Being a Photographic Artist: Article

Katie  

So me kind of becoming a photographer, I guess, I started kind of working when I was about 15, or 16. And I kind of at that point, it was because I was connecting with digital communities online, which you know, as kind of a teenagers thing that a lot of us do. But there was something that I wasn’t connecting with. And my entire life, I always have been in love with illustration. And I wanted to attack photography in a much more illustrative way. I love that I still am, my dream one day is to be able to illustrate books with photographs instead of drawings. And I think this is where my kind of passion for being quite hands on with my print comes from. So I hand colour all of my prints, which is what gives them a kind of more objects-like feel than simply a digital image. And for me, I think that it’s so important. Everything we look at these days most of the time is on a screen. And I wanted to have something that still felt almost sacred in a way that was completely one of a kind… That feeling that I get when I go into museums and galleries and I see things behind glass cases, is so stimulating to my brain, brings so much joy to me. And I really wanted to bring that element into my own work. So I discovered using techniques like this in my late teens, when I was taking a photography class. My teacher, she kind of saw who I was and what I wanted to do and she introduced me to the work of 19th century pictorialists such as Anne Brigman, Clarence H White, Julia Margaret Cameron, etc. And they kind of fell in love with using more traditional techniques, which then goes on has evolved into my hand colouring style.

Muaz  

They are pretty cool, the ones that I saw were really fascinating. And it adds, you’re absolutely right, it adds a different dimension. Because even though I’m looking at it digitally, you can say that there are additional layers to what you’re seeing. But you won’t see from a purely, like when I go out but with my camera, and I take a photo, it’s a literal imprint of that moment in time. But overlaying that is something quite unique and I hadn’t actually seen before until I saw yours. 

Katie  

Yeah, I think it comes a lot from actually the fact that images to me or in my creative process… are very much a kind of, you know, therapy to me, it’s a bridge between my brain and reality. I’m a person that can be described as quite floaty. I find it very difficult to stay in reality for kind of too long at a time. So, photography, in a way, is my kind of therapy for that and to kind of connect people to my brain, probably a much more romanticised version of my brain but yeah, so kind of, in a way I wanted to rid elements of reality. I love the fact that photography is based in reality, but I wanted to find methods that then kind of disassociated it in a way, whether you know, having purple trees, or blue skin, or then the creatures or whoever I’m photographing themselves and the characters, but, you know, literally the colours are kind of definitely one way of doing that.

Muaz  

So, how do you approach a particular photo? So, I guess taking a step back, your photography, do you work primarily creating your own collections, or do you get commissions as well?

Katie  

So, I kind of made a vow to myself a few years ago when I was doing a lot of commissions, and I was hating it. And now I do shoot commissions and I probably shoot about half commissions and half not, but that my personal work comes first for me. And for me to kind of make that happen in terms of business is to be able to work with galleries rather than work for clients. And to kind of have clients who approach me for commissions because of my style and the way I approach things, rather than just because I am a photographer. Whether that means I have to work a day job for the rest of my life doesn’t bother me at all because photography for me, it’s my outlet, it’s my purpose, and I whenever there’s the stress of kind of depending on that, it just isn’t for me and I really really applaud people who it kind of is for. So I always have personal things on the go but at the same time, I do shoot commission’s. My main commissions are in fashion, fashion and music, really, because these are two fields where I actually end up working with other creatives who come to me and commission me, because they usually will have a style or a thought sense which they think which goes really well together. And also when approached for magazine editorial features and things like this, where I am allowed to have complete creative control over, I will accept the commission if, A… you know, I will do well and what they expect, but B… that I can make my brain kind of really flourish on it and not feel too restrictive.

Muaz  

Cool. So basically, if someone comes to you with a commission, let’s say it’s fashion based, it’s an editorial for a magazine, let’s say it’s seasonal, they want you to take, this being autumn, they want you to take that into consideration as part of it, what would be your process?

Katie  

So my process with clients, really, of any kind, and I think it is hopefully what should be the case for most photographers is definitely to just start bouncing back and forth visual references, and you know, make mood boards, however you want to, whether if that’s on Pinterest or anywhere else. I like to use slideshows and just put loads of stuff in. I mean, often I’ll get if it’s a client then there’s usually a brief that will go with it, like you said, autumn but also they’ll have their depiction of autumn so might be it could be you know, they’ll kind of depict what they want, for instance, like studio or outside, or with a set, etc. And often also, I think because of my style people come to me a lot with kind of stories or characters that they’re really interested in, what they want to create, you know… oh, it’s some kind of, of mythical being or it’s a kind of a witch like character or it’s this group of things or it’s based off a story that already kind of exists. So yeah, visual references… I’ll go away and start gathering things and kind of put myself into the brain that I need to be in. For me 99% of my images that I reference or look at for inspiration are not photographs, they are usually prints, paintings, and kind of details about the works. A lot of illustration as well book pages, for instance, like just my bedroom, are covered in like hundreds of Postcards from museums from all over the world and sometimes I just grab one of those… I just look at my wall and take them off, a lot of photographs I’ve found from markets as well. I think it also kind of really depends on the style of photography you’re into. But yeah, for me, it’s really important to not look at photography and kind of want to push those kinds of boundaries. And yes, generally will kind of bounce back and forth mood boards, maybe three or four times before I feel like we’ve come to a kind of a middle ground with the client.

