Every camera tells a story, not just of what it sees, but of the people behind the lens. In the second film of MPB: The Next Shot series, we meet artist and filmmaker Hilary Powell, whose creative life is intertwined with her camera, seeing it as an extension of curiosity and care. Through her reflections, we are invited to consider the emotional lives of our creative tools – how they shape the ways we look, move and record the world around us. Created in partnership with MPB, the UK’s leading camera reseller, this next chapter of the series explores how equipment becomes part of a story of renewal, generosity and shared vision.
A: If your camera or lens were a person, what kind of character would it be? What stories would it tell?
HP: My favourite camera to use is a Canon 5D and I’ve bought a longlens and an extender. I always use a monopod and even have a name for it – “beaky.” It is an extension of me; it is alert and curious to the details that are often called “backdrop” but are also characters in themselves. The camera has that same curiosity.
A: Tell us about a short film or video project you’ve created with camera gear that you’ve since sold or replaced. Why was that equipment meaningful to you?
HP: I worked with the tin workers of South Wales to create a portrait of an industry and those working in it. I used the Canon 5D as a method of capturing, but then the final works were created with special tin type concertina cameras. This was a magical process and I wish I could have kept them as objects in themselves, but the need for space and money means equipment comes and goes, moving on to new stories.
A: How does it feel to pass your equipment on to someone else?
HP: I really love the journeys that objects take. We sold our hassellblad to a young couple who were just starting out as artists and filmmakers, and it reminded us of our younger selves … That felt really special, that these cameras take on a life of their own and are able to move through the world and see and share more. We also included film and they sent this back to us. I love that equipment is serviced and reconditioned and then sent off to record different times and visions.
A: How do you see your tools reflecting your own creative growth?
HP: In our feature film making, we do follow the technological changes and ensure that we can shoot high definition cinema quality whilst making sure we can still be agile and mobile. But alongside that wecollect obscure kit and are even more drawn to older technologies, now having trained to edit on Steenbecks. I love the material of film: the cameras, the film, the physical, in-camera tricks and editing.
A: What do you emotionally connect with in your kit?
HP: I saw Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929) as a young film student and since then I’ve imagined myself as a woman with a movie camera. Most of the portraits of me in my younger days are with a camera and it is part of me. It’s a love story with the everyday; it helps me share the beauty all around us.
Find Out More About Aesthetica Film Festival: asff.co.uk
Find Out More About MPB: mpb.com
