Jovis Howieson: The Joy of Street Photography
In this inspiring episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast, Angela Nicholson chats with the warm-hearted and vibrant Jovis Leigh Howieson, founder of the Urban Photographers Club. Jovis’s journey into photography is a story of passion, people and purpose, beginning in 2018 when she walked into a camera shop and emerged with not one, but two Fujifilm cameras. With no formal training or prior experience, she simply followed her instinct and love for the craft.
Listen to another episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast
Jovis’s approach to photography is refreshingly honest and emotionally grounded. She shares how the process of taking pictures excites her far more than the final image, and how the simple act of holding a camera fills her with joy. For her, photography is all about the doing, not the result. That ethos is at the heart of the Urban Photographers Club, a collective that grew out of a promise to friends during lockdown and now serves as a supportive global platform for creatives.
Angela and Jovis explore how the club developed from monthly online meet-ups and culminated in an exhibition at the Fujifilm House of Photography in 2022. The club continues to grow, embracing values of kindness, respect and friendship, and offers opportunities for lesser-known photographers to showcase their work. Jovis’s vision is to create an inclusive international community where the spotlight shines on talent that might otherwise go unnoticed.
They also discuss the emotional depth of street photography, how to prepare for a day of shooting, and the importance of understanding both your environment and your own emotional state. Jovis emphasises respectful storytelling, and her belief that a photographer’s intent is as important as the image itself.
Listeners will appreciate Jovis’s thoughtful reflections on authenticity, the emotional nature of photography, and how different cultures respond to street photography. She also touches on safety, gear choices and how she finds inspiration through music, reading and collaboration.
This episode is a celebration of photographic communities, the joy of capturing life as it happens, and the value of staying grounded in kindness and connection. Whether you're a seasoned photographer or just starting out, Jovis’s perspective is a beautiful reminder that photography is, above all, about people.
Connect with Jovis
Episode Transcript
Jovis Howieson
I don't get so hung up on the images. To be honest, I really don't care what comes out of it. If there is a good image, great, it's a bonus. But if there isn't anything, that's also fine. I try not to get, you know, too hung up on that. So it's, I guess it's about the process and it's about the doing, rather than the result.
Angela Nicholson
Welcome to the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast. I'm Angela Nicholson, and I'm the founder of SheClicks, which is a community for female photographers. In these podcasts, I talk with women in the photographic industry to hear about their experiences, what drives them and how they got to where they are now.
This episode is with Jovis Leigh Howison, who is the founder of the Urban Photographers Club. What began as a simple idea bringing people together through a shared love of photography has grown into something much bigger, but the core values remain, kindness, respect and friendship.
Hi, Jovis, thank you for joining me today on the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast. It's really fabulous to be talking with you.
Jovis Howieson
Hi, Angela, thank you so much for having me. It's really exciting to be here.
Angela Nicholson
Oh, thank you. Now, I know you're a relatively recent convert to photography, but what was it that triggered you to buy a camera in 2018?
Jovis Howieson
I saw people photographing, and I thought, Oh, that looks fun. And also, because I've always wanted to have a camera and always wanted to do photography for was ever since I was a little girl. And I thought, okay, now's the best time. So I walked into jessups in Kingston, and I said to the guys in the store, I want to be a street photographer, and I want to buy a Sony. And they all laughed at me,
Angela Nicholson
Oh, okay.
Jovis Howieson
And they said, no,you don't need a Sony to be a street photographer. And they showed me all kinds of cameras. And, yeah, that's how it all started, really.
Angela Nicholson
And did you buy a Sony in the end, or did you buy something else?
Jovis Howieson
No, I bought a Fujifilm.
Angela Nicholson
Okay.
Jovis Howieson
I bought two. I came out with two cameras.
Angela Nicholson
Right?
Jovis Howieson
Two Fujifilm cameras.
Angela Nicholson
Very nice.
Jovis Howieson
Yes.
