"Photography is a form of meditation"
They put the word out when the raves are going on. Big soundsystems, whereabouts undisclosed until the last possible second. Gradually the details filter through via phone, the chat group. A mate of a mate of a mate. Parties that are heard long before they’re seen, parties that happen in secret, lights throbbing purple, are happening in London, in satellite towns, and inside the warehouses there’s a guy with a camera. He’s the only one allowed to capture this stuff, the only one who dares. His name is Yushy Pachnanda, and he’s been documenting this scene for years. We talked to Yushy for our latest 5 Good Things, discussing how to centre yourself to make the shot, how to disarm your subject, what every photographer needs, and much, much more.
Perception is everything to a photographer. Self-perception, as much as the images you want to create: so what kind of photographer would you say you are?
I'm hungry, I feel like I'm constantly searching for something. I’m almost like a fox wandering around looking for its next find. Photography can be consuming to the point where I struggle to leave the house without my camera. It's become part of how I move, how I cope in the world.
Coming from a religious family with no creative background, I've always felt like an outsider. I'm very connected to the community I grew up in, but when I'm in more traditionally creative spaces, I often feel like I don't fit in there either. Because of that, I'm drawn to people who exist on the fringes, people finding their own spaces in the world. I see a bit of myself in them.
What skills does every photographer need? Are there things you need to cultivate? What do you feel your own personal strengths are?
For me, it's being able to talk to people. Being able to make someone feel comfortable within 30 seconds, to talk to anyone about anything is really important. It’s helped me get out of a few sticky situations over the years.
I think a lot of good photography comes down to curiosity. I'm genuinely interested in people and I like asking questions. If you can connect with somebody quickly, you can usually take a better photo.
They say writing is a form of listening. What is photography a form of?
Meditation. Photography is a form of meditation. When I'm photographing, I feel completely content. It’s almost trance-like. For me it's a way of living, learning and being present while somehow not being there at all. I live vicariously through the people around me.
A lot of the time I'll leave a situation and barely remember what I did, but the moment I look back through the images, everything comes flooding back. Photography is probably the closest thing I have to mindfulness in my life.
Could you tell us what or who inspired you to pursue photography, and how you got your start?
I first started picking up a camera in college. I’d travel all over London shooting, copying things I saw on Instagram by other talented photographers. Gradually I stopped copying and just looked more at the things around me. I started noticing. After that I did an apprenticeship in social media; I’d always keep a camera on me. Soon after that I ended up going to university where things slowly unravelled into what I do now. There wasn't really a grand plan. It was just a case of always carrying a camera, always, everywhere. Developing my eye, learning to look for moments.
Do you still get the same kick out of photography you always did? What’s the juice for you? Is the creative pay-off different when you compare shooting for, say, a fashion brand or commercial client, as opposed to a warehouse party?
I love photography as a job, but I also love it as my thing. The fact I get paid to do it is amazing, but my favourite moments are still when I walk out with a camera and find myself in an unexpected place, no briefs, no deadlines, no need to show anyone anything. I just go wandering until my legs are about to give up. Commercial work is rewarding in a different way, but that feeling of discovering something for yourself never really goes away.
What about nailing the conditions for the right shot? Is there a way to get a subject to relax for portraits, breaking down inhibitions to get to their true self? How do you try to be in the right place at the right time? Do you use much equipment?
To help subjects relax, I always try to compliment them. I’ll ask them about a tattoo, where they're from, what they're up to. I'll show them my camera and start a conversation from there. Eye contact helps, but honestly, it’s smiling. Smiling goes a long way.
Being in the right place at the right time only works about 10% of the time. There are plenty of photographs I've missed that still haunt me to this day. I like keeping things simple equipment-wise. I use one camera, one lens. It's low-key, lightweight and it lets me focus on what's happening in front of me rather than the gear I'm carrying. That’s all that matters.
What about finding focus in some of the busy places you frequent, dance floors and carnivals? It must be an absolute sensory overload.
Raves and carnivals can really be incredibly overwhelming. But here I come back to that idea of meditation. When I have a camera in my hand, I feel centred, I’m completely absorbed by the crowd. I just walk and I look and I react. It’s almost like I'm trying to find my way to the other side, another place. The camera gives me purpose in those environments.
I wear earplugs a lot too, which definitely helps, but I also think I've realised that if I'm in those hectic situations without a camera, I feel completely lost.
Can you describe some of the parties you shoot and why you shoot them? What makes a squat party different to underground clubs like, say, Spanners or Ormside Projects?
A lot of it is the build-up. Sometimes you're waiting for hours before anything really happens and then suddenly you're in. The energy shifts, the music starts, blue lights appear outside and there's always a possibility the whole thing could be shut down. That feeling is hard to describe. It's exciting, chaotic and completely alive.
