Photographer Interview

Phil Winterbourne:- Fantastic inspiring individual. Constantly expanding his creativity to new levels and one of the nicest photographers I have ever met.

Let's get the obvious question out of the way: what made you decide to pick up a camera and be a photographer?
I suppose this depends of what you mean by “be a photographer”. My dad is a photographer, so we always had cameras around and the first SLR I ever used was his fully manual OM1 in the late 70’s early 80’s. He bought me a film compact for my 17th birthday which I used to record my life and my friends. I continued with this and it’s replacements throughout my life, taking landscapes, family or holiday snaps. But my standard of photography was not good. What made me become a photographer rather than a snapper was my first digital camera which I got in 2001. Just a small compact, but being able to see what you were taking straight away gave me the chance to experiment and get better.
Also at this time a group of photographers at work started a monthly competition with good critique and feedback. I started entering and quickly learnt the basic rules of photography from the critique I got from the better people. Soon I was regularly winning the comp.



Who/what is your inspiration?
Simply – Beauty! I love beautiful things and seek to create beauty in all of my work. It doesn’t mater if it’s a landscape, a scene of urban dereliction or a human face I want to capture beauty.
As for who – about the time I started getting very serious about photography I stumbled across this guys model work http://www.andrewfphotography.com/ I thought to myself “I wish I could take pictures like that” Andy still inspires me now, he has such an eye, he still amazes me sometimes.
Otherwise I like to buy the high end fashion magazines like 125, No.ise, ID, Dazed and Confused as they are packed full of world class inspirational model photography



What has been your most interesting shoot to date?
Another tricky question! Who thought these up!! I’ve had lots of shoots that were interesting, but all for different reasons. My first ever shoot when I was so nervous that the pictures would be awful and the model would hate them... I was shaking so much I could hardly hold the camera.
The first time I used off camera flashes to control the light I was shooting a friends daughter and blue gelled my rear flash to make a drab underpass suddenly a place of mystery and magic... that was pretty amazing.
Another memorable one was when I was shooting a model called Laura out on the east coast in April. She’s come up with a nice styled mermaid look and insisted in getting into the freezing sea! I can still hear her screams now.
More recently I worked with an amazing model called Mina. Between us we exchanged many lengthy emails and developed a couple of really effective themes. Stories if you like, so each picture has it’s own internal tale to tell. For me this was a Eureka moment, to be really effective images have to be complete, they must have internal congruence, they must make sense, they need to give a framework for the viewer to make up his or her own explanation as to what’s going on. I look back on my earlier work now and see “pretty girl in front of random background” They are still good pictures, but they are not as good as my recent stuff.



Where do you see yourself and your photography in 5 years time?
Where am I likely to be? Or where do I dream of being? If it’s the firs I thing photography will still be just a hobby that I fit in round my day job. I’d like to think that I’ll continue to grow and develop my skills and because of that be able to work with better and better models.
But my dream...... isn’t that much different really. Realistically I know there is no way I can match my current salary from photography so it would still be a hobby. But I still want more success and recognition. Ideally in 5 years I’ll have been published a lot more, and in better places. If I could get a set into Dazed and Confused or 125 mag I would be a very very happy man. Also I’d love for a local agency to notice me and get me on board for their portfolio shots.



Have you ever had people being stupidly negative towards you and your work? and how did you deal with it?
Not at all, no.



So let's talk news, how are you coping with the economic climate? Have you had to cut back on equipment/shooting in general?
From a shooting perspective I don’t pay models so there hasn’t been an impact there. As I said my day job is comfortably paid so I haven’t had to sell any gear yet. In fact this year I Got my studio set up with a friend, so can’t complain much about the economy.



Let's say I'm a model, and I want to work with you really bad! What would you look for in me before considering me as a potential model?
That’s an even harder question!! The reason it is so hard is because as I said my ultimate goal is capturing beauty and beauty is so subjective. The fascination of people photography derives from the infinite variety of the human face and body. So the first and overriding characteristic I look for is ‘do I think you are beautiful’.
So in general terms my ideal model is your typical editorial fashion model – very tall, very thin, long legs and a strikingly beautiful face.
But I do shoot models of all shapes and sizes – I just need something to fixate on. It might be your eyes, your mouth, your hair, your legs..... just something that I can see that knocks me off my feet.
The other thing is ideas. If someone contacts me to shoot and just says “love your work, want to shoot” all I have to go on is their looks. Finding new and exciting concepts for shoots is very hard, and the onus is so often on the photographer to dream them up. If you contact me and say “I love your work and have this idea. I’d like to shoot in a 1950’s Hollywood style, something like the attached pic, I have sorted out my wardrobe and have attached a pic of me in it...” I am much more likely to agree to a shoot.
The other 100% guaranteed method is to offer me money :D



We know that every photographer has good and bad shoots, but when are you most satisfied with a shoot?
I never have bad shoots, just less good ones! I’m most satisfied when I can see from the back of the camera that I am creating something new and exciting – striking images that are different form anything I have done before, And that they are complete - that the could tell a story.



There is always room for improvement! Where/how would you like to improve with your photography?
There are two sides to photography – the technical and the creative. With both it is a continual learning curve. Technically I am working on my studio lighting right now. I want to just know how to nail any look and to become better at suiting the light to the model. Creatively there is pleanty of room to grow too. Maybe I should shoot fewer more elaborate sets, especially if I want to get them published in high end places.



Have you ever had a bad experience with a model?
Other than 2 no-shows - which out of 70 odd shoots isn’t bad given the reputation of “internet models”. On the whole my models have been interesting and pleasant people. Obviously I have clicked with some more than others, But I’m still on talking terms with all of them!



What is your pet hate for models?
Lack of expressions.... most models find pulling off convincing expressions the hardest thing to do... and it shows. My ideal of a story telling image requires emotion as an element. And I can’t do that with a pout!



What is your pet hate for photographers?
I hate loath and despise any photographer who just takes pictures so he (and I guess it’s almost always a he) can see naked girls. Quite apart from the shockingly awful images that are generated, it builds a reputation that decent artistically motivated photographers are always having to fight against.



Are you self taught? Or did you attend photography classes/courses?
Another ambiguous question as no one is ever completely self taught. We look around and see other work and learn from that. I did (well am still doing – I never finished it yet) a diploma in photography run by Amateur Photographer magazine. This was really helpful in nailing some of the basics of the technical side. And more recently I spent a good weekend with a guy Simon Young who runs courses for portrait photography. Other than that it’s been reading books, searching the net, getting involved on forums, and just looking at pictures.



Sometimes you just have to learn lessons in life the hard way, what would you say has been your most valuable lesson along your photographic journey?
Always take off the lens cap J
More seriously, and particular to model work – remember you are hooting a person. It is so easy to get so engrossed in what you are doing to remember that you have a real live subject in front of you. Communicate, relate, emphasise and engage with your subject or you will always get poor pictures.



And finally, what would be your dream collaboration?
But I have so many!!
I keep on coming back to a set in an old 125 mag with Hanna R. at Elite Stockholm but it could be any of the top fashion models – shooting high fashion in an amazing location – a stately home, or bombed out street... something like that.