Angela Nicholson
And why? Why street photography? What was the thing that made you go into a shop specifically to say you wanted to photograph things in the street?
Jovis Howieson
I think it was just photographs that I was seeing, and I thought, oh, you know, this looks amazing, and like anyone could do it and and people were just out and about shooting on the streets. And I thought, you know, that would be accessible for me one way I could, you know, get into photography. So I thought this would be a good way to start. I had no idea what street photography was, or anything about photography. Oh, really, yeah, nothing at all.
Angela Nicholson
Do you have any regrets that you didn't start earlier? Or do you feel that you had other things to learn first, and it was a good time to get a camera in 2018?
Jovis Howieson
Yes, I do have regrets about not starting earlier, because I was very inspired by certain stories, and I wanted to kind of document those stories, but, but it's too late now. It could never happen and, but I think in the end, I Yes, like you say, I had to learn and do other things that led me to photography at this time. So I think it's just meant to be at this time. It wasn't meant to be earlier.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah, okay, what is it you enjoy most about photography?
Jovis Howieson
Making a photo that I'm happy with, which is never.
Angela Nicholson
Oh, really?
Jovis Howieson
Ooh, I'm too critical. I think, I think the whole process, the excitement of having the camera, oh, you know, you pick up the camera and get so excited. You hold it, and you're like, Oh, yes, this is my baby. No man can compare to it. So, so, and the thought of, okay, you know, gonna go out and make some shots. Or what can I make with this little contraption I have in my hand, and just, I get very excited. I still feel the excitement when I pick up my camera.
Angela Nicholson
So it's more about the capture stage than the, you know, seeing your images?
Jovis Howieson
Yes, I think the whole lead up to it, like, if I know I'm going out to shoot on the weekend, which is usually Saturdays, then the whole week I'll be like, Oh, yes, you know, I've got something to look forward to. Got a beautiful life on Saturday. I'm going on my camera. I've got a date with a camera, yeah, and the actual shooting is also, like, just, you know, really fun and exciting, and that whole process. I mean, I don't get so hung up on the images. To be honest, I really don't care what comes out of it. If there is a good image, great, it's a bonus. But if there isn't anything, that's also fine. I try not to get, you know, too hung up on that. So it's, I guess, it's about the process and it's about the doing, rather than the result.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah. Okay, so are you the sort of photographer who knows instantly that you've got the shot that you're going to be happy with? Yes, yeah. Rather than reviewing them in Lightroom or bridge or whatever it is, you use
Jovis Howieson
Yes, once I I know I've got the shot, I know I've got shot. Doesn't happen often, but yes.
Angela Nicholson
Now, tell us about the Urban Photographers' Club. What is it? And what made you decide to create it?
Jovis Howieson
I was kind of forced into it, actually, because by my friends. So during lockdown, my street photographer friends and I, you know, we, like all of us, were feeling, oh, you know, we can't go out to shoot. What are we going to do? So I started a little project to shoot during our free exercise time or outside time, and just to kind of keep everybody shooting. And it was just really between my friends. There were 10 of us, and I said to them, Okay, I promise you, if you meet me online once a month, you go out and shoot and we review our photos together. At the end of the 12 months, I promise you that I will,
I will hold an exhibition for us, and I would make a little book for for us you with all our images. So it's a promise I made to my friends, but I had no clue how I was going to do this. I don't know anything about photography. I had never, you know, organised an exhibition, let alone created a book. So So basically, I was just inspired by my friends, and I cared about my friends, and I just wanted to do this for them. So at the end, I managed to secure a place at the Fuji film house of photography in 2022 and held the exhibition there, made a little book for them, and everyone then asked me if I would continue doing what I've done, as other people were interested in Joining so urban photographers Club was created from that exhibition, from that group of friends who encouraged me to keep going. So I didn't have a choice. I had to just do something because of my friends and the photographers. So basically, urban photographers, the foundation is very much about friendship, without my friends, without the photographers, without the people, it wouldn't exist. So for me, you know it, they are the most important thing to me. In urban photographers club, the photographers and the friends, everyone is a friend now. So, so it exists because of them.