What I love most about the squat party scene is the sense of community. People genuinely look after each other and there aren't many egos involved. I do love established venues like Ormside Projects or The Cause, but they can feel inaccessible. Whether it’s the location, the price or simply feeling like you don't belong. Squat parties remove every one of those barriers and create something that feels more open and communal.
What about publishing and exhibiting? How have you found these experiences? Maybe you could talk about what it was like working with Velocity Press for your recent book.
Publishing and exhibiting makes everything real. You spend so much time looking at your images on a screen that seeing them printed, holding them in your hands and experiencing them physically is a completely different feeling. It gives the work a permanence that digital images won’t ever have.
Working with Velocity on Section 63 was incredibly rewarding. Years of work coming together and finding physical form as an object was one of the proudest moments of my career.
Tell us about a photo you’re proud of — or a photo that typifies your style. What does it mean to you and how did it come about?
The photo I’m most proud is of a guy called Destiny. It was taken when working on Section 63, a project documenting illegal raves in London. I saw the it before I took it. I remember thinking, this is going to change our lives.
Section 63 was an unbelievably taxing piece of work. I spent hours waiting for messages with locations, hours travelling across the city, dealing with police, sometimes people who weren't very welcoming. Within it all I found a small community of people who simply wanted to create. The project spanned years and at times it felt like it would never end. I kept shooting and searching, but I couldn't see where the work was leading. How was I going to finish this thing? Then I met Destiny. I took the photo and immediately sent a screenshot to my friends. I told them, "I'm finished with the book.”
I hadn’t found my ending. My ending had found me.
This last part is where we ask you to send some cultural inspiration out into the world, recommending 5 Good Things and the reasons why you chose them.
A restaurant or cafe you like in your city
I’m going to say your closest greasy spoon. Get English breakfast with a tea and do some people watching. That’s all you need if you really want to see true London.
A film everyone should watch
Goodfellas
A book everyone should read
Party Lines: Dance Music and the Making of Modern Britain by Ed Gillett
A musical album or artist who means something to you
Murkage Dave Changed My Life by Murkage Dave.
Where you’d send someone if they were visiting your city or hometown for the first time
I tell people to check out a desi pub, which is a classic British boozer that serves Indian food. The Prince of Wales in Southall is fantastic.
5 Good Things - Yushy - London, UK
"Photography is a form of meditation"
They put the word out when the raves are going on. Big soundsystems, whereabouts undisclosed until the last possible second. Gradually the details filter through via phone, the chat group. A mate of a mate of a mate. Parties that are heard long before they’re seen, parties that happen in secret, lights throbbing purple, are happening in London, in satellite towns, and inside the warehouses there’s a guy with a camera. He’s the only one allowed to capture this stuff, the only one who dares. His name is Yushy Pachnanda, and he’s been documenting this scene for years. We talked to Yushy for our latest 5 Good Things, discussing how to centre yourself to make the shot, how to disarm your subject, what every photographer needs, and much, much more.
Perception is everything to a photographer. Self-perception, as much as the images you want to create: so what kind of photographer would you say you are?
I'm hungry, I feel like I'm constantly searching for something. I’m almost like a fox wandering around looking for its next find. Photography can be consuming to the point where I struggle to leave the house without my camera. It's become part of how I move, how I cope in the world.
Coming from a religious family with no creative background, I've always felt like an outsider. I'm very connected to the community I grew up in, but when I'm in more traditionally creative spaces, I often feel like I don't fit in there either. Because of that, I'm drawn to people who exist on the fringes, people finding their own spaces in the world. I see a bit of myself in them.
What skills does every photographer need? Are there things you need to cultivate? What do you feel your own personal strengths are?
For me, it's being able to talk to people. Being able to make someone feel comfortable within 30 seconds, to talk to anyone about anything is really important. It’s helped me get out of a few sticky situations over the years.
I think a lot of good photography comes down to curiosity. I'm genuinely interested in people and I like asking questions. If you can connect with somebody quickly, you can usually take a better photo.
They say writing is a form of listening. What is photography a form of?
Meditation. Photography is a form of meditation. When I'm photographing, I feel completely content. It’s almost trance-like. For me it's a way of living, learning and being present while somehow not being there at all. I live vicariously through the people around me.
A lot of the time I'll leave a situation and barely remember what I did, but the moment I look back through the images, everything comes flooding back. Photography is probably the closest thing I have to mindfulness in my life.
Could you tell us what or who inspired you to pursue photography, and how you got your start?
