Fleur Rebelle

model: Shanti @ FX Models

Interview with Carolyn West

a few weeks ago I interviewed the adorable Carolyn West, a young fashion and portrait photographer from Melbourne, Australia. 

she is a lovely girl who is discovering herself as a photographer, and working to make her name strong in the industry. her photographs are an insight to her life; they show youth and spontaneity with vivid colors, and there is magic even in the slightest details.

what inspired you to start taking photographs?

I was inspired by my father at first. He documented my life when I was young, so I was used to be in front of a camera and using one from a very young age. When I started to create my own images when I was fourteen, I was inspired by beautiful photos on Flickr by people I didn't know as well as the landscape around me. The people who inspired me most were often photographers close to my age doing bigger and better things than I was.

what do you want to say with your pictures?

I'm not sure just yet. That's why I've decided to go to university, to grow and learn as an artist and develop a style. I think, at the moment, I'd like my photographs to tell a story, or document a way of life in a specific moment. I'd love to travel around the world, reporting on different cultures, tribes and people to a magazine or something, telling the people's story

where did the name of your blog, Young Limbs, come from?

I'