It's for them.
Angela Nicholson
That's really nice. Yeah, that's lovely. Do you go out taking photographs with people quite often, or do you tend to go out by yourself?
Jovis Howieson
Both. So I hold a lot of photo walks. There's a lot of meetups, and so I tend to shoot with with the photographers a lot. But when I'm serious, I have to do it on my own, so if I have to make my own shots, yes, so there is a mix of going out by myself and with the photographers.
Angela Nicholson
Very nice.
Jovis Howieson
Yeah.
Angela Nicholson
What's your vision for the club going forward, and your aims for it from now on?
Jovis Howieson
To be international, to keep holding exhibitions, events like photo walks, making photo books and really having a platform for every photographer to be showcased, especially photographers whose work just never get seen, who may not necessarily Be on Instagram, you know, but have really great work. So discover new photographers, but really, really having a platform for everybody to come together from all parts of the world where it's friendly and they can, you know, just enjoy the passion together. So I would say, you know, I think being international is quite important for me, and having exhibitions is probably the mix, the mix most important thing. So So I would say having a presence around the world, you know, because it is still fairly new. It is about three years old, and when I started three years ago, there was one vision, and it's evolved, because things change. I am more experienced now. I I've learned more, I've met more people. And, you know, it's kind of evolving, you know, is what I would say. But I would say, I think the vision is to be just, you know, very inclusive of all photographers internationally and holding exhibitions, yeah, okay, to put it simply, that would be it, okay.
Angela Nicholson
Now that's really interesting, because when you think of the great off street photography and urban photography, you know, there are some amazing images. Henri Cartier Bresson, absolutely fantastic photographer, and people across the world admire those pictures. But there are two things about street photography. I think there's a perception, at least, that more people are less happy to have their photographs taken. They're more, perhaps a bit more cautious, but also a lot of photographers are a little bit nervous about street photography because they don't want to be confronted or come across as being confrontational themselves, yes, so I think your role is important in raising the profile of modern street and urban photography.
Jovis Howieson
That's a really great comment there. And no, thank you for saying that. Yes, I think it's really important. Yeah, a lot of it is the perception, how it's viewed. It's also dependent on the photographer itself and the kind of images and really educating the public on what street photography is. And you'll often find that once people see the images, and once people understand there's such a thing as street photography, non photographers are very interested, and they're quite supportive. Actually, people don't usually have an issue. There are, of course, some, and it's very different from country to country as well. You'll find in the UK there's a certain mindset in Europe, there's also a different mindset in Asia, so different South America, Africa. It is so different from, you know, continent to continent is what I would say, and what might work in the UK would not. Or rather, what might work in Asia might definitely won't work in the UK, for instance. So it's also understanding your audience, understanding how and where your images are going to be presented and in what context. So these are very important, I would say, educational and information that as a photographer, as a street photographer, we need to understand and know. And also, there are rules and laws in different countries. That's country to country, whether you're allowed to take photos in public, or whether you're not allowed and and whether you need permission. So, so a screen photographer has to understand these things before they start taking photographs, if they're, you know, in various countries. But yes, I think it's about educating the public. And, you know, I'm glad to be able to be in a position to be able to bring that forth and change mindsets and perception of the general public.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah. So if you're going out for a day with your camera in London, say, what's your approach? How do you start out?
