When did you begin taking photographs and how did it lead to your current practice?
My lifelong love of animals began during my formative years in outback South Australia where my father was a sheep shearer and wool valuer. As an only child, my constant companions were my dogs, guinea pigs, horses, rabbits and bottle-fed lambs. My family had a great regard for Australian wildlife and I often helped my mother rescue and care for a wide array of injured joeys, birds and other creatures until they could be released back into their natural habitat.
Photography became a serious passion in 2006. On occasion I’d used a point-and-shoot camera and film camera until then, but when a friend showed me the scope of digital photography I was hooked. Never one to do things by halves, I spent every spare moment studying photographic literature, and practising the craft on my own pets, those of friends and family, as well as farm animals and wildlife. I tried a few other genres such as landscapes and people, but animals enthralled me more than any other subject. Within a short period of time I knew animals would be the focus of my lens.
Fast forward to today and I’m very clear on why I get out of bed each day to take photographs. I want to show people how beautiful animals are through images and support, promote and endorse, animal rescue.
On a work trip to the stunning Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean Territories I photographed a group of giant blue clams at a rustic breeding facility. Mesmerised by the vivid colours of the clams I waited patiently to get the right shot. One of the images received positive feedback from family and friends and I felt encouraged to enter it into several major photographic competitions. I was thrilled (and a bit surprised!) when it won several major awards. This led to gallery representation and print sales of the image – and was the first time I felt like my photographs had a value. People actually wanted to pay for my work!
Meanwhile, I converted a small office at the back of our property into a photographic studio and spent every weekend filling requests for pet portraits. What started as a weekend hobby was growing so much and I found myself working up to 100 hours per week in both jobs. It was crazy busy but thrilling to gradually see the emergence of a viable business in which I could merge my two passions – animals and photography. When the demand for my photography grew (2009), I knew a decision had to be made – stick with my safe Government job or take a chance on this burgeoning, in demand business. At the time I was debt free and my back up plan if photography bombed was to work in a pet products store.
I decided to take a leap of faith and left my government role.
Houndstooth Studio was born.
What’s it like being a woman in the photography industry?
It’s fabulous being a woman in the photography industry and some of the best photographers in Australia are women. My peers are all very supportive of my work and I might have felt like I had to prove myself over a decade ago when I was starting out, but that was just pressure I put on myself. Like anything, respect has to be earned but I have a portfolio of images that has stood the test of time and given me some absolutely incredible opportunities, way beyond my wildest dreams. I find the photography community as a whole to be very accepting and happy for the achievements of others.
What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out?
Charge effectively for your work and charge everyone the same. If you give discounts because someone is a friend, you’re going to have a lot of friends. I’ve taken this on board and never discounted my prices for prints and products – but I’m happy to waiver a session fee here and there.
How has your work evolved over the years?
I started off photographing wildlife, then moved into pet photography outdoors. Before too long I felt the restrictions of weather, time of day and control over my subjects (or lack of) and opened my studio. At first, I photographed on a black and white backdrop, but in time, my clients all wanted black backdrops only so this is all I shoot on these days. If you are working commercially you need to determine what your client base wants most from your images and capture that.
What advice do you have for women who would like to be in the photography industry?
Just take action if you want to move forward in a certain area – be it photography or anything really! Take that leap and go for it! I’ve always taken calculated risks in my business and I’m not reckless when it comes to trying something new, but I am fearless. I won’t make a decision that could tank my entire business or undo my years of hard work, but I also understand that to move forward I have to put myself out there. This is something I continue to do even after being in the industry for 17 years. The goals which are never attained are the ones you didn’t bother trying to achieve. I don’t like to ever wonder “What if” when it comes to business and my photography. I would rather attempt something and have it not work out (and learn the lessons that come with it) than never give something a go at all.
Along with this, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Just follow your own path and your own style of imagery. I’ve seen people get very hung up on how to define their style – you will figure this out by taking lots of photos and then assessing what you were most drawn to, got the best results in, and enjoyed the most.
How would you describe the creative process behind your work?
I love clean and clear backdrops whether I’m photographing in the studio, or out of it. Although my wildlife images are taken using natural light, they have a very similar feel to my studio shots in that the background are as unobtrusive as possible. I want my subjects to be the sole focus of my images, not the environment they are in. I also love artistic images, so using in camera motion blur, and photographing subjects from different angles.
Thanks Alex!