Interview updates.. Transcription of interview with Nick Williams

How do u fit into the market place?

I find that a mixture of reportage and formal mixed in with good quality Photoshop there are people who look at my website and say you Photoshop everything I don’t but the ones on the website are the wow factors. I know guys who don’t photo shop anything but there really quiet. You got to be able to take there photo and make it look different. Shoot at 2.8 backgrounds out of focus and make sure you’ve got beautiful sky’s and stuff like that. About I think giving variety of pictures and showing some experience also on my website there a category of winter wedding and that brings in people for winter weddings and make the website a bit personal, a picture of me on the website and stuff like that.

How would u describe your personal journey?

I did it as a hobby for a long time. Decided to take it up pro it went very quick. Timing is a lot to do with that advertised on yell .com, with 17 photographers on. So yea when I decided to be a photographer full time when I left the army 8 months later I was full time. 27 weddings in first year, I know Photographers now who don’t do 27 weddings 2nd 42 3rd 50 something. 

Do you have an artist background?

Nothing at all just started as a photographer. Had a practica mtl50 Russian camera….

What camera do u use now?

Cannon 1d mark 4 and a 5d mark 2

Do you only shoot Digital now or?

All digital and not film, Digital is easier to work with, clients prefer it because you can instantly see the results but also because I make a lot of wedding albums which I send digitally to a company to print, now if I had to scan on 400 35mm negs, edit then send them it would take me 10 times longer and really the quality of digital cameras now mean that in a wedding picture you couldn’t tell the difference anyway.

Did you just start with shooting wedding or did it start somewhere else?

No I didn’t start on wedding, I started on portraits because I was in the army and you can’t just book a wedding in there. Don’t kinda work that way.

Has any particular photographer inspired you to produce any certain pieces of work?

Um the only person, don’t tell him, David Mcgurr when I joined the masters photographers association I entered the first competition that guy beat me in both and I loved his work and now after figuring out his technique I use it myself, and that’s the only person I’m not really into these famous photographers, I’m not I don’t follow it, I do what I like, I do look at some peoples website and I’m an absolute addict for um… buying mags, you can never stop learning I don’t think. So yea I’m always looking through that. Damien Lovegrove actually I like him, he’s a nice chap, I looked at his latest work that he’s doing and it beautiful absolutely stunning, he ‘s got a good blog actually you should check it out, he used to be a BBC cameraman.

Last question really, do you enjoy what you do?

Um………….. Parts of it, I love taking photos, I could shoot 200 weddings a year and not get bored, I hate editing, and I especially hate editing studio work.

My Skills and weaknesses as a Photographer and a person

Tricky question really. I have had to do a lot of thinking about this. I think that i am good at working under pressure, a good skill to have being a photographer because people seem to want you to perform miracles, in sometimes very shot spaces of time and this in turn adds pressure to your life. I also thing i have good soft skills, to be able to communicate correctly with people and not be too overpowering and invasive however with that i sometimes find it hard to tell people what i want in a modeling situation, but this is something that will be overcome with more practice I'm sure. My weaknesses are sometime that i can get a little bit controlling with everything and not let other people in a team for instance do work because i feel that if they let the team down i have no control over what has happened and if i let the team down i know its my fault.

When i find out more strengths and weaknesses i will update this post.

Where i will be in 5 Years time-PhotoMontage??????

Well, as part of our work based learning, we were all asked to produce an image of where we want to be in five years time; and the truth is i really do not know. This made me thing about my life a bit and i discovered that i really only work for the day that i am living and that 5 years is a long time to be thinking into the future, of course i would like to have completed my BA and found a job but representing a job, something specific i would like to do, this is much harder and so the image i chose to take was a self portrait of myself holding a sheet of paper in front of me with question marks all over it to try and show that actually i have no idea where I would "like to be" in 5 years time.

Photographer Interview Part one

Just after Christmas this year i interviewed my first photographer, Nick Williams. Nick is a Bristol based photographer who specialises  in Weddings and Portraiture. I have kind of decided that wedding photography is where i should head towards as i have enjoyed the ones i've done and it seems like, if you can get the work, a good line of photographer to go down. So the interview, i arrived expecting a no if I'm honest but he was a very nice bloke, really friendly and inviting, which i suppose you have to be to take weddings, but we did it there and then as he was working on a wedding album.