Jovis Howieson
Oh, music. I need music, right? So first I need some music to get me going, but it depends on whether I have a certain project in mind. There's usually a few projects that I'm working on, and I'll have that in mind, or I might just go cut lunch and just, you know, see what happens. You know, just go for a walk and let the image come to me. Very important, let the image come to you. You know, because you know, invariably, you will see and depending on how you're feeling, you know whether you're happy, whether you've had enough sleep, it is so emotional. I mean, photography, to me, is so emotional and so heart centred. For me, it's, you know, I shoot with my heart. I shoot with my feelings and my emotions, and that sort of drives me to where the images are going to pop up and show me where they are. So I think it's you know, just just letting you know, just just being completely open to what's going going to happen. So unless I have something very specific in mind, I go for it. I'm super sharp, focused on what I need to go for. So I might, I might have researched a certain area, or I might have researched a certain event, so I know exactly what I'm going to get. So it really depends, you know, on what I need to shoot. But there is a certain, maybe not like a ritual, a bit of a ritual, you know. So a bit of music. I'll look at some photo books to get some inspiration. I might do, I'll definitely do a bit of reading. I might, you know, write a little bit about, you know, how I'm feeling and what I think I'm going to shoot. So, so it's, there's very much a process for me. Or I might, you know, have a chat with with, you know, some of my photography friends, and you know about, oh, you know what I think I might want to do and and where I need to go get the images and get some input and insights from them as well. So, yes, so all of that.
Angela Nicholson
And when you're actually out with your camera, what sort of things are you looking for? I mean, are you the sort of person who's drawn to specific things, like, you know, a lot of people like photographing other people emerging from under bridges or tunnels, you know, you're looking for that sort of change in the light. Or are you drawn to other things?
Jovis Howieson
I'm very much drawn to. Moments, or some sort of action, something happening, and they're the most difficult to find. I'm not so much of an aesthetic person. Some people are great at like leading lines or like black and white, and it's so precise and so accurate. I'm more messy. I'm not I'm not that neat and tidy. So for me, it's about the moment. It's about something very natural and and sometimes, you know, it could be about shadow and light. So maybe, like a chiaroscuro kind of image where, you know, it might be like black three quarters of the image, and, you know, some light shining on on a person's face or something. So I think I'm either, you know, one of those, that kind of photographer, I would say, Yeah, Kia roscuro, that is a technique in painting, actually using shadows and light, and it's like an Alex Webb kind of image, dark shadows and bright light, bright colours.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, if you're looking for moments. Do you tend to go to a place and stay there for a while? You know, you sort of stood still for 10-15, minutes or more, or do you keep moving and look to discover things as you walk about?
Jovis Howieson
Sometimes I do, but most of the time I am walking and looking for the image, or, you know, just seeing what happens if I discover a scene, if I discover a lot of activity somewhere, and I see the potential of moments happening, I will stay there. So it's very much about reading the scenes and understanding the potential of what it could bring, what the kind of images that could happen there.
Angela Nicholson
If you're photographing people, do you ever ask them about whether you can take a photograph of them, or do you prefer the more candid moments?
Jovis Howieson
So there are two things here. I would never ask if I'm doing street photography, but I do love street portraits, so I will ask if I see someone interesting to me. Then I will stop and ask them if I could take a photograph. But otherwise, no.
Angela Nicholson
Have you ever felt threatened without doing urban photography
Jovis Howieson
Only once, in Brick Lane. Usually no, but I took a shot of a drug deal being exchanged.
Angela Nicholson
Oh!
Jovis Howieson
I didn't know that. You know, that was what it was.
Angela Nicholson
Right.
Jovis Howieson
Yes, I just thought the guy looked cool in his tattoos, and I took a shot of, you know, yeah, and he did threaten to beat me up and correctly beat my camera and stuff, and, you know, I mean, I deleted the photo, and I just apologised, and I said I had no idea. I just, I just kept saying. I just thought, you look cool. I did, you know, I didn't know what was going on so, but it was scary. So I do not, I do not like Brick Lane.
Angela Nicholson
You've got to be careful. Yeah. Wow.
