Informative Personal Interview With British Photographer Leona Turford
February 9, 2010
Q: How does your personality change when you look through the camera?
A: I tend to come out of my shell much more; I’ll try some of the oddest positions to take shots and ideas out to get the shot that normally I wouldn’t do. Such as lying down on a questionably stained pavement to get a
full shot!
Q: Do you like to talk about yourself or your pictures? If yes, about what aspects of photography? If no, why?
A: It varies from shoot to shoot really; a lot of people don’t realise I’m actually rather shy so I tend to discuss photography and my work much more. Get me started though and I will geek on for hours about photography.
Q: How would you describe your attention span?
A: I tend to get distracted by my work; if it’s photography, fashion, or art related I’m usually on the ball.
Q: When did you decide to become a photographer?
A: Just over ten years ago; at the time I was lucky to get a work experience placement with renowned local photographer, Graham Catheral. Working in his studio in Flintshire and trying out black & film photography was the final turning point for me that really got into art photography.
Q: What does photography mean to you?
A: It’s an art form. I’ve always been hands on with art from glass making to painting, and it’s another form of expression through the lense, capturing a different angle on a moment in time.
Q: Can you recall the first photo you took that made you go WOW!?
A: A shot I took ten years of a local landmark. The way the light captured passing traffic on the bridge, and the composition were stunning captured on black & white film.
Q: Do you have any formal training regarding photography?
A: After my placement I studied Photography as part of my ND course at college. Going onto teach myself further techniques over the years.
Q: How technical is your photography?
A: I’m always messing around with exposures to try and get some obscured on purpose shots; or taping bits and pieces to the flash gun, or lense to create different lighting, colours, and effects.
Q: How do you feel about cropping?
A: I’ve got nothing against it myself, it’s one of the first techniques I learnt in the darkroom.
Q: Where is your favorite place to live and work as a photographer in the World and why?
A: Well considering I’m not very well travelled outside of the UK just yet I’d have to say I’ve done some of my favourite shoots around Liverpool, the city is bursting with creativity and stunning spots. I’m also lucky to be surrounded by some of the most lush locations in North Wales just a short drive away from me.
Q: Define the word “beauty”!
A: Everyone has such a different perspective on beauty that it can’t be pinned down to one specific. Beauty is variation.
Q: What is your most favorite and least favorite word in photography or life? How do they make you feel?
A: Most favourite is creative; least is shouldn’t there’s too much emphasis on what you should and shouldn’t do as a photographer, it should be open to the individual photographers ideas and interpretations.
Q: How do you feel about missed shots which cannot be recreated?
A: It makes me take one of my cameras out with me everywhere. I always have one of my lomo cameras in my bag now so I can grab that random shot.
Q: Ever concerned about failure?
A: I’m always picking at little bits I could change or alter in my work. It’s the side affect of being a designer alongside my photography, we’re always constantly updating and perfecting our work!
Q: Who are your influences?
A: There’s so many! I’ve been hugely influenced by the fashion photography of Cecil Beaton, Erwin Blumenfeld, and Horst P Horst. Alongside Pennie smith, Mitch Ikeda, Cindy Sherman, & Andy Warhol.
I’m also hugely influenced by music, taking ideas from the concepts or images that flash in your mind from particular songs. It’s a theme that I’m working on in the new year, which I’m rather keen on.
Q: What is your favorite image, either your own or someone else’s or both? Describe its creation or meaning to you?
A: There’s one shot in particular that stands out from the work I’m more known for. Taken on a shoot with UK model, Mistress coffin candy a few months back. I wanted to do a more fashion orientated shoot that looked spontaneous but stylized at the same time. It shows the direction that my work is going into now, whilst also retaining my alternative style of photography.
Q: Describe a day in your personal or professional life.
A: It varies so much; being a designer alongside as well as running a magazine I can be answering emails all morning one day, running around rocks with my camera the next morning, or drafting ideas for work in my sketchbook.
Q: What are the biggest personal or professional challenges you face on a daily basis?
A: Finances; if only a new high quality dslr wasn’t going to set me back a grand or so then I’d be sorted! I say this of course as a graduate student facing the traditional student loan repayment.
Q: What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer in whole?
A: Only really finances again; I’m always looking to invest in new equipment that will better my work but as a graduate it’s always a struggle till that first really big pay check.
Q: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
A: People, more so within the alternative scene as I much prefer working with creative individual folk. And derelict spaces, I adore rusted, abandoned places for my artwork.
Q: Tell your funniest, scariest, most bizarre, most touching story from a photo shoot!
A: There’s been a few shoots with models where we’ve unfortunately been plagued with the obligatory pervy man in the background, local drunk, or tourist stopping us for a photo. I comically kept having to move the model around one on of my first shoots to move away from one such local drunk hovering in the background watching us shoot.
Q: Have you ever thought about or actually stopped doing photography? What were the circumstances?
A: I’ve never stopped really expect for a while at university during busy projects. I’ve just cut down certain areas of my photography at different times of the year. Winter’s always difficult for on location work with models so I tend to take December – early February off for shoots during the coldest months; sticking to my art photography whilst it’s the perfect light conditions for outdoor shots though!
Q: Do you ever have photographer’s block and if yes how do you deal with it?
A: Everybody does; when there’s so much more competition with alternative photography these days you have to be on the ball to come up with a unique and different concepts that make your work stand out, so I tend to take to old work for inspiration to spark an idea, perhaps something I could have added to a previous shoot.
Q: What types of assignments are you attracted most?
A: Ideas that I’ve not tried before; as well as creative briefs, and bright colourful themes.
Q: Describe what black and white photography means to you?
A: Classic and visually striking imagery. If I had better access to black and white film locally I’d use it much more often.
Q: Do you think of yourself as an artist and what do you think of the word artist?
A: Definitely; I got into photography as an art form initially (after years of standard snaps when I was younger). It’s another medium for me to create my work within, experimenting with techniques and styles inside, and outside of lense.
Q: How do you describe your photographic style?
A: Artistic and creative.
Q: What has been the most surprising or most predictable reaction to your photographs?
A: I’m mostly surprised when old school friends email me to say that they really like my photographs.
Q: Tell a little secret about yourself that no-one knows …
A: I used to play the violin, if it wasn’t for the insistence that it sounded like dying kittens I may have perfected it!
Q: Who or what would you love to shoot that you haven’t already?
A: More bands. I’d love to do a professional band promo shoot. I used to do a lot of live photography but with cameras so present at gigs these days I’ve since stopped.
Q: What would you have done differently during your photography career so far and could this be an advice to others?
A: Not rushed into group shoots as soon as I did. My first initial one went far differently than I’d expected, that looking back I really should have waited for the right moment to take part in one. Nowadays I’m much more comfortable within group shoots and I’ve got to work with some astounding models through attending them.
Q: What are your thoughts on the paparazzi and their effects on photographers and photography?
A: Business is business I suppose; although it’s not an area of photography that I condone.
Q: How do you feel about digital manipulation and to what extent do you utilize it?
A: I’ve nothing against it myself when it’s used artistically, but I do think it’s being used far too much that most may expect every photographers work to include extensive manipulation. I particularly dislike manipulation of images to change women’s sizes, and shapes to a more ‘acceptable’ image.
I do use the odd bit of Photo shop here and there myself but only to the same level as I would use on a photo in the darkroom, or when cleaning up a scanned shot to remove dust particles.
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