Muaz  

Okay, perfect. So you get the mood boards locked down and once you’ve agreed the style, you’ve agreed what you want the settings to be on the particular day. So do you have a particular process of working with your subjects?

Katie  

So the most important thing in this kind of scenario is who you’re working with. And kind of after that initial visual bounce back stage comes to your, your team kind of casting it, if it’s a fashion shoot, then you know, your stylist, your subject and also hair and makeup artists. A lot of these people become people after you’ve done this a number of times, they are people that you’ll love to work with, and you’ll want to work with again, and again and again. I will go back to people, you know, two years later, because I really enjoyed one shoot with them, and I have a good shoot opportunity that I really want them to be involved in. Beforehand, I quite heavily like to produce my shoot days, it really helps me deal with my pre shoot anxiety, which often makes me feel really sick. So it depends on who you are, as a person, I know a lot of people can kind of roll with it a lot more. But on that day, I need to know what’s going on really. So everyone on set when they arrive knows what we’re doing and, and kind of what they’re creating. The subject will usually go straight into hair and makeup. Well, I look over everything with the stylist and then we plan the shortlist for the day. Being on set, just me and my subject is really, really important to me. And I like to have as few people there as possible because being in front of a camera, even if you’re a professional model can be quite an intimidating experience. And it’s all about kind of working with that subject. And for me, my work is character based. So I like to sit down with them for, you know, 10 minutes at some point in the day, when they’re getting their makeup done, whatever, to talk about the character. And you know, I work with a mix of people, I work with some people who know me so well and love kind of what they do and kind of being a muse for artists that they don’t even need any directions, that they’re actors. And I actually really love working with performance artists over kind of traditional models, because they’re so incredible with their knowledge of their body and their face and their emotion and expression. But, you know, I’ve learned through the years and it took me quite a while from being quite a nervous person to, to really just just be willing to push your subjects for what you want. They don’t know what they look like in that moment, you do, you know what’s going to be the picture. So within reason, obviously, you’re going for an emotion, you’re going for a story. Don’t be afraid to in the loveliest way possible to push that person into making that happen, though, they’ll thank you for it later.

Muaz  

Oh, amazing. That sounds like quite an intense day.

Katie  

It can be, but no, it’s really fun. There’s lots of biscuits, and it’s usually really fun. Also, I think the thing about me with that is that I only shoot maybe five frames per look. I’m really strict with that. Once you are on set and it’s ready to go, it’s like five to 10 minutes tops getting a shot. Yeah, it needs to be enjoyable for everyone, otherwise they might not want to work with you again.

Muaz  

So it sounds like it’s been… How do I say this? There’s a lot of complexity here. You know, so, even though it sounds quite simple from the way that you’re saying it, it’s because you’re a professional… you could do this without thinking much about it, but from the way that you’ve described this it comes, at least to the layperson, like me, it comes across as really complex. So If you were to go back, you know, or to someone starting out in the industry, what advice would you give to them? What would be the ideal way to start progressing through your career towards the point where you can actually talk in that way where you know what you want, you know what character you want to be depicted in front of you… so you can take that snap, how you want, you know, the scene to look.

Katie  

So, I’m going to talk as if I’m talking to a younger me, because I remember being a person that was so incredibly passionate, but had no, who wasn’t very good at, you know, pushing out there and how I kind of grew. And I think the main thing, if you’re kind of at the beginning, and you don’t know just yet what style you want to look at, I mean, the first thing you should be doing always is, is researching and looking and learning as an artist, as a visual artist, you know, having your references down, having things that you enjoy and working out what are the things that you enjoy about images you’re looking at, can really help you but when it comes to creating. If you’re really at the beginning and you have no idea what your style is, what genre you want to go into… Honestly, just shooting a lot is really beneficial for that, I think shooting digitally, shooting film, shooting, you know, landscapes, shooting through with, like homemade filters, to getting your friend in, just taking headshots and portraits and things. I remember being a teenager and just doing that, and just the practice of having things in front of your lens and seeing where your eye goes is really important. I think if you for instance, you’re like me and you like to shoot people, and especially if you’d like to shoot people, not necessarily in a photojournalistic way, but also, I think, if you do, my main advice to myself is that you have to pretend to be utterly fearless. When I used to shoot then and now even, it’s gotten better, but the pre shoot anxiety that I get keeps me up at night for weeks ahead of any shoot, it can be like the smallest thing ever… it can be a shoot that ends up lasting for an hour and a half, it goes really well. But because I feel so determined to kind of create what I want to create, and also, you know, a lot of the times you’re meeting people for the first time and you want them to enjoy what you’re doing. And you kind of really just have to pretend that what you’re doing is the best thing ever, and it is the best thing ever, but they haven’t seen that yet. So all those things you kind of, you know, you kind of end up questioning yourself a lot. And you end up, you’ll end up working with people, you know, since you started taking pictures, and maybe you find a makeup artist in your local area that you really like, or a designer in your local area that you really like or, or just a subject and artist or someone you want to create with, that it can almost feel very intimidating to reach out to them. But just for five minutes, you know, because you’re probably thinking about it quite a lot, five minutes, just pretend that you are much bigger than you are. And just you know, send those messages, turn up on shoot days and talk about your ideas so incredibly confidently. Because as soon as you’ve done it once, and as soon as it’s worked, it just slowly becomes easier. It takes years. And I’m still terrified of messaging people and you know, getting people to actually come to my set when they realise that my studio is just in my living room and I don’t really, you know, haven’t really got everything worked out. But honestly, just for five minutes, just pretend that you are everything you want to be as an artist and I promise it will begin to get easier.

