been my struggle — I’m pushing myself to capture color using digital. There are too many options and I haven’t found my groove yet. When I shoot with color film, I really like the results of Portra 400 and Fujifilm.

Photography can often be a solitary pursuit, especially street photography. How has being part of the Camera of the Month Club and engaging in our monthly critiques changed your perspective on your own work or the way you approach photography?

It definitely makes me think about it more — seeing how much thought people put into the work they share at our critiques. Even lighthearted vacation photos are given their place to shine, and assembled in an intentional way. Being able to hold, and appreciate (or not) another person’s photos is incredibly powerful, in a way that viewing on your phone can never replicate. In the future, people are going to regret that they didn’t print more photos!

Is there a project you've been working on over a long period that shows how your eye has changed? Please share 3–5 images from that series and let us know how the project has grown since you first started it.

I wouldn’t call it a project, more like a tradition, to capture the Wonder Wheel every time I visit Coney Island. It’s such a fun place to visit and take photos, and I find it amusing to capture the same spots summer after summer. The locations that I capture continue to add up, and I’m starting to search for more interesting angles. These images were taken from 2021–2025.