I've had an interest in photography for years and years now. Back when I was at school, whenever me and my friends would go out together or go to a party, I was always the one with a camera. I would take hundreds of pictures, because to me taking photos meant that I could keep the memories forever. My parents have a huge stash of old photos in the cupboard in my room, so maybe that's where my love stemmed?
I studied photography at A-Level, which is probably when I started taking it more seriously. It quickly became one of my favourite subjects, and I just loved the fact that my homework and my coursework and exam work consisted of me going out and taking photographs to meet a specific brief. I could interpret it in any way I wanted to, and it gave me so much freedom to express myself. I came out with an A in the end (not too shabby), and I haven't really stopped taking photos ever since.
My favourite things to photograph mostly involve nature. It's everywhere, it's gorgeous, and I see so many photogenic aspects of it wherever I go. If i go on a walk, I'll take my camera. If I go away for the day, or for a week or two, I'll take my camera. I don't ever want to miss out on an opportunity to capture a beautiful image. It's amazing how much joy you can get from simply spotting something that would make a great photograph. Flowers, animals, insects and lanscapes are my favourite things to capture. I just don't think I'll ever tire of seeing a beautiful sunset, perfectly framed, or a close up of a beautiful flower, showing all the intricate details that the eye doesn't always see.
People are wonderful to photograph too. I'm less fond of a staged photoshoot, and much prefer catching people off-guard. Natural pictures are some of the loveliest because they just show people as they are; no posing, no airs and graces, just natural.
I find inspiration in so many places. If I'm totally honest, it's quite a simple process for me; if I see something that visually looks like it would make a good photograph, then I'll take it. Sometimes I'll just snap away, and once I come to look at everything on my laptop, maybe I'll find a little gem that I never expected to take? The beauty of an image is completely subjective, but the way I see it is that if you like it, then that's all that matters. It's your work. Be proud of what you can create.
Often I'm just walking around and I see something and think "wow, that would make an amazing photograph", but I don't have my camera on me, or I don't have time to stop and get my phone out. Times like that are a shame, but another opportunity will come along instead. Sometimes I'll imagine how spectacular an image i've taken is going to turn out, and then I look at it again and instantly hate it. It doeesn't look how I expected it to. Again, these things happen.
I find other people's photography really inspiring and motivating. I talked about the bookstagram community a couple of weeks ago, and when I see people's book photography posts on instagram it really inspires me, both to take my own photos and to read more! There are so many other places I'm exposed to beautiful imagery - tumblr and pinterest and so many others.
My weapon of choice is a Nikon D3300 SLR. Sometimes I use the Nikon lens, but I mostly use the Tamron 90mm macro lens because wow. I'm a big fan of close up, macro images, and this lens does exactly everything I want. Capturing all the tiny details is really exciting for me when I'm taking photographs and this one provides me with an automatic and a manual focus which I love. I enjoy the fact I can be so precise when snapping pictures.
I have a couple of other cameras that I sometimes use as well; a Sony Cyber-shot and a Canon Power-shot SX260 HS. I'll mainly use these if I'm going somewhere that I don't want to take my SLR, or if I just fancy a different camera. When I'm out and about I'll use my iPhone 6, and the photos are pretty decent to be honest, especially just for snapping a few quick shots that have caught my eye.
Using Photoshop is a massive part of my photography process and I really enjoy this part of it as well. Editing images to really enhance them and make them look as aesthetically pleasing as possible is so much fun. Everyone who uses Photoshop probably has their own little quirks and tools that they swear by. I won't lie, I go through phases of using the same tools because I particularly like the effect they give, but I'm certain that I don't use Photoshop to is fullest potential. I do learn things every now and again though, thanks to tumblr/friends who use it for design purposes :)
The vibrance tool is a favourite of mine. I love my images to look bright and colourful, especially ones of flowers and plants. To contrast, with book images, I try to go for a more muted look - bold colours but with a faded layer over the top of them.
I really enjoy having an eye for photography. I love the fact that I look at something and immediately think "that would make a lovely photograph". It's a nice way to look at the world :)
Feel free to check out my photography instagram page and tumblr page.
Do you enjoy photography? What are your favourite things to take pictures of? Leave a comment and let me know!
~C xxx
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