Inspiration Feeder: Trevor Cole

Our “Inspiration Feeder” presents to you short interviews with interesting visual artists from around the globe. Today in focus: Trevor Cole.

How old are you?

Old enough to have started taking photographs using film!

Where do you come from?

I was born in the City of Derry, but I have lived most of my life outside the bounds of Ireland; in England, Singapore, Togo, Italy, Ethiopia and Brazil. I returned to Ireland (Donegal) in 2012. I taught geography in international schools for 24 years.

How long have you been doing photography?

My interest in photography started at an early age (19) when I travelled with my parents and they bought me a Rolleiflex SLR. So effectively for about 40 years.

How would you define your style?

I always like to think that humans are inextricably connected to their environment, hence I love to shoot people and landscapes. People adapt to climates and landscapes, therefore they are a reflection their natural habitats and this contributes to the immense diversity of humankind on this Earth. Sadly globalisation is reducing diversity and homogenising culture. I love to travel to more remote areas to see people in their true environmental contexts.

How long do you think it took you to find your personal style of shooting?

I like diversity and always have. I feel that people are a reflection of the environment in which they live. The urban dweller is comfortable in the concrete world and the rural dweller is still inextricably connected to nature. Most of my images tend to reflect the connection between people and their habitat and in particular indigenous people are most closely linked to their environment.

What would you say is the thing that most inspires you? / What is your main source of inspiration?

Perhaps one of my own quotes in my mission statement “I aspire to have a vision for tomorrow – An Alternative Vision. I believe that photography can capture those inimitable moments and empower us to make a positive change in our world.”

I would like to see my images, in some way, to be used for the benefit of a more sustainable and self-empowered future for those who exist on the margin. This where the ‘geography and photography have, for me, an inextricable connection.