Shop Friends: Joe Harper

Features

March 27, 2023

Joe Harper

Joe Harper is a London-based photographer and director with an extensive portfolio of work for brands in the fashion and cycling worlds. He's also an avid cyclist and longtime ILE supporter. We recently checked in with Joe to talk shop and learn about how he utilizes ILE bags to organize his on-bike photography kit. Check out our conversation below:

Joe, tell us a bit about yourself, what you do for a living, and your interests outside of work.

Hi, my name is Joe Harper - I’m a photographer and director based in London, UK. I was born in the middle of the country, near Wales, but moved to London to study photography at university. Although I’ve always made a habit of returning home to be closer to the mountains and forests that we lack in London. Living in London I became a very keen cyclist, commuting and riding for fun/exercise.

What does your creative process look like? What are some current projects or themes you're exploring through your work?

I’ve been very fortunate to say that being a full time professional photographer has been my only ‘real’ job. This gives me the flexibility and creative space to explore freely within personal projects whilst knowing my usual commercial photography gigs will keep me going.

At the moment I’m working on some photo series revolving around mountain running, and inner city cycling. Quite a nice contrast from each other that keeps me busy outside of London and also within!

What ILE pieces are you carrying? How do they complement your daily life?

Anyone who knows me will have seen me with my black Default at some point––that was my daily driver/travel companion for a good few years. Adding some MOLLE attachments such as the FLP_M_01 to the front and DRP_M_01 to the side was a game changer for extra storage space and adding some cycling shoes to the outside of the bag.

I’ve now switched my daily bag to the Photo Bag Prime as it can hold my work camera, two lenses, and accessories whilst still having space in the top for a packing cube or a puffy jacket. I love that the DRP_M_01 could be carried over to add some extra space. The peace of mind that all my gear is protected from the elements whilst not looking too much like a camera bag is invaluable in a big city.