The winner of last week's 'old world' challenge is the talented Heather of Fox and Rose Photography, and she is sharing a bit about how she describes her style, a peek into her family and what is in her camera bag!
1. Please tell us about yourself…
I live in Louisville, Kentucky with my husband and two children. While I live in a landlocked part of the country and I don’t get there often, I never feel more at peace than I do when I’m at the ocean. It soothes and calms me in a way that nothing else does.
Our kids are homeschooled and while that takes a lot of my time, I do have room for some other interests. I love to read and I’m always looking for the next good book to enjoy. I also like to sew and I enjoy going to museums.
We’re all history geeks in our house. My husband and children volunteer as costumed interpreters at a historic home and I help out with historic research, volunteering as a docent, and taking pictures at events held at the home. I’ve developed a particular interest in games, toys, and entertainment during the early 1800’s and I also do a good bit of sewing to keep my crew in proper historical garb. Those interests have had a big impact on my photography over the past few years.
2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?
Thoughtful, emotive, and soft.
Thoughtful because as much as I would love the instant gratification of seeing a moment and capturing it on the fly, it’s not a skill I possess. I admire photographers who can do that, but my best work always seems to come when I slow down and think it through first. I also spend a lot of time looking at old paintings and thinking about how I can apply what I see to my work.
Emotive because I want my subjects to see who they are in what I do and I want people who see my work to connect to the subject on some level. I have a soft spot for moodier more solemn expressions, but I do try to get some joyfulness in there from time to time.
Soft in both feel and look. I love trying to evoke the soft texture you see in many paintings. Even when there are rich colors and deeper tones, there’s a softness that is often created by a paint brush that I try to apply to my work.
3. What sparked your passion for photography?
It would be easy to say it was after my daughter was born because that’s when I got my first dslr, but I think it has always been there on some level. If I look back, I can see where I’ve always been interested in cameras and pictures. There are a lot of creative and artistic folks in my family, but I didn’t get a big dose of the drawing gene so I instead of drawing or painting pictures, I create them with my camera and editing tools.
4. What's in your camera bag right now?
I really need a new camera bag! I’ve outgrown my current one so I tend to have a little pile of lenses and other gear sitting next to my bag to go with what’s in it. My Nikon D800 and 105mm macro lens are in my bag right now along with a few spare batteries, CF cards, a lens pen and cloth, my tripod bracket, hair ties, nail clippers, bandaids, and Cactus triggers for my strobe. I also have a bodkin used for lacing up historical clothing and a three prong adapter because the historic home where I volunteer has older sockets. Sitting right next to my bag are my 70-200 mm and 24-70mm lenses in their own bags and they pretty much go where ever my main bag goes.
5. What is your dream shoot or project?
Oh, how to choose?! I’m in a real brainstorming phase right now so I have lot of ideas swirling around in my head. I would love to be able to put together a killer historical clothing collection and travel around to take pictures in different places that have historic significance both in this country and in other places, too.
6. What are some of the misconceptions you had about photography and photographers at the beginning of your photography journey? Have they changed, and how?
That I would somehow gain complete confidence in my work the second I got all of the technical stuff figured out and that a good photographer could just show up in any situation and be amazing without doing much pre-planning. It took me a while to understand and embrace that the creative process is different for everyone and that I needed to use my strengths instead of worrying about re-creating someone else’s way of doing things. That’s when the confidence finally started to happen.
7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
Embrace the process. Be patient with yourself. Take your own journey and not someone else’s. Don’t use style as an excuse to stop working on technique. Stop worrying about finding your style and find your voice instead. Figure out what you want to say and say it. Study and learn, but figure out how to apply it in your own way. Be happy.
I spent so much time focusing on all of these skills that were going to make me an amazing photographer and they did help, but I was missing the biggest piece of the puzzle. It wasn’t until I found my creative center and what feeds my creative soul that it all came together.
Find more of Heather's beautiful work here:
No comments:
Post a Comment