Jovis Howieson
But otherwise, no, it doesn't mean so I and that's a great point that you brought up, because it doesn't mean that just because you're a woman, you can get away with things on the street. I don't think that's true because of from personal experience. I just I really think it's about body language, and I really think it's about intent and how and what you're shooting, right? So your intent, you mean, yes, because, because there's got to be an intention of why you're taking the photograph, for instance, like, you know, if you see someone who looks unflattering to you, oh, you know, she might look ugly or unflattering. I'm doing very honest and candid here. And you take a shot because you can even though the woman looks terrible. So for me, why did you do that? Because, you know, it's more nice, yeah, so you know. So for me, the intention of why you're taking the shots is very important, and it really and people can feel it on the streets, and people can see it as well. So, you know. So I would say, you know, think about why you're taking the shot before you press the shutter, yeah,
Angela Nicholson
And make sure they're not doing a drug deal.
Jovis Howieson
Yes, exactly, you know, being so naive. Oh, he looks not bad. Yeah, yes. And, you know, and it was, you know, a bad call, you know.
Angela Nicholson
But I like what you say about, I think it is really important, if you showed the person after you've taken the photograph, if you showed that person the picture, are they going to be happy? Sad, upset or annoyed? It's probably a good thing to run that through your mind. You know, if you show it to them and they sort of, oh, okay, well, I don't really like that picture.
Jovis Howieson
Exactly. I think that's got to be respect. And I think, like, you know, you wouldn't, I don't think that people should take photographs of someone that does not look flat. The ring that really makes them look awful. You know, I think those photographs should never be shown and should be deleted straight away. You know, I think there's got to be some integrity to the work that you're showing, because it's a reflection of you as a photographer. So if I see a photographer taking a shot that makes someone look terrible. I would have no respect for that shot or that photographer, because it just tells me the kind of you know what he does or that person does. Yeah, for instance, one thing that really gets me is when people go to India or Asia, and they come back and they put on an exhibition of the shots in India, in some rural village, and there was one of a shot of men bathing together in a community in in the village. And it's like, why are you showing photos of men bathing together? Because there's nothing they can do to defend themselves because they're naked bathing, you know, so things like that really upset me. I don't think that they're good photography. They shouldn't be taken.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah, fair enough. And so you've already given us a few tips. But what would you say are your top tips for someone who's wanting to try street or urban photography for the first time?
Jovis Howieson
Okay, number one rule is definitely the most comfortable pair of walking shoes you could ever get.
Angela Nicholson
Good call.
Jovis Howieson
Yeah, definitely be like, well, ready with your batteries, your card, your camera, set up. You want to be comfortable, you know, dressed properly for the weather, and you want to be not hungry as well. So make sure you got your water bottle or something that you can eat with you. You just need to be really comfortable with nothing distracting you. And and also, I think if you don't know what to shoot or how to shoot, you need to get some inspiration and maybe have a project idea, or maybe have some sort of idea before you come out and and also, I think it's also worth, if you're very new to it, it's worth going out with a friend or, you know, joining the photo walks, you know, to get an idea of how people should, what they should, where they shoot. So I think it's important to research where you're going to go as well. And if there's any events going on that you could potentially shoot or maybe going indoors into a gallery. Maybe that's, you know, some people love doing that, so I think being prepared is important.
Angela Nicholson
And what about camera settings? Do you have go to camera settings? Do you tend to shoot in, say, Aperture Priority, Shutter {riority? Manual?
Jovis Howieson
Yes. So I don't know about other cameras, but I can only talk about my camera. That's all right. It is aperture priority, and I use the Fujifilm, either the X100 series, I've got a couple of those
Angela Nicholson
Nice.
Jovis Howieson
or I use the X-T Series, and on both there are, there are three automatic settings where I kind of set the shutter speed and the ISO, and I basically set it up aperture priority, but I use exposure compensation depending on how much light or what kind of look I'm going for, and so I don't have to worry about walking in and out of light or indoors and outdoors. It works. It's very sharp, and it just works for me. So I know how to do it on the Fujifilm. I wouldn't know what that means on other cameras.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, so are you talking about, the three settings you're talking about, are you talking about the auto ISO settings, so you can set a maximum and minimum for the ISO and also the shutter speed minimum?