Muaz  

We see this time and time again. You know, people in the creative arts need a community around them. It’s not optional, you know, because it’s one of those things… It’s almost like in order to create, you need at the very least someone else to view what you’re creating. So you need that one other person, community just keeps on coming up again and again and again. It sounds surprisingly important, but you know, it’s really not surprising, because and we’ve noticed that with like, just the average person, before COVID-19 people were like, you know what, I could stay in my house for like two months and I won’t care. But after like four days people are like, you know, I need to get out of my house… community is so important, being around other people is so important.

Katie  

Absolutely and, you know, the internet is what an incredible thing because I do think like, if I was an artist in the 19th century, like you sometimes like to fantasise about, how much scarier is that to get anywhere, you have to physically turn up and annoy people until they work with you. There’s a great thing about Julia Margaret Cameron, sending prints and letters to the V&A like year after year after year, when she was a nobody, and getting rejected, but just having the kind of audacity just to, like, keep emailing, oh yeah not emailing, sending letters to one of the most prestigious places in the world. But anyway, well, I mean, the internet is an incredible thing. If you’re just starting out, and you know nobody in your real life who is creative, like, you have those online communities, you have Instagram, and just start reaching out to people. Just, you know, showing people what you can do and, and honestly, then some of those kind of people that I’ve met online, either through work or through just mutual admiration of their work have become some of my best friends, people, I actively travel to go see, people that I actively work with on a regular basis, don’t underestimate them, they will be the making of you. 50% of your work is, you know, finding, finding your community finding your audience. And yeah, the internet is a beautiful thing for that.

Muaz  

We find a lot of that as well. And that’s probably one of the biggest things that we push, whenever we talk to people, whenever we work with people, we say one of the most important things you are going to have to do is connect with people and start building your network. So that is something that I 100% agree with. So which actually brings us nicely onto this other thing that I’d like to discuss, which is resources. So what are resources that have helped you out in doing your job and building you up? So you have talked about like the internet and, and having online resources, are there particular resources that you find useful?

Katie  

For me, honestly, the first resource I probably ever had, as most photographers in my age group was connecting with people on flicker when we were all like 16. I met a lot of friends from there, which really helped me kind of kickstart my career. Other than that, depending on what kind of photographer you want to be, for me, I’m very lucky to work with a gallery now in terms of my prints, and trying marketing my work. And that’s, you know, been kind of doing that for the past like four years. And that for me has really changed the game of the way I think of myself as an artist. So if you’re a fine art photographer, and actually a lot of people also sell their own prints,  which you can also do online. But I think, for me, it’s been working with kind of small gallerists and curators actually has been really big to kind of be part of group exhibitions and leading on to having my first solo exhibition earlier on this year. Also, in terms of inspiration, I think, you know, it sounds weird because we’re doing one right now but podcasts in general photography, art world podcasts, I think you know, as an artist, you need to stay really aware of the entire scene around you. I think it really helps to constantly be learning about new people. So I think having a kind of daily art podcast, or reading a daily kind of art online magazine, newspaper… I think it really helps to work out… A, where the kind of industry and the business is headed and the problems that are in it right now that we should all be addressing and… B, to kind of yeah connect with more people. We do a lot of online networking, but also, you know, when we hopefully can one day, if you’re in a place where you’re able to do it, go out to events, to go out to meet groups, find photography meetups near you, I met so many wonderful people through those kinds of things. Yeah, absolutely. You just have to kind of immerse yourself in the culture, I think. And any resource digital or in person that helps you do that is beneficial. 

Muaz  

Amazing. Well, thank you very much. There’s a lot of stuff that I learned as well. Which is always a good thing… 

You can find Katie online at: 

• Website: www.katieeleanor.com
• Instagram: _katieeleanor
• Facebook: facebook.com/katieeleanorphotography

You can listen to the whole interview podcast over on our podcast page or by clicking here at Being a Photographic Artist.