Mike Kitchen: From Starting Photography in 2022 to Photographer of the Year
Angela Adams talks to Mike Kitchen
Mike Kitchen’s photography journey is a reminder that you don’t necessarily need decades of experience to make an impact.
Mike started photography in 2022, initially turning to his camera as a creative distraction after losing his father. Just three years later, he had built a significant following on social media, developed his own distinctive style and achieved one of the biggest accolades in photography: being named The Societies of Photographers’ Overall Photographer of the Year.
He also won the Open Avant Garde category, making the awards evening a particularly memorable one.
We caught up with Mike to discover more about his photography, creative approach, business, competitions and plans for the future.
From a new photographer to Photographer of the Year
Mike’s photography journey began relatively recently.
“I’ve always had a creative side,” he explains. “When I lost my father a few years ago, I needed to find a new distraction.”
After seeing videos of London, Mike decided to start photographing the city and experimenting with creative editing.
That initial interest quickly developed into something much bigger.
He started photography in 2022 and gained more than 50,000 Instagram followers during his first year. By the end of 2023, that figure had reached 100,000.
His success continued when he won The Societies of Photographers’ Overall Photographer of the Year title, alongside the Open Avant Garde category.
For someone who had only started photography a few years earlier, it was a remarkable achievement.
Finding a creative style
Mike’s work covers several areas, but landscapes and street photography are at the heart of his photography.
With landscapes, he creates eye-catching images with a fine-art feel. Street photography gives him a very different creative challenge, providing almost endless opportunities to find interesting subjects and moments.
His portfolio reflects a willingness to experiment.
“I’m not afraid to explore different techniques, both in camera and post-edit,” says Mike.
That willingness to experiment is also evident in his competition work, where he enters his everyday photography rather than creating images specifically for competitions.
Photographing London
London has played an important role in Mike’s development as a photographer.
His early interest in photographing the city helped set him on his current path, while street photography continues to be an important part of his work.
For Mike, the appeal of street photography lies partly in its unpredictability.
Every walk through a city can produce something different, whether that’s an unusual interaction, an interesting composition, changing light or simply a moment that catches the eye.
He cites street photographer Billy Dinh as an inspiration for this side of his work.
The importance of editing
Creative post-processing is an important part of Mike’s photographic style.
Rather than simply recording what is in front of the camera, he enjoys using editing to develop an image into the picture he had imagined.
That combination of photography and post-production gives him considerable freedom.
For Mike, one of the best things about being a photographer is precisely that freedom to express himself.
“I want to enjoy the freedom to be myself,” he says.
His approach demonstrates how modern photography can extend well beyond simply pressing the shutter. The camera captures the starting point, while creative decisions during editing can transform the final image.
Entering photography competitions
Mike regularly enters The Societies of Photographers’ monthly image competitions.
Interestingly, he doesn’t generally go out specifically to create competition images.
Instead, he submits photographs from his everyday work.
He may occasionally return to an image and re-edit it if he sees something that could be improved, but the photographs themselves are generally part of his normal creative practice.
That approach has clearly worked for him.
His Photographer of the Year success and Open Avant Garde win demonstrate the potential of developing a distinctive style and consistently submitting work.
Building a photography business
Mike works independently and manages his own photography business.
He created his website himself and handles his own SEO, marketing and PR rather than outsourcing those areas.
Marketing isn’t necessarily the part of photography that he finds easiest, but he uses a combination of cold outreach, his website and social media to promote his work and attract opportunities.
His experience is a useful reminder that building a photography business involves much more than taking photographs.
Photographers also need to think about their website, online presence, marketing, communication and finding potential clients.
The photography equipment Mike relies on
If Mike had to choose a lens, his Sony 85mm f/1.8 would be one of his essential pieces of equipment.
Away from lenses and cameras, there’s another item he considers indispensable: his wrist strap.
For someone who spends a lot of time walking around London with a camera, keeping the camera securely attached is important.
Mike says that on the occasions when he has been without his wrist strap, he’s felt distinctly uncomfortable walking around with his camera unsecured.
Mike’s advice for photographers
Asked for his best piece of business advice, Mike’s answer is simple:
Be patient. Success doesn’t happen overnight.
That may seem straightforward, but Mike’s own story illustrates why patience matters.
Although his rise has been remarkably quick, it has still involved developing his photography, building an audience, experimenting with his style and continually producing work.
Social media success can sometimes make photography careers appear instantaneous.
Mike’s experience shows that even when progress happens quickly, there is still a process of learning and developing behind it.
What makes a successful photograph?
For Mike, one of the challenges is having the right equipment for the image he has in his mind.
That starts with visualising the photograph and then working out how to turn that idea into a finished image.
His portfolio demonstrates a willingness to experiment rather than sticking rigidly to one technique or style.
This is particularly important with his fine-art and avant-garde work, where the finished image may be considerably more creative than a straightforward record of the scene.
Photography as creative freedom
Ultimately, Mike’s motivation comes down to creative freedom.
He enjoys being able to express himself without boundaries and take the image he has imagined in his mind and turn it into reality.
That philosophy runs through his landscape, street and fine-art work.
It’s also one of the reasons competitions appeal to him: they provide an opportunity to share that creative interpretation with other photographers and judges.
What’s next for Mike Kitchen?
Mike has ambitious plans for the future.
He wants to travel more and photograph different parts of the world, extending his portfolio beyond London.
He also runs one-to-one photography workshops in London covering subjects including:
- Street photography
- Long-exposure photography
- Landscape photography
He is also planning Lightroom and Photoshop editing workshops.
Alongside photography and teaching, Mike sells fine-art prints of his work and offers photo-editing services.
Mike Kitchen: a photographer to watch
Mike Kitchen’s journey from picking up photography in 2022 to becoming The Societies of Photographers’ Overall Photographer of the Year is certainly unusual.
But perhaps the most interesting aspect of his work is his willingness to experiment.
His photography combines landscapes, street photography and creative post-processing, while his competition entries come from the work he is already creating rather than being manufactured specifically for competitions.
For photographers looking to develop their own style, Mike’s story offers a useful reminder: experiment, enter your work, keep learning and, perhaps most importantly, be patient.
Success may not happen overnight, but developing a style that genuinely reflects who you are as a photographer can make the journey worthwhile.
More from Mike Kitchen
Mike’s photography, workshops, fine-art prints and editing services can be found through his website and social media.
Mike Kitchen Photography: mkaptured.com
Instagram: @mkaptured.uk
This article is adapted and substantially rewritten from an interview originally published in Professional Imagemaker.