Jovis Howieson
Yes.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, yeah, okay. So, yeah, other cameras have something similar. So you use auto ISO, but you set the parameters so that the sensitivity, the ISO, doesn't go too high.
Jovis Howieson
Correct.
Angela Nicholson
Got you? Okay, okay. Have you got a go to Film Simulation Mode?
Jovis Howieson
In the Fujifilm, Astia soft or Pro Neg and sometimes Classic Chrome, or if I'm doing black and white, then I would go to Acros with more reds )red filyer) in it.
Angela Nicholson
Yes.
Jovis Howieson
So I don't have the latest Fujifilm with all the lovely other Film Simulations, so I'm still on the X-T3.
Angela Nicholson
It's got quite a few there. Very nice.
Jovis Howieson
Yeah, I will move soon.
Angela Nicholson
Great. Oh, well, I think that's a really good time to go to Six from SheClicks. I've got 10 questions from SheClickers, and I would like you to answer six questions, please, by picking numbers from one to 10.
Jovis Howieson
All right. Oh, number three, please.
Angela Nicholson
Number three. If you could go to any urban environment or place you've not been yet, where would you go and why? That question's from Liz.
Jovis Howieson
Oh, any urban environment or we have not I think red. Residential areas. I haven't really gone to residential areas to shoot, maybe in like estates, like in London, estates. I've not done that before, so I would be quite interested to see live unfold there, and the kind of shots I could get there.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, great stuff. Can I have your second number please?
Jovis Howieson
Number five, please.
Angela Nicholson
Could you share a moment when photography reshaped how you see the world? That question's from Jeanette. Quite a deep question.
Jovis Howieson
It is a deep question.
Angela Nicholson
I guess we're thinking about a photograph that had a really big impact on you.
Jovis Howieson
I think maybe my first street shot, because it was profound for me. And I would say that would be the defining moment where things change for me, because having taken that shot, I don't think I've ever made a shot as good as that, in my opinion.
Angela Nicholson
Really?
Jovis Howieson
It was five years ago, never.
Angela Nicholson
You set the bar high. You're trying to get back to it.
Jovis Howieson
Yes, it was a real moment, and I had to work very quickly and and to get that shot, where it taught me that, you know, things can change so quickly, and life can change so quickly. And it's, you know, how you deal with capturing that moment, which applies to life as well. How you deal with, okay, you know, solving that problem or finding a solution, because I didn't know anything about settings. I didn't even know know how to use my camera, so I had to work it out which was all wrong to get that shot. But I would say that that was a defining moment for me, teaching me about photography and street photography, what to do, and you know how things could change and how I could deal with it. So I would say my first screenshot, which is a man on a on standing on a ledge on one leg by Westminster Bridge with the backdrop of the London Eye.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, so I guess we'll go, we'll find that on your Instagram account, would we?
Jovis Howieson
Oh, it might be, yeah.
Angela Nicholson
We'll have a look. Okay, can I have your third number please?
Jovis Howieson
Number one, please.
Angela Nicholson
What is the first photograph you remember seeing that question is from Liz
Jovis Howieson
When I was a little girl. This is back home in Singapore. I am from Singapore, and there is a museum called the Changi prison. And it's in the first book that I made, the first photo book I wrote about this. It was British prisoners of war captured by the Japanese occupation and sent to this prison. And there was a British man, I forget his name now, who had a little Brownie camera, a Kodak Brownie camera, and he secretly took shots of the British prisoners of war in the camp, and which are still on display at the at the museum Changi prison Museum In Singapore, if anyone ever goes there and those images, I think they're just maybe 10 of them, but they were so defining for me and profound and affected me so much as a child. And that's what when I thought I wanted to do photography, and that's what inspired me with photography. And so yes, I would say, despite their life being, you know, being in prison, they were still smiling. So the prisoners were smiling in a group shot. In one particular photo, the group shots of the prisoners smiling into that camera. But there were skin and bones. And, you know, they were prisoners. So for me, it just kind of taught me that, you know, in the adversity of life, people could still smile, and no matter how much hardship they were going through, you know, they could still smile for the camera. So for me, that was important,
Angela Nicholson
Yeah, so it's interesting that they knew they were being photographed. So he was open with the camera?
