This month I am bringing you an interview with Laura-Ferreira ! Laura is a photographer in Trinidad and Tobago who has been with the DA community for 11 years! Her photography is rich and vibrant, and her gallery is filled with outstanding images that would easily stand out in any crowd (fyi, she is also an incredible traditional artist, check out those paintings!!) I was so excited to get the chance to interview her, and I hope you enjoy this month's Catwalk Talk interview!
What made you decide to photograph people? And were people the first subject in front of your lens?
It was a bit of life circumstances and genuine interest in portraiture. When I was 21 I was expecting my son, and working at a web design company. I'd always had the interest in portrait photography, but only got that push to try my hand at it after seeing some beautiful photos on DeviantArt. I bought a small camera and started (as most people do) with self-portraiture. It grew from there. I loved the styling aspect of portrait work, and getting into fashion was a natural progression.
Please, tell me briefly about your fashion photography style.
My visual style is usually bold colours, a bit of movement in the composition, and I love coming up with interesting lighting. That sounds like it could be every photographer's answer, but those are the things I focus on - and I love single-model photography.
Are you self-taught or formally educated in photography? And if you're self-taught, what resources have you found to be the most helpful on your journey?
Self-taught, and my biggest resource is photography or paintings that I come across online. I visually learn from other's work, and then I incorporate those technical lessons into my own form.
Do you think in this age of technology that photography is "easier" or more "accessible?" And does this matter for the industry?
Photography is easier, in that, cameras are more accessible, but, good photography is still something that takes learning and patience. The industry is flooded with poor quality imagery, it's up to the photographer to rise above and stand out.
What do you find most inspirational for your creativity?
I love staring at paintings. Photography made me a better painter, and painting made me a better photographer. I've become better with colour and tones in both fields from studying both fields.
Do you plan out your photoshoots extensively beforehand? Or are you a bit more spontaneous when creating a fashion series?
I try to plan them out and do a rough sketch, but, sometimes there is no time to get to pre-detailed, so I wing it. In the moment of shooting, I have the best AH-HA! moments.
What has been the most important piece of advice you've been given on photography? And what advice would you give to a fashion photographer trying to start out?
I think the best advice wasn't really given, but something I just learned through experience. Don't compare yourself to others, and never think that you're as good as you can be. There is always improvements to be made.
What is your favorite and/or most successful photo-shoot you've created?
It's always changing, but I love a recent Carnival photoshoot I did for a Trinidadian Carnival band called The Lost Tribe. I had a great team.
Putting together teams for photoshoots can be difficult, and many new photographers don't know where to start. How do you find people to work with? What kinds of qualities do you look for in a creative team?
I really have to work with many people before I can point to who I think is amazing and would like to work again with. I'm quite horrible at networking (waves my introvert flag) but I've made contact with most people by messaging them on social media, or vice versa.
How do you connect with your models when they're in front of the camera? Do you do lots of model directing on photoshoots?
I mentally block out everyone else in the room and talk to the model gently, calmly, and humorously if they're a bit nervous, and I get what I need. Sometimes I have someone helping me out if the situation is difficult.
What kind of goals are you currently working towards with your photography?
I'm a bit inspired by some beauty photographers I've come across on Instagram. I'm trying to focus more on beauty photography right now because of this. I'm having a lot of fun with going back to previous shoots, finding close-ups, and working on them.
Catwalk Talk is...
"Catwalk Talk" is a monthly series of interviews by Queen-Kitty . The interviews will be with up-and-coming as well as established DeviantArt fashion photographers, where you get to find out about the person behind the camera! Each interview is meant to inspire and inform. A new interview will be released on the third Monday of each month.
