We would go so far as to say that we think Kane has that rare talent of not just capturing a scene or atmosphere but also the elements of why we love the game. His imagery of fans in and and outside stadiums, almost makes you feel as though you can simply step into the picture. Feel noise and passion in the San Siro, or smell the food coming from the food fans outside a stadium. Even his portraits of fans and just the football shirts themselves, makes you love football that little bit more.
Cult Kits caught up with Kane to find out a bit more about the man behind the camera who's work has caught the eye of football fans and brands alike.
CK: Tell us a bit about yourself – where you're from, where you grew up etc.
KH: I grew up in a town called Bromley on the outskirts of south London, we’d play football at Whitehall Rec' all day in the summer, (The stamina was unbelievable then) It was a pretty grey place, so I always wanted to get out and see some colour which is what led me to shooting other places and turning that into my career as a photographer.
CK: What's your earliest memory of football?
KH: Apparently I didn’t like football when I was a toddler but I do remember being on my Dad's shoulders at the parade for the '97-98 double in Islington and walking past a TV shop, with those blocky tv’s bundled on top of each other. All showing the iconic Tony Adams goal against Everton. That goal still gives me questions when I see it now, as to what he was doing there and the ping on it for a centre back is unbelievable.
CK: How did you get into photography and ultimately end up making this your profession?
KH: Growing up in a grey cold place, I always wanted to get out and see colour which, there wasn’t much of in Bromley. I would watch old movies and I was fortunate that my Dad had a book collection where I could pick out a book and read about a building in Cuba to see a different world.
"I had a friend who was a photographer and I loved the idea of translating what I would see onto paper. I was shooting projects not making any money and then, when my partner had our child pretty young, it was time to serious about it and that helped me push forward and make a career out of it."
CK: What's your most recent project been about, and how did it emerge?
KH: I recently went to Napoli and shot a series around the day they lifted the scudetto. I hadn’t been all season and after going to the stadio san Paolo for years during the era when they were the next best after Juventus I needed to go and witness this moment for the city.
"I walked for 16 hours, did 65,000 steps and will never forget the energy the people gave out. Walking along the Mergellina to fireworks, non stop singing and blue flares everywhere it was a moment that will always stick with me."
CK: What projects do you have on at the moment?
KH: Long term I’m working on a series, documenting Arsenal fans on match days around the stadium. I live by the stadium and it took me years to get past the notion that it was too obvious to do and last season I finally started it.
The project has allowed me to meet a lot of Gooners and also made me realise the phenomenal effort people go to, from around the world, in travelling to this little spot of Highbury.
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CK: So, it's safe to say that you're an Arsenal fan then?
KH: Yes, I’m an Arsenal fan. My Dad supported them and it was natural for me to follow. I was fortunate that I was just about old enough that I can remember watching the great Wenger years. At that time watching Thierry, Denis and Bobby Pires, made you feel on top of the world. Even though the United team won a lot, they didn’t have the 'Va Va Voom', that we had at Highbury.
CK: Do you collect football shirts? If so, what shirts do you have in your collection?
KH: I wouldn’t say I’m a mad collector but I’ve picked up pieces over the years of special moments/teams to me.
I've got one of the old Arsenal JVC shirts, which are special. There was one bright orange JVC kit, with a crew neck that Alex Manninger used to wear and I had a matching ginger bowl at the time. More recently, I’ve collected the 'camo' Napoli shirts, along with the home jerseys from the Cavani & Hamsik times and of course a white mars Maradona shirt.
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"I’ll always have a soft spot for the Italian shirts, that 90s/00’s time brought some absolute gems from across the country and I’d love to add some Palermo pieces to the collection."
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CK: Do you have a favourite football shirt/kit?
KH: Of all time it would be the gold Arsenal Sega shirt, Thierry burning up full backs and pelting in 30 yarders wearing that was a special sight.
CK: Which other artists/photographers do you admire?
KH: I’m a big admirer of Luigi Ghirri & William Eggleston, Helmut Newton is special and I’ve just seen a brilliant show his foundation created in Milan. Richard Diebenkorn has a special vision for colours and his work really inspires me.
CK: If you could visit one country to photograph football, which would it be and why?
KH: If I hadn’t been to Italy, I would say there and I was blessed to shoot the Brazil World Cup in 2014. Now I would love to go to Argentina and shoot the Boca/River fans. The passion looks wild and its one of those places where the club interlinks so much with the city.
CK: Can you tell us what projects you have planned for the future?
KH: I’m building up the Arsenal series with an eye on creating a book from the imagery and then I’m going to start a project travelling around to different parts of the world to watch and document match days to see how the experience feels similar and different in other cultures.
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You can view more of Kane's work here.
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