Photographs
by Erik Winther Paisley
My photography history
In 2011 I brought a Pentax compact camera to help document my fieldwork in Beijing, which was the first time I started taking pictures purposefully.
It remained a fixed pursuit until 2020, when my father (Larry G. Paisley), who was a painter and avid amateur photographer from the 1970s on, died, and I took over his old equipment.
Canon AE-1, 50mm lens, one zoom. Going back to film meant I had to be more considered, and there was a certain weight to using his gear. I wanted to do it justice. It was also a reconnecting with him and seeing through his eyes.
I started out with portraits of family and friends, bringing the camera to events, took up street photography again, and then on one very gray and rainy day I decided to shoot my still life.
Within the year my hobby became an obsession, then something of a side-hustle.
I sold my first prints in 2020, had my first formal training in 2021, joined the Royal Photographic Society, and as of 2025, I’m working on my portfolio for the RPS Licentiate. Wish me luck!
Erik Winther Paisley
