Meet the Team: Adam Ramjean
“We make our own luck on the streets.”
Meet Adam Ramjeam, a team member of the Urban Photographers Club and a London-based street photographer. A recent winner of the Ricoh GR Photo Festival 2024, Adam’s work captures moments with bold composition and a sharp documentary style. His photography is rooted in storytelling and he is currently working on his own zine about the Notting Hill Carnival, a subject close to his heart. As part of our series of interviews to get to know the Urban Photographers Club team better, Adam answered some questions about his photography, process and inspiration.
© Adam Ramjean
VS: How did you get into street photography?
AR: I have been doing street photography for some time before realising it was a thing. I don’t have an artistic background or friends in the arts, so my knowledge of photographic genres was extremely limited. I’ve always been the one with a camera for friends and family but in the the 2000s, using the early iPhones (with Hipstamatic and later Instagram), I started taking what could be broadly considered as street photography. I was dipping in and out of it until 2019, when I went full metal jacket.
VS: How would you describe your style of street photography?
AR: I shoot mainly candidly on the streets, focusing on decisive moments. My real aim, although hard and rare to achieve, is to get a layered/tableau style shots.
Shot from Notting Hill Carnival © Adam Ramjean
VS: Do you have a favourite photo you’ve taken? What’s the story behind it?
AR: I assume you mean excluding photos of my shiny-new first born, ha! Well, street-wise, I would say it changes. The photos I like the most I end up seeing the most, and then get sick of the sight of them. Right now my favourite is a shot from Notting Hill Carnival, not the shot that won the Ricoh competition, but one where I was able to get the layered shot I was aiming for.
There isn’t much of an interesting story behind it really. I attend both days of Notting Hill Carnival, and last year (2024) I was showing Brazilian friend and photographer Gilli around when I came across an interesting background on a busy side street. I waited for the right person to walk into frame to make an interesting foreground… and the perfect girl, with the perfect expression, did just that. We make our own luck on the streets!
VS: What’s your favourite gear or lens to shoot with?
AR: It depends on the situation really! I have too many cameras, but roughly speaking:
If it’s not raining, I’m not drinking and cameras are allowed: Leica M11P.
If the weather is bad: Fuji XT3 + 23/2
Otherwise: Fuji X100F/Ricoh GR3
I usually have my Ricoh in my pocket all the time so it gets a lot of use!
© Adam Ramjean
VS: Who or what inspires your photography?
AR: I think I am motivated to get out and shoot as I love being in the mix with the public and the energy you get from that. I hate the term creative because we all are (and don’t let anyone ever say you aren’t), but how we choose to create can vary, and for me photography sates my creativity desire.
On the photographers front, there are a lot! The ones I have probably studied the most are Robert Frank, Joel Meyerowitz, Alex Webb, Matt Stuart and Lars Tunbjörk.
There are some great more recent photographers out there too, like Jeremy Paige, Josh Edgoose and Jon Laytner. Hmm, maybe that's the secret? Have a name beginning with J. Maybe that's my next evolution... "Jadam".
VS: If your street photography had a soundtrack, what songs would be playing?
AR: I don’t usually listen to music while shooting, but I’d say if you could have a soundtrack to a slideshow of my shots, it would be either Louis Dunford or some House/Reggae.
© Adam Ramjean
VS: What’s your favourite city or location to shoot in, and why?
AR: London. Always best to shoot where you know / where you can return to regularly.
VS: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting in street photography?
AR: Other than joining UPC, I would say to read lots of photobooks! You can only really learn the technical side on YouTube and the technical stuff is the easiest.
© Adam Ramjean
VS: If you could spend a day shooting with any photographer (past or present), who would it be and why?
AR: Tough question! I guess for me, it would be to shoot with the man that when seen shoot by a certain Joel Meyerowitz, made him give up his office job and become a photographer: Robert Frank.