I had prepared a list of questions to ask but the interview kind of went into an informal chat, with me asking anything that popped into my head which was really good but now i have to transcribe it. which I'm not looking forward to. I will be transcribing in the next couple of days and hopefully have it on here by the end of the week. But for now you have his image and his website to look at.

http://acorn-studios.co.uk/

Jobs that are out there if i wanted to try... From the extreme to the not so.

After a very small amount of effort looking on google, i came across what would be, for the candidate, a wonderful opportunity.


The opportunity i am on about is about getting to go over to Africa with your photography, voluntarily of course, but still a wonderful opportunity. If you are into story telling with your photography, journalism or video. Here is some information on the Scheme:


 LearnAsOne is a charity which funds schools in Africa. We strongly believe that our donors deserve to see exactly how their money is spent.

So we share stories, photos and videos from every community we work with and introduce supporters to the children whose lives they are changing. This creates an ongoing need for experienced (i.e. really good) storytellers to join us on our trips to Africa to document our projects.

We are looking for a photographer, journalist and camera op to help uncover and tell community stories in a very raw form, plus follow-up with the people we met on our previous trips. We also need video editors to edit footage soon after we return to the UK.

A small number of stories and photographs need to be uploaded onto our blog and twitter while we are in Africa. You’ll also be expected to contribute stories for at least six-months after the trip to provide regular content for our supporters. Rawly edited video needs to follow a week or two after the trip and again continue over the next six months. Please take a look at this photo story and the work of volunteers Adam and Brenda to see the type of stories we have told so far.

These opportunities are voluntary and will need to be self-funded.

 http://www.learnasone.org/get-involved/storytelling-team/?gclid=CLr1x4fewaYCFVc03godpwegIw


The next job i think i should talk about is a schools photographer, the type you get when you were at school getting a class photo and what not, i have found many adverts for these photography positions. I can't see why this should be but i can only assume that it is a rather unliked photography job.


The best one i could find was advertised with Tempest Photography. (information below)


Tempest Photography 

Require A Full-Time Photographer Working With Children

In West Lothian

Due to expansion an additional member of staff is required by leading Company of School and Early Years Photographers. 

Applicants should have a good basic interest in photography although previous experience is not essential as full photographic and representative training is given. Applicants must have a pleasant outgoing personality, a natural rapport with children, enjoy being out and about meeting other people and the necessary drive and ambition to represent well. 

The Hours Of Work Are In School Term-Time Only

The above position offers an interesting and challenging career during term time only, although it is salaried for 12 months of the year. The position also provides a Company car, expenses and other benefits. 

The position will only be offered on completion of a Criminal Records Check.


The last Position which has interested me for a little while is the photography position of cruise ship Photographer. One interesting one i found was with Cast-Away-Jobs which specialise in jobs on cruise ships. They were advertising a job as a Ship Photographers / Videographers / Retail

This dynamic team provides complete shipboard photography services which include guest photography, portraiture, videography, guest film processing and onboard retail sales of photography equipment and accessories.

QUALIFICATIONS

Formal training in Photography / Videography / Retail or professional experience is preferable, but not essential. Must be sociable and enjoy working with people.

Interview updates

I have discovered that a neighbors son is a sports photographer. I have never thought about a possible route as a sports photographer but it could be something to look at as i hear he is doing rather well and i will be hopefully getting in contact with him in the next few days.

Work Placement update

With a bit of research i have found a really interesting portrait and wedding service very local to where i live in Bristol. The Studio is called Acorn Studios (http://acorn-studios.co.uk/) this studio is in Staple Hill about 10 minutes from where i live and the work is really eye catching and contemporary. I will be attempting to approach the owner/photographer soon to hopefully arrange a meeting to do and interview and a portrait.  

A change of tact

I have decided, very late in the day i know, that i would like to try and get a work placement within a portrait or wedding service. A move that i think could pay off as i have done weddings before and i have also taken many portraits which i have enjoyed doing and i think it would pay to find out more about the area just to see if it is for me or not.

Interview with Caroline Pilling update

I have just received a response from Caroline say that she cannot be interviewed as she is on maternity leave. This leaves me with trying to find another photographer to interview.