And today I came across a series of tips attributed to London photographer Laura Pannack that I discovered on a blog by Irma Rose Pettitt. They are the result of a talk given by Laura to documentary photography students at Newport School of Art, Media and Design, in South Wales.
I thought there were some excellent nuggets of information in here that were worth sharing with anyone for whom photography is a passion. This is what Irma wrote of that lecture:
- Enter as many awards etc as you can, but be wary because a lot of them are set up just to make money. Make sure the subject of the award is something that interests you and it relates to the actual award
- Put yourself out there. Laura went on camps and joined groups to meet people and look for inspiration. Think about charity work, social groups, activities, teaching etc as a way to find what interests or inspires you and photograph everything and everyone that does
- A lot of Laura’s work is about stereotyping and preconceptions and challenging them. It’s really interesting and inspiring stuff
- One quote I got from her during the lecture was, “Saviour every minute you click the shutter”. She went on to say that you should not click needlessly just because you feel you should be taking pictures. Only take what inspires you - don’t waste film on nothing
- Set up group crits in the future and stay in touch with all your photography friends. Laura said doing this had helped her a lot and she said her friends inspired her as much as any other photographer
- Don’t do free assisting. Make sure you get out what you put in. Also don’t work for someone if you don’t like their work or style because you won’t enjoy yourself or learn anything
- Put yourself out there before you finish university. Get in there first. Ask everyone and don’t give up. Her top tips were: have ideas, be equipped (think ahead and bring everything you think you might need) and be punctual, polite, quiet and alert. Do your research and invoice properly!
- Use every opportunity to create a project. Be open-minded, keep your eyes open for side projects
- Her tips for preparing yourself for when you finish university: prepare financially, stay in touch with friends, contact people early, support each other, keep shooting, look backwards (what she meant by this was, when you plan for the future think about how you want to get there and how you have made it to where you are now). Plan what you want to get in advance. Contact EVERYONE!
- Another thing she said that I liked was that she is "constantly learning and constantly inspired". I know I am still learning now and will be for a long time, but I think that is a great thing to never forget - you can always learn more and find something new to inspire you
- During the Q&A time at the end one person asked how she got the person being photographed to relax and what she said to them. She talked about balancing shooting and connecting with the person. Plan ahead and see if you think you are going to need time with that person to talk first and gain their trust. She said if you think you are going to need an hour with the person to relax them and gain their trust and understand them but you don’t have the time, then if it is not essential, don’t shoot them - just talk and rearrange. If you rush it, it won’t work and it will be a waste of a shoot
- Play down the situation of being photographed. Most people hate being photographed because they feel exposed, so chat to them, make them forget and talk it down. Know what you want the image to say and what you are trying to portray and explain that to them so they understand
- One good tip she had was getting the person to talk to someone off camera or doing something that takes their interest or concentration so you can catch those relaxed, casual moments
- Get the person to talk about themselves or think about something specific to create the expression/emotion you want
- You have to use what you have and who you are with. Be creative.
Good sensible tips we should all be doing!
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