When he left university in his last year for a job at Click Studios, he worked as an assistant to some of the biggest names in photography. Phil tells t5m how inspired he was working with the likes of the great Mondino, ‘that was the one that did it for me – it was like fireworks going off’.

The photographer explains how he thinks you get an ‘honest’ portrait out of a subject. Focusing on ‘the expressions, what people do in the off moments’, Phil prefers the subtler approach as opposed to cheesy, direct ‘wedding photos’.

‘There’s something nice about portraits when you have to look into them’.

Tally Ho is a completely personal project for Phil. Out of frustration with current magazines being filled with ads and no actual content, he had the idea to start his own.

Since releasing the first issue completely independently, working as editor, art director, publisher, etc, he’s been working with John Hobbs and is seeking sponsorship for the publication from creative companies like Diesel and Puma.

Phil describes himself as more ‘art-based’ and says ‘that there was something quite nice to make a blank paper turn into something.’

Phil Knott discusses with t5m the past jobs that led him to the height of his career in photography.

‘You have to really want to do this. If you really love something, you’ll go the whole hog.’

He speaks about working for a laid-back Eddie Monsoon after being fired from Click Studios, and learning to light his subjects from a technically-orientated Neville James.

But even Phil had to start from somewhere. When he left university in his last year for a job at Click Studios, he became a rising assistant to some of the biggest names in photography. Working with the likes of the great Mondino and Annie Liebowitz.