Interview with Photographer Rosie Bray

1.     Will you start by telling us where you work and live and the type of photography you do?

I live in Richmond, Surrey and shoot all over the South East. I specialise in fresh, natural images of children, families, bumps and babies. I particularly like to capture children ‘at play’, completely absorbed with their favourite toys or jumping in puddles in the park. I love to get down on the floor and right into their world to really see things from their perspective.

2. What inspires you as a photographer?

All sorts of things inspire me: nature, beautiful light, fabulous imagery. But mainly I just want to create lasting memories for families that they will cherish for years to come. It’s especially important in baby and child photography to freeze time and preserve all those little childhood quirks because they grow and change so fast. I know that my own childhood photos are hugely precious, despite the questionable haircuts and swirly orange 1970s wallpaper.

3.     How long have you been a photographer?

It’s been a hobby of mine since I was a teenager but I’ve been taking photography seriously for the last two years. Once I invested in a DSLR I learnt fast and soon became totally obsessed with everything camera related (just ask my husband!). I did a few courses, one at Central Saint Martins, but I’m mainly self-taught. There’s such a lot of brilliant information and support on the internet, it’s easy to improve, if you’re determined.

4.     When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?

I am lucky enough to live near Kew Gardens and Richmond Park and I go there as often as I can. My second love is flower photography so I’m still taking photos (told you I was obsessed) but that is my way of switching off and unwinding. I used to run a lot but now find that taking pictures of flowers gets me into the same relaxed state and is a little easier on the knees.

5.     Any books that inspired you {or helped you} in your business?

Some small-business books have been great, my favourite being the brilliantly titled “Screw Work, Let’s Play” by John Williams. In terms of photography I’ve been hugely inspired by blogs from my favourite lifestyle photographers. They’re all American and I think they’re completely brilliant: Tara Whitney (http://tarawhitney.com/justbeblogged/) – for her authenticity and fun, Deb Schwedhelm (http://www.debsphotographs.com/photoblog/) – for her dreamy, beautiful images, Anna Kuperberg (http://www.kuperblog.com/) for her incredible compositions and Katie Barnes (http://katiebarnes.com/blog/) for her documentary eye and ability to capture extraordinary moments. There is also a lovely book by The Shutter Sisters (http://shuttersisters.com/) (a collective of amazing female photographers) called Expressive Photography that I would heartily recommend.

6.     Best marketing idea? 

I’m only just getting started with my marketing push but so far Twitter seems pretty amazing.

7.     Worst marketing idea?

I haven’t made any terrible errors yet and hopefully that will continue!

8.     Do you have a studio and if not do you feel having a studio would help your business grow?

No, my whole ethos is to move family photography away from the studio and make it more real and meaningful to people by photographing them at home, where they can be themselves. I find studio shoots sterile and boring and I think people are much more genuine and relaxed in their own home or outdoors, in a beautiful garden or park. For me photography is all about creating lasting memories, and I think you’ll get much more pleasure from looking at photographs that were taken with all your favourite things, in your home, rather than in a sterile white studio.

9.     What do you think makes a photographer successful?

I think you need to be really passionate about what you shoot, whether that is children, flowers, food or weddings. You then need dedication, patience, hard work and enthusiasm. You need a good eye and an ability to see moments that others may miss (and preferably a sixth sense to predict when great moments are about to happen!). You also need a good business head, self-motivation and a geeky love of pixels and f-stops.

10.  What’s your weakness in this business?

I love the detail. This even shows in my photography as I like to get in close and macro photography is a big love of mine. But I’m beginning to realise that I need to step back and not worry about the minutiae of changing a font size by one point or moving an image by one pixel. I am learning to see the bigger picture and crucially in my editing I’m learning to speed up a bit!

11.Are you a Nikon or Canon? And Lens?

Canon – I started with a 1000D and then made the big leap to a 5D Mark ii and I absolutely love it.

I have a 24-70mm, which is great for moving toddlers and obviously offers plenty of flexibility. I am in love with my 100mm macro for all the detail shots, babies’ feet and eyelashes etc. Then I have my nifty fifty 50mm lens for lovely portraits and my Lensbaby Composer for dreamy, creative fun. Next on my wish list is a 35mm.

11.  If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?

I was a TV producer for nearly 10 years and before that I was a journalist writing for magazines and websites so I have a strong media background. I’ve always wanted to run my own business though, so if it wasn’t photography it would be some other creative small business. I would also quite happily review spas for the rest of my life….

12.  Can you give the readers your best piece of advice for starting or running a photography business.

Only do it if you LOVE it. There are so many great photographers out there it’s important you find your own style but if you really love it then you will. I think success is 20% talent and 80% hard graft so you’ve got to be prepared to put the work in. Read a lot, practise a lot and do plenty of free shoots with family and friends just to make sure that you like it.

13.  Tell us your proudest moment of your career?

I still feel pretty new so I think my proudest moment is still to come but I already feel proud when a family tell me how happy they are with their photographs. It’s such a privilege to be able to do something I love and give people with something really special – it’s a great feeling.

Here is where you can find Rosie Bray Photography

http://twitter.com/#!/rosiebray
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rosie-Bray-Photography/106582552749212

Website: www.rosiebray.com

Blog: www.rosiebray.com/blog