Kyle Ingram

“At the moment I’m just trying to venture into new fields and expand my skills- whether that be through strapping up my camera in an underwater housing and shooting some empty barrels or putting on some dress shoes to shoot a wedding”

Intercru: Where are you from?

Kyle: I’m from Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia.

I have been fortunate enough to spend the first 7 years of my life living on ‘Freshwater 2096’ Sydney’s northern beaches, before moving to Dubai in 2007 for my dad’s work. We spent 5 years there, returning to Sydney 2012. It was a super eye-opening experience– it puts into perspective how spoiled we are to live in Australia. I defiantly think seeing new cultures and new places spaced my eye for photography.

Where do you live and work now?

I currently live in ‘God’s Sanctuary,’ Curl Curl, 2096 Sydney Australia but working throughout Sydney and beyond every now and then.

How did you get started as a photographer?

I started mucking around with my dad’s camera when I was in year 7 or 8. I used to watch a bunch of YouTube photographers and that probably kicked off my photography career.

For you, what makes the perfect photo?

I remember one time a client of mine said one of my images looked like art. I never really thought of it that much, but for me now, I want to create art.

The perfect photo to me doesn’t look like it could have been taken on your auntie’s Samsung, but it makes the audience question, maybe even turn their head to figure out what the subject matter of the image is.

What was your first job?

My first job was a café job, but first photography job was shot with a canon 70d. I saved up so long, washing my neighbours’ cars every weekend for money. But before the DSLR, I was using a super old plastic point and shoot. I shot for a watch company. They are no longer in business.

If you could meet any celebrity in the world, who would it be?

If I could meet celebrity, I reckon it’d be super cool to meet Kurt Cobain. I’d be pretty cool to see his writing process and his view of specific things. He died before I was born, unfortunately.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?

So far in my career, I’d have to say my proudest accomplishment has probably been shooting weddings. The amount of pressure and the inability to recreate the day just adds a new level of difficulty, but shooting weddings is definitely something that I enjoy.

My favourite project would have to be shooting massive hollow barrels for my local surf shop during the massive swell of June 2020. Although I have shot for international swimwear brands, shooting for big brands is super fun and pays the bills but you can’t really compare being trusted with the opportunity to support and shoot what you love for your local community.

The biggest career milestone for me was getting given a free watch and a bit of cash to photograph the time piece. It was the first time someone was willing to pay me for my photography, and for me that was a mind-boggling thought- the fact that I could make money doing my hobby (at the time).

After that, I’d say another massive milestone would be having people purchase my prints to hang in their house. I saw it as a massive honour that they appreciate my images enough to hang on their walls.

Being so young in a typically age dominated industry, I’ve been fortunate enough to make good friends with other younger photographers and models. I always love shooting my new faces, as well as my now friends (that just happen to be amazing models). Being my bread and butter, editorial and commercial modeling photography will always have a spot on my SD card, but at the moment I’m just trying to venture into new fields and expand my skills. Whether that be through strapping up my camera in an underwater housing and shooting some empty barrels or putting on some dress shoes to shoot a wedding. I just want to be able to do anything and everything while keeping it fresh and keeping things new. I think that’s the best way to enjoy photography.

If you could travel back in time, when and where would you go?

I’d definitely go back to see who/how the pyramids were made. That’d be pretty cool I reckon.

Who is your biggest hero?

A massive inspiration of mine is surf photographer Ben Thouard. Ben is pretty much the GOAT of surf photography so I draw lots of inspo from him.

I also look up to Sam Dameshank. The colours and tones that he gets in his film photos are amazing.

I do draw a lot of inspo from my mates. Always bouncing ideas of each other, sharing equipment and locations. A lot of photographers are super hesitant to share ideas and editing tricks just to keep a competitive advantage. As much as I agree to an extent, everyone has their own style and ways of looking at light, colour and shadows, so why not give a mate a hand and help them out.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Just have fun, don’t worry about all the small stuff. You’ll be fine.

Who would play you in a Hollywood movie about your life?

1997 Matt Damon or young Leonardo DeCaprio.

If you had a superpower what would it be?

I reckon my super power would be being able to talk to anyone. If you want to be a successful photographer, you need to make people feel comfortable even in the most uncomfortable situation. Or to be able to fly. I hate long drives.