My name is Benji Hampson. I was born in Hendon, London, in 1988, and I have Anglo-Irish roots. From a young age, I have been passionate about photography and drawn to capturing culture through my camera. I try to find humanity in every image I take. When I was a boy, I bought a Nikon F-301, and I have been hooked ever since. I still use that lens today, along with Leica, Mamiya, and Fuji equipment. For me, the lens is an extension of my eye. It helps me see the world in new ways and approach it with a gentle sense of humanity. Sometimes, photography lets me explore or even hide behind the camera. It is my elixir to a healthy life. I have enriched my life through the access the camera gives me, documenting a rich array of incredible cultures.

I learned how to process and develop my own film, and most importantly, how to print my work. Colour and tone are vital to me. I use rich tones and colours to draw the viewer in, almost like a painting. I want my photos to have a texture you can almost feel. I don’t mind if my lens gets a little wet or if an image is slightly out of focus, because that brings out honest emotion. I experiment with exposure processes and chemical strengths to enhance hues. For my personal work, I treat photography as a kind of freestyle, where I don’t follow strict rules and allow room to bend the rules.

I’ve spent 12+ years of my photography career storytelling across an array of genres, specifically in documentary, to seek to challenge conventions and spark emotion. In essence, I’m interdisciplinary by nature. A storyteller, builder, and observer. Across every medium, I channel the same spirit, crafting spaces and images that honour texture, emotion, and humanity.