5. Learn to break the rules
"Forget about the rule of thirds, the perfectly exposed image, the idea that 'everything has to be sharp' or that landscapes are horizontal and portraits vertical," says Kevin. "The internet is full of these rules and I think it's the worst you can do to your photography. When I frame a landscape, I don't calculate where the horizon needs to be or where the subject has to be positioned, I just follow my feeling."
Some of Kevin's most successful images defy expectations. For example, his shot of flamingoes in Bolivia was taken in the middle of the day, around 1pm, "when other landscape photographers might go for a nap because they wouldn't think they could get anything worthwhile," he laughs. Thanks to the pervasive glare and absence of shadows, the photograph achieves the soft, dreamy, pastel-hued look that Kevin favours. Often he shoots against the light, which many landscape photographers avoid in order to keep the scene distinct and prevent lens flare, unless that's specifically what they're after.
Of course, Kevin's readiness to break the conventions of style and technique is a reflection of his general outlook. He's drawn to subcultures, outsiders who live on the edges of mainstream society – wrestlers or islanders, hippies in the off-grid eco-village of Matavenero in Spain, anti-airport activists in the ZAD protest camp in France. "I've always loved the exotic close to home," he explains. "There's so much to be discovered beneath the surface."