Jovis Howieson
He was, I say, for this particular shot, he was, and I've seen many, many British people that have gone over there, the children and their grandchildren from the prisoners who were there. So when they came back to England, and they had families, and their families have all gone over there, you know, to look at their photographs and to look at how they had lived in the prison cat, which was, you know, very inspiring for me. And so coming to live in the UK was very much part of, you know, one of those reasons really coming here, yes, and that was the documentary I wanted to do. I wanted to come to England and find the prisoners of war, the British prisoners of war, and photograph them, and talk to them, interview them, but it was too late. Maybe you could find their families. I could find their families. So I think that's still very much a project I would like to do.
Angela Nicholson
Oh, that would be a great project. So can I have your fourth number, please?
Jovis Howieson
Yes, number four would be number 10.
Angela Nicholson
Ten. What is your go to lens and camera combination for street photography? Several people asked that. Now you've mentioned you've got an X-T3, so I guess, what lens do you use on it?
Jovis Howieson
So because it's a crop lens, it'll be the 23 otherwise 35 in full frame for street photography, that's standard. So I think that's, you know, the best lens for street.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah, so you just stick with that. Nice, yeah. I mean, that is, that's one of the beauties of street photography. Sometimes you just decide what you're going to use and go out and you don't need a bag. You just carry your camera on a strap. One lens off, you go.
Jovis Howieson
Exactly.
Angela Nicholson
Fantastic. Right, so it's time for your penultimate number please?
Jovis Howieson
Let's go for number seven, please.
Angela Nicholson
Number seven. How do you see urban and street photography evolving with social media and AI photography? That question's from Christina.
Jovis Howieson
I see them evolving separately. They have very two very separate things. I mean, street and urban will evolve naturally, and it's dependent very much on people, whereas AI is technology and and that, you know, can evolve way faster than what we are able to do, going out, taking photos. So I think each has its place, and each are two very different things. They can complement each other, but depending on how they are used. So separately, I would say.
Angela Nicholson
I guess the fear is, or the concern sometimes, is, that AI can be used to change the moment and or change the meaning of an image in a way that we just didn't anticipate at one point. Whereas, you know, street photography, its roots are in stories and truth and documentary.
Jovis Howieson
Yes, it's life and it's authentic, whereas AI is technology and completely made up. It's, you know, someone's art, or, you know, it's art, but in a different sense.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, so we've come to your final number please?
Jovis Howieson
Number eight, please.
Angela Nicholson
Number eight. What's your idea of photography hell? Is there a type of shoot you would avoid at all costs? That question's from Anne.
Jovis Howieson
Oh weddings. No weddings. Oh, a photography hell. I don't think I have one. If it's related to street photography, then no, but, um, but if it's any other photography, I probably wouldn't. No, I wouldn't say I have any thing that I would avoid.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, you initially said weddings, but a lot of there's a lot of interest in documentary style wedding photography these days, isn't there? So you could probably move in that direction, looking for your moments and spontaneous interactions.
Jovis Howieson
Yes, yes, oh, very much. So yes.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, well, Jovis, thank you so much for joining me today. It's been really lovely hearing from you.
Jovis Howieson
Thank you so much for having me, Angela, it's been fun. Thank you so much for the opportunity.
Angela Nicholson
You're very welcome. Bye, bye,
Jovis Howieson
Bye.
Angela Nicholson
Thanks for listening to this episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to everybody who sent in a question. You'll find links to Jovis's website and social media channels in the show notes. I'll be back with another episode soon, so please subscribe to the show on your favourite podcast platform and tell all your friends and followers about it. You'll also find SheClicks on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube if you search for sheclicksnet. So until next time, enjoy your photography.