I first started picking up a camera in college. I’d travel all over London shooting, copying things I saw on Instagram by other talented photographers. Gradually I stopped copying and just looked more at the things around me. I started noticing. After that I did an apprenticeship in social media; I’d always keep a camera on me. Soon after that I ended up going to university where things slowly unravelled into what I do now. There wasn't really a grand plan. It was just a case of always carrying a camera, always, everywhere. Developing my eye, learning to look for moments.
Do you still get the same kick out of photography you always did? What’s the juice for you? Is the creative pay-off different when you compare shooting for, say, a fashion brand or commercial client, as opposed to a warehouse party?
I love photography as a job, but I also love it as my thing. The fact I get paid to do it is amazing, but my favourite moments are still when I walk out with a camera and find myself in an unexpected place, no briefs, no deadlines, no need to show anyone anything. I just go wandering until my legs are about to give up. Commercial work is rewarding in a different way, but that feeling of discovering something for yourself never really goes away.
What about nailing the conditions for the right shot? Is there a way to get a subject to relax for portraits, breaking down inhibitions to get to their true self? How do you try to be in the right place at the right time? Do you use much equipment?
To help subjects relax, I always try to compliment them. I’ll ask them about a tattoo, where they're from, what they're up to. I'll show them my camera and start a conversation from there. Eye contact helps, but honestly, it’s smiling. Smiling goes a long way.
Being in the right place at the right time only works about 10% of the time. There are plenty of photographs I've missed that still haunt me to this day. I like keeping things simple equipment-wise. I use one camera, one lens. It's low-key, lightweight and it lets me focus on what's happening in front of me rather than the gear I'm carrying. That’s all that matters.
What about finding focus in some of the busy places you frequent, dance floors and carnivals? It must be an absolute sensory overload.
Raves and carnivals can really be incredibly overwhelming. But here I come back to that idea of meditation. When I have a camera in my hand, I feel centred, I’m completely absorbed by the crowd. I just walk and I look and I react. It’s almost like I'm trying to find my way to the other side, another place. The camera gives me purpose in those environments.
I wear earplugs a lot too, which definitely helps, but I also think I've realised that if I'm in those hectic situations without a camera, I feel completely lost.
Can you describe some of the parties you shoot and why you shoot them? What makes a squat party different to underground clubs like, say, Spanners or Ormside Projects?
A lot of it is the build-up. Sometimes you're waiting for hours before anything really happens and then suddenly you're in. The energy shifts, the music starts, blue lights appear outside and there's always a possibility the whole thing could be shut down. That feeling is hard to describe. It's exciting, chaotic and completely alive.
What I love most about the squat party scene is the sense of community. People genuinely look after each other and there aren't many egos involved. I do love established venues like Ormside Projects or The Cause, but they can feel inaccessible. Whether it’s the location, the price or simply feeling like you don't belong. Squat parties remove every one of those barriers and create something that feels more open and communal.
What about publishing and exhibiting? How have you found these experiences? Maybe you could talk about what it was like working with Velocity Press for your recent book.
Publishing and exhibiting makes everything real. You spend so much time looking at your images on a screen that seeing them printed, holding them in your hands and experiencing them physically is a completely different feeling. It gives the work a permanence that digital images won’t ever have.
Working with Velocity on Section 63 was incredibly rewarding. Years of work coming together and finding physical form as an object was one of the proudest moments of my career.
Tell us about a photo you’re proud of — or a photo that typifies your style. What does it mean to you and how did it come about?
The photo I’m most proud is of a guy called Destiny. It was taken when working on Section 63, a project documenting illegal raves in London. I saw the it before I took it. I remember thinking, this is going to change our lives.
Section 63 was an unbelievably taxing piece of work. I spent hours waiting for messages with locations, hours travelling across the city, dealing with police, sometimes people who weren't very welcoming. Within it all I found a small community of people who simply wanted to create. The project spanned years and at times it felt like it would never end. I kept shooting and searching, but I couldn't see where the work was leading. How was I going to finish this thing? Then I met Destiny. I took the photo and immediately sent a screenshot to my friends. I told them, "I'm finished with the book.”
I hadn’t found my ending. My ending had found me.
This last part is where we ask you to send some cultural inspiration out into the world, recommending 5 Good Things and the reasons why you chose them.
A restaurant or cafe you like in your city
I’m going to say your closest greasy spoon. Get English breakfast with a tea and do some people watching. That’s all you need if you really want to see true London.
A film everyone should watch
Goodfellas
A book everyone should read
Party Lines: Dance Music and the Making of Modern Britain by Ed Gillett
A musical album or artist who means something to you
Murkage Dave Changed My Life by Murkage Dave.
Where you’d send someone if they were visiting your city or hometown for the first time
I tell people to check out a desi pub, which is a classic British boozer that serves Indian food. The Prince of Wales in Southall is fantastic.