Digitalab Featured Photographer: Claire Pepper
At Digitalab, we appreciate the power of photography, whether it’s personal or professional. We asked Claire Pepper for one of her images and posed a couple of questions to find out exactly what it is she loves about photography and what she’d say to any enthusiastic photographer hoping to make a career out of their passion.
Tell us a bit about this image and why you chose it to be featured.
This image is from an editorial I shot for Geist magazine. Geist features student’s work from UCA and this shoot was featuring the work of the textiles students. We managed to get a great model on board, Hollie-May Saker. The stylist was actually a costume designer rather than a fashion stylist. I wanted someone who would let the students’ designs speak for themselves and source interesting accessories, which she did perfectly with some army surplus gear and quirky jewellery. The idea behind the shoot was a slightly steampunk, grungy vibe. I wanted the model to seem a bit otherworldly, like she had been living in the woods. It was one of those days where the vision just came together really nicely. The only thing that didn’t co-operate was the weather, but in the end I think the flat light works quite well.
Which styles of photography most interest/inspire you?
I do look at fashion photography and have my favourites in that field (Paulo Roversi, Damon Heath, Kourtney Roy, Karen Collins) but I also love photographers from a wide spectrum including 60’s American colour photography (Stephen Shore, William Eggleson) Contemporary “art” photographers (Edgar Martins, Stephen Gill) and also big names like Annie Leibovitz and Alec Soth. I also look at the work of my contemporaries, vintage photography, images on Tumblr, all kinds of things really.
What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring photographer?
The most important thing is to shoot your own work, and that will never change, even if you become very successful! If you want to make a living from photography, assisting is a good place to start. It’s hard to get into, but you will learn so much. But don’t stop shooting your own work as it will eventually take you up to the next level.