Pirate Photography

Photographer Interview
Pirate Photography:- Photographer, academic, creative, fun and a wonderful lady!

Let's get the obvious question out of the way: what made you decide to pick up a camera and be a photographer? 

I loved taking snaps on a little compact film camera I had when I was a kid, then as I got older I started pinching my parents digital camera and by the time I was 18 I'd decided I wanted to do things properly.



Who/what is your inspiration? 

Life, my personal fetishes, movies, books, music, particular models and my boyfriend.  All the usual things!  There are specific people that have really influenced me, Christine Kessler and Steve Diet Goedde are my biggest photographic inspirations, and model wise there are certain models I've just clicked with and are like muses to me.



What has been your most interesting shoot to date? 

I'm agreeing with Sir Integra on this one, her running naked through torrential rain naked for me and climbing a tree!  That was rather awesome.  Then there was a shoot with Vynx in a rather public place where she was wearing an open corset backed latex dress so you could see her bum, and of course she flashed her boobs, we got a lot of attention haha!



Where do you see yourself and your photography in 5 years time? 

I'm gonna be a dreamer and say I'll be a professional with my own studio, but thats not likely to happen for various reasons.  However, I would like to think it'll be allowing me to travel abroad regularily and I'll be earning more of a wage in my real job as currently I struggle and I'd like that to be different.  I'd also like my Hello Kitty collection to have increased drastically!  I'd like to be getting published regularily in respected, international magazines as well, and just being happy and loved.



Have you ever had people being stupidly negative towards you and your work? and how did you deal with it? 

Oh yes!  Only this week did I get an anonymous comment accusing me of being a pervert who 'abused my privilege as a female to take naked photos'!  I often get emails from religious groups telling me they are going to save me, I have no interest in religion or being saved, I very much like what I do and if they don't, they don't have to look, simple as.

I've had people from my past get back in touch to try and use it against me, either trying to bribe me to get free photos or to say they always knew I was a weirdo.  Well, I know I'm a geek and a weirdo and whatever else they might like to call me, and as all my family and friends know what I do, they can't bribe me!



So let's talk news, how are you coping with the economic climate? Have you had to cut back on equipment/shooting in general?

I've had to cut back on buying props, but its not been the economic climate as such that affected me.  In the last year I finished my degree, worked 2 part time jobs in an attempt to earn a full time wage, moved to Norwich, was unemployed, then finaly managed to get a job!  There have been times were my photography has actually helped me pay the bills, any extra money I earn from my photography usually goes straight back into equipment and props, but this year I saved alot of it and it paid for my flat deposit and kept a roof over my head when I was unemployed, and I'm so grateful for that!



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?

Well, the first thing is enthusiasm, you can be the most beautiful person in the world but if your not enthusiastic it makes a shoot very hard.  I don't have a specific 'look' in mind, though I do have a penchant for the quirky and high cheekbones are a personal favourite of mine.  I'm not bothered about height, and I'm open to plus size models, theres nothing hotter than curves in latex!  I'm just looking for someone that makes me want to take their photo, or that gives me a specific idea.  And being open to nudity always helps, while I've shot with many models who don't do any nudity, it generally lets me know how confident you are in front of the camera, if you do nudes, you're more likely to be more confident.  I always look at the variation in a models portfolio, if all the poses are the same or all the expressions are the same I would tend to think that any great photos they have in their portfolio are the result of a photographers direction rather than their own ideas.  I have no problem directing a model but I'd much rather shoot with someone who wants to bring a little something of their own to a shoot.  I don't mind if someones a brand new model, or even if they only have self taken photos to show me, if you inspire me we'll shoot!



We know that every photographer has good and bad shoots, but when are you most satisfied with a shoot?

When the model is happy, I'm happy, we have a laugh but work hard and get great images.  And if something comes out exactly how I planned it too thats a bonus as often I either don't anticipate a model's flexibility (I was a gymnast so I always expect models to be insanely flexible haha) or the conditions just don't allow for the original shot I had in mind.



There is always room for improvement! Where/how would you like to improve with your photography?

I want to improve on my photoshop, I don't do a whole lot at the moment but I know that the reality of the industry is that I need to be retouching more.  And I want to learn more about lighting, I've always focused on natural lighting and if I want to work in a studio I need to know about lighting.



Have you ever had a bad experience with a model?

Unfortunately yes, several!  I've had models turn up and be abusive about people I've worked with alot and consider friends, they got themselves sent packing almost straight away.  I've had people flake and then find they are being abusive about me when they've never met me, and I discovered how hard it can be when you think your friends with a model and they decide otherwise.  Small towns don't work for this industry.



What is your pet hate for models?

Flaking, thankfully it hasn't happened to me in a while, but in 2008 over the summer I had a run of them and it made me so cross, mostly because it obviously stopped me working with other models on those days that had asked.  Not bring much wardrobe too, I always ask that people bring as much as they can carry, yet I've had people turn up with two outfits for a six hour shoot, and with neither of them corresponding at all with what we'd previously discussed.  I can shoot on the fly but thats extreme!



What is your pet hate for photographers?

Too much photoshop.  I hate seeing good photographers ruin their work with either far too much photoshop or badly done photoshop.  And ripping other photographers off.  I've seen a few photographers who are obviously technically excellent, but who so completely steal images from other photographers and just reshoot them themselves that it makes me so irritated, especially in young photographers.  Its hard to get taken seriously when you are young, but its even harder when they are letting the side down.

Are you self taught? Or did you attend photography classes/courses?

Entirely self taught.  I spent lots of time reading books and online articles, and of course spent plenty of time just messing about with my camera and seeing what happened!



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? 

To not get caught up in photographic cliques.  Theres a few about, either groups of photographers or even magazines that seem to encourage their group to be exclusive and they seem to spend alot of time being negative towards others when they could be spending that time creating more art.  I've got no time for bitchiness, I don't stand for it in real life and I certainly won't stand for it in my photography.  I'm here for art and to have fun, life is too short to be so petty.



And finally, what would be your dream collaboration?

Ooo theres a few!  I'd love to shoot with Scar for her own line of hats Bubbles and Frowns in her loft.  Someone like Ulorin Vex or Anita de Bauch in a funky artistic nude shoot, or some with heavy rubber and hoods with a model like Dominick Destruction or Masuimi Max, it needs to be someone with amazing lips!  Then any sort of collaboration with Lady Lucie Latex, HMS Latex, Pretty Pervy or Latex Nemisis with Bea Sweet on make up and Robert Masciave on hair :D