Sep
05
2013I wrote an article for UnknownPhotographer.net sometime last year, but the website and project has since disappeared from the internet, so I thought it would be fun to share an excerpt from the article here on my blog, as I think there are lots of important things that we (myself included) could all do with being reminded of. So here are the top 10 lessons that I took away from my largest project to date, Exit Through the Thrift Shop.
1. If you are just starting out with photography, it’s really important to try to shoot everyday. Henri Cartier-Bresson said ‘your first 10,000 photographs are your worst’ and he was absolutely right. Work through your bad patch as quickly as you can so you can start producing your great work. The other important thing to start doing straight away is sharing your work. The point of creating anything is to share it with others. If you make a habit of sharing your work from the very beginning, you will have fewer mental barriers standing in the way of your creativity later on. Both of these things were instrumental to the speed at which I was able to progress and improve my photography.
2. Use your initiative. Don’t be lazy, everything you need is available to you right now via the internet. 99% of what I know about photography I learnt from Zack Arias and I have never even met the guy. If you need a particular type of experience or skill, weave your needs into your personal work; that’s what it’s there for. You don’t need to wait for a client or lecturer to swoop into your life and spoon-feed you an assignment brief. You can give these opportunities to yourself, they are available to you right now. “A lot of people never use their initiative because no one told them to” - Banksy.
Some of the notebooks and folders I keep all my notes in from the various tutorials and workshops I have watched and learned from…
3. Incorporating something you enjoy or are passionate about into your photography work is the sure-fire way of a) sticking with it when you run into obstacles, b) having the desire to produce work that is to the very best of your ability, c) having the energy and motivation to keep working on it day after day until it’s finished, d) give you an eye for all the tiny little details that will set your work apart from anyone else doing anything similar. Your passion for the subject matter will spill-over into the photographs you produce and you will (hopefully) produce something really special.
4. Just because you don’t feel ‘ready’ to start on a challenging idea you have right now, doesn’t mean you should write it off altogether. Give your yourself some time and headspace and let the idea just settle in your mind. Test the water a bit and make some initial inquiries about things until you are satisfied that the logistics of the project can be managed. Don’t commit to anything unless you feel 100% ready for it because if you have any real doubts, it will eat away into your enthusiasm and you will procrastinate and never get it done. I can’t really explain the science behind it, but I think the well-worn Henry Ford quote ‘whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right’ is absolutely correct. The belief that you can do it is essential, and it if you haven’t got it right now, you just need to be patient, and let your mind work through the potential issues until it is satisfied that there aren’t any insurmountable obstacles left standing in the way.
5. Try not to become overwhelmed with all the little details and just work through the issues one at a time. All the pieces will fall together throughout the duration of the project and you will get what you need when you need it. Figure out a way to do the hardest bits first and then work through the rest as you go along. You don’t need to know how you are going to do every single little thing before you can even get started.
6. Focus. If there is something you really want to achieve, and it requires a lot of work, be prepared to cut just about everything else out of your life while you work on it. You can do something, but you can’t do everything. I spent every second I could working on this project, hit the pause button on everything else I was working on and I still had to take some unpaid leave off work just to get everything done in time.
7. Keep it simple, realistic and manageable. Don’t plan on shooting with a million lights, if you only really know how to work with one. Don’t make things so complicated and difficult for yourself that it will become a barrier for you and you won’t even make a start on it. ‘The smallest action is better than the greatest intention’.
Most of the images in this project were lit using just one light, and in order to replicate the implied lighting in the stencils, I had to be creative at times to achieve that look.
London Calling (c)2011 Linda Radosinska. All Rights Reserved.
8. It’s going to get messy. Working on anything challenging is really going to take it out of you. You will inevitably find yourself under a lot of stress, and at times it will get the best of you. There will be moments when you will hold your head in your hands and wonder what the effing crap you were thinking and times when you have to squint your eyes just to see your monitor through the haze of your uncontrollable sobbing. The key is to get it out of your system, so you can pull yourself together and get back to work. Things will get messy, but the only thing that matters is that you finish. No one cares about how you got there, just that you got there in the end.
One of my models having to paint the peace sign up on the wall on the day of the shoot, after the artist who was meant to do it flaked out at the last minute.
9. “Comparison is the thief of joy” - Teddy Roosevelt. I think it’s a really bad idea to spend an unhealthy amount of time obsessing over other people’s work. Sure it’s great to admire other photographers, maybe even get a bit of inspiration from them, but not at the expense of the confidence you need to go after your own goals. A good indicator that you need to step away from the computer is that you spend so much time looking at other people’s work that you start to lose faith in your own ability to create great work yourself.
10. Get help. You simply can’t do this sort of thing on your own. Call in any favours you are owed and don’t be afraid to ask everyone you know to help you. When the time comes, you will be grateful for every little piece of the puzzle they will bring to the project. I was surprised and truly humbled by the amount of generosity and support I received from the people around me.
Five people helped to create this image, and countless more to make the whole project come to life- check out the ‘Thanks’ page to see how many!
Umbrella Girl - Behind the Scenes Outtake ©2011 Linda Radosinska. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Sep
03
2013Just as I was starting to get into photography I had joined a photography page on Facebook.. it was kind of a mean page, but a famous photographer I really liked had joined it so I thought I’d be in good company if I did the same. Someone in the group shared the video above and I was so inspired by this 9 minute video, that I tried to learn as much as I could from the photographer who made it. I owe a lot to Zack, for teaching me so much about photography and light, which gave me the ability to get to where I am today.
Aug
29
2013I started out with a really long blog post about this, but really I don’t think there’s any need to ramble on.. so here is the abridged version of my blog post on my experience speaking at the Pechakucha night earlier in the month.
Public speaking is hard and lots of people avoid it like the plague. I’m lucky in that I’ve had some experience in this area, so I at least know that I can do it if I need to. That doesn’t mean I don’t get super nervous, or filled with doubt and worries that try to talk me out of it. One thing I have learnt from my experiences in doing things that really push me out of my comfort zone is that just because you don’t feel ready/good about it/it doesn’t feel easy, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
I came across this awesome blog post from a dancing blog I subscribe to and number 15 is a real doozy (highly recommend the rest too!)..
“15. You will never feel 100% ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Dancers have to be willing to take risks. From letting go of the ballet barre to balance, to moving around the world to dance with a new company, from trusting a new partner to trying a new form of dance, dancers must have a flexible mind and attitude as well as body. The greatest opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means you won’t feel totally comfortable or ready for it.”
Of course, this applies to anything. Even if you put in all the work and preparation that you can, when it comes to the moment of truth, you will still feel like you are not ready, like you need more time, like you haven’t done enough.. the list goes on. All excuses- which ultimately stem from a fear of the unknown. You will never know how something is going to turn out, ever. All you can do is all the work and preparation you can beforehand, and then take the plunge and just do it. I encountered this lesson with my Banksy project as well.. I remember thinking the exact same things before the first day of shoots (and even as we went through the days of shooting), but even if I had spent a whole year in pre production getting things ready (instead of 5 weeks!) I know I would still have not felt ready. The moral of the story is that you do all the work + preparation you can, and then you just have get on with it.
Thank you to everyone who came out to show your support on the night, it really meant a lot to me- and we even made it into the Sunday Star Times! 
Aug
27
2013
A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a local newspaper who wanted to write a piece on my involvement in the PechaKucha night earlier in the month. I sent them the answers to their questions but when it came time to actually print the article they said they ‘ran out of room’….. SO, rather than let all the time I spent on this go to waste, I decided I would post the full interview here on my blog for you all to read. So here it is..
1) How old are you?
28
2) Where are you based?
Hamilton
3) What is your profession? Are you a student or are you working?
I have a Bachelor of Management Studies from Waikato, and I am a fine art portrait photographer.
4) Are you a freelance photographer? What kind of photography do you do?
Yes. I shoot fine art beauty portraits, which are all about celebrating and empowering women. They involve a full makeover with a professional hair and make up artist, followed by a photo shoot, which is a lot of fun and a very glamorous experience. My personal work does vary from project to project, but would generally still fit in the fine art portrait genre.
5) How long have you been doing photography and how did you get into it?
I first got into photography in 2010, after being given a Canon SLR as a Christmas gift from my partner.
6) Did you take any classes for that?
No, not exactly- what I know is the result of self-study: watching a lot of tutorials online, reading articles, books and lots of practise.
7) You are a musician too. Do you sing or play an instrument?
Yes, I sing and play guitar.
8) How long have you been doing this and how did you get into it?
When I was in my last year at high school, I took handful of lessons and taught myself the rest.
9) You are one of the guest speakers at the Pechakucha Night. What made you interested to take part in this event?
I wanted to speak at Pechakucha primarily because I wanted to share my Banksy project, ‘Exit Through the Thrift Shop’. It was a very important project for me, and I got quite a lot of exposure internationally but I didn’t really have a platform to share the work on a local level (aside from the exhibition I put on myself).
10) What will be your aim, when you speak at the event?
To share the ‘Exit’ project, talk about my work, and hopefully to gain some interest and support for future projects. I am going to take the opportunity to network with people who may be able to support or collaborate with me in the future.
11) What are you going to share with the audience?
A personal photography project called ‘Exit Through the Thrift Shop’ which I released last year.
12) Have you done this or anything similar before?
No, I haven’t spoken at a PK event before, but I would like to do more of this sort of thing in the future.
13) Will you be focussing on photography, music or both?
Photography.
14) What is your main focus? Photography or music and why?
They are both very important to me and complement each other. Working on one gives me a break and some headspace to consider the other from a different mindset. I also think it’s important to have a couple of different things you spend your time on so if you become overwhelmed, discouraged, bored or frustrated with one, you can shift your focus to the other without losing too much momentum.
15) Have you had any albums or songs released?
I played in an Auckland band (now defunct) that released an EP. Hopefully I will be able to release some new music soon.
16) What made you interested in the media arts field?
I’m quite a visual person, and have been involved in miscellaneous artistic endeavors all my life, so it was just a natural progression I think.
17) Did it start off as a hobby?
I suppose it did. Most things tend to, for me at least.
18) How do you manage photography and being a musician above everything else?- in other words how do you find time to do these?
It is difficult. Not only with regards to time but it can also be a huge strain financially and emotionally. I find that breaking work up into project form is a good way of managing multiple pursuits. I guess if there is something you really want to do, you have to make a decision to really commit to it, but also be willing to make the necessary personal sacrifices (time, money etc) to make it happen. Choosing what to commit to on that sort of level is a challenge in itself, but once you have the specifics of what you want to do, it’s important to be really organized and set goals for yourself so you can prioritise and remained focused and efficient enough to actually achieve something worthwhile in the time you have to spend on your project. Having a supportive partner and family also plays a significant role in the ultimate success of whatever you set out to achieve.
19) Do you know about the lineup for the night’s event. Are you excited to meet different people in the same field such as artists etc?
Yes, definitely. I think that being surrounded and inspired by so many unique topics and interesting people is one of the many fantastic aspects of the PK nights.
20) Will you do a similar event in future?
Yes, definitely.
21) Also, what are your future plans?
The beauty portrait sessions are my main focus at the moment because I feel that they are a really important thing to be able to offer people. Being photographed like this is a real confidence booster for women and because I shoot with great respect and empathy, their images reveal to them how beautiful they really are. I have lots of new services I will be introducing shortly, including special couture shoots for clients etc which is really exciting. In a few months time I will start applying for funding grants, fundraising and building relationships with businesses that I would like support from. After this I can begin work on my next big personal project which is going to be released in book form alongside another exhibition. I have a lot of personal projects I want to shoot, the biggest challenge is finding the funds to produce it all.
Aug
15
2013
These two images were taken in 2010. It was my very first shoot using off camera lighting, and I was photographing a model named Shana who I had found online and was also just starting out and building her portfolio. I had been watching some tutorials online about how to use off camera flash, and since I was just wanting to try it out, I decided not to buy any new gear and just hire a location lighting kit from Wintec.
We met up in town that night and just walked around to a few locations I had picked out earlier in the day and even though I didn’t really know what I was doing, and most of it was just trial and error (probably more error than trial!) I look back so fondly on this shoot and some of these images are still my favourites.
If you’re wanting to try something out, you can find alternatives to all the easiest ways of doing things if you just use your imagination a little bit. If you need to learn something new, the internet is full of information. If you need some assistance, there are always people out there who are also starting out and are willing to give you their time. If you don’t have the money to buy the equipment you need, you can always borrow it.
If I hadn’t pushed myself to work through my doubt and organise the shoot in spite of not feeling like I knew what I was doing, who knows how long it would have taken me to get to the point where I could shoot the Banksy project. If you want to do something, just get on with it.
Aug
08
2013I am super excited to announce that I will be speaking at the next PechaKucha event as part of the Spark International Festival of Media, Arts and Design. PechaKucha is a really cool concept which originates from Japan- it basically means to ‘chit-chat’. So at a PK evening, there are a variety of speakers, who each give a short talk on whatever topic they choose. It’s always nice and snappy as each presenter is only allowed 20 seconds per slide, and each presentation is only allowed 20 slides. All in all, it’s always a great night full of entertaining talks and inspiring stories from awesome people. If you’d like to come along this August to hear me and a whole lot of other people talking about a whole host of topics, you’ll find all the information you need in the posters above.
See you there!