JONATHAN CHERRY: What did you have for breakfast today?

KEITH PRUE: Muesli made from organic cornflakes, organic nuts, dried fruit, greek yoghurt and soy milk. I try to do organic as much as possible, and cannot do gluten - which is a right royal pain in the ass as I love bread. 

JC: Are there any emerging photographers inspiring your practice at the moment?

KP: I collect photography URL’s whenever I come across someone interesting - and have more than 400 to date. Unfortunately I tend to be on the trailing edge of new talent - maybe something to do with my generation, but some standouts at present are: Alejandro Cartagena, Brad Moore and Caleb Cole.

JC: What is your current project all about?

KP: My latest project is about loss of a friend through suicide. In this project Letter to a Friend, I explore many emotions that were turbulent inside me during that time, and the impermanence of all things. It is a recurring theme through my work, and there is a project involving my volunteer work in a local correctional center that I am toying with. The outline concept was there but now needs to be completely reworked. I am also undertaking a long term project in Southern India - titled Magical Thicket. I have visited the same location three times during the last five years, and hope to be returning shortly. It is usual for me to have many projects ongoing at the same time. 

JC: What initially drew you to photography?

KP: I was fourteen when I got my first camera as a birthday present. My father is a fanatical photographer in the UK, and has won and judged many domestic and International competitions. He is in his mid-eighties and still going strong, and a few years ago my mother after almost sixty years of marriage decided “if you can’t beat them - join them”. She has now also started winning cups at the local club. My brother also dabbles and won competitions in his village - so I guess you could say it’s in our DNA.   

JC: Why and when did you move to the US?

KP: I moved beginning of 2000 for career reasons, having worked with the same International financial consulting firm for almost twenty years in the UK, New Zealand and Poland. About eight years ago I got out of that business to work in my own real estate business, and just recently I have also moved on from that to focus full time on my photography.

JC: What equipment are you currently using?

KP: I jumped on the digital bandwagon late 2005 when I seriously returned to my photography, and haven’t taken a frame of film since. I am Nikonian by upbringing, and currently use a D700 with either a 35mm or 50mm lens. I also own a Leica M8 with the same focal lengths, a Ricoh GRDII which I shot with exclusively for a year but doesn’t get much use now as 28mm is currently too wide for me, and my iPhone, from which I am producing very stark high contrast images that I love.    

JC: What was the last photography book you looked through?

KP: I love looking at and collecting books. Even though I spend hours in front of my computer, nothing replaces the printed page. I hang out at used bookstores and library sales, and the last bargain I got was No Man’s Land by Lynne Cohen.

JC: Any exciting plans for 2011?

KP: With the lifestyle change I mentioned earlier, I am longing to return to India and hopefully Mexico, which I also love. I traveled extensively for business in my earlier years, but I was in a different place then with my photography, so I have a long list of places I would like to revisit - although that will take me more than 2011 to accomplish. 

JC: Any other thoughts?

KP: When I work in the correctional center I talk about letting go of thoughts - and how all our suffering comes from the mind. So I will sign-off with that thought!