Practical Photography

I’ve recently come across a very young photographer called Lara Jade, although she is young only 19, she is already a force to be reckoned with in the photography world. She specialises more in high fashion and editorial images and has such imagination and creativity combined with technical ability that you would think she had been in the business for years.

She first started photography at the age of 13 and hasn’t put the camera down since. By the time she was 17 she started her own photography business and represented herself building up her portfolio and selling her work. The self named business ‘Lara Jade Photography’ is still going strong, based in the Midlands in England but the young entrepaneur has affiliates in Milan and hopes to take over the world in the near future.

Lara Jade has worked with many creative and inspirational people within the art & photography
industry. as a freelancer she has worked with BBC Audiobooks,  Headline Publishing, Kokkino Jewellery, Rock Love Jewellery, DJs Sophie Sugar & Miss Behavin, Hip Hop group Ill Defined and singer Laura Broad and many more.

She hasn’t quite reached world domination yet but her work has been featured internationally in top magazines and editorials such as Photography Monthly, Practical Photography, Digital Camera Magazine, Aesthetica & The Journal.

I think it is safe to say we should expect great things from this young photographer so keep your eyes peeled and until then I’ll leave you with a quick interview from the girl her self.

Interview;

What inspired you to be a photographer?
I’ve always been interested in art, I was always drawing or painting as a child.
Photography wasn’t something I could see myself doing when I was younger (I actually
wanted to be a nurse or vet until the age of twelve!)
I found out about creative photography whilst researching inspiration
for my art GCSE at school and it inspired me to want to try and create myself.

When did you start taking photographs?
I started taking my first still photos around the age of thirteen on my dad’s digital
camcorder. I enjoyed capturing creative photos and framing different objects.
At the age of fourteen I got into self-portraiture and this is where it all started.

What was your first camera?
I believe it was the digital polaroid 2.0 megapixel point and shoot.

What programs do you use to process your images?
At the moment I am using Adobe Photoshop CS3 but I sometimes use Lightroom
depending on the situation. All my images go through Photoshop before being
classed as finished pieces.

Where do you get your inspiration?
I happen to have a very good imagination and can often come up with ideas
on the spot and under pressure. Sometimes I have to wake up half way through the
night because I’ve dreamt an inspiring vision.
I get inspiration from almost anything but the main ones are music, movies,
stories or from the old masters in painting and photography

Do you work in a studio or on location?
It’s only recently I’ve been working in studios. My first few years
of photography was captured using natural lighting which I have to say
I still favour over artificial.

Who does the make-up and styling?
Again, until recently I have always been the MUA, stylist and hair stylist
on a photoshoot, I used to love creating the ‘entire’ image with just me and a model.
I now use team members on every shoot, sometimes it can be a group of people,
sometimes just the extra person but I’d advise anyone to work with other
creatives on shoots - I am always bouncing ideas off people!

Im starting out in photography, any advice or tips?
I’d say networking is one of the most important things in photography
although you always need to be open to experimentation to develop your own style.
Having your own style is a major point to consider and you will be known
for being unique rather than following the crowd.
You’ll find that the ‘practice makes perfect’ no matter how old the saying
sounds but it’s definately true, there’s always room for improvement no matter
how long you’ve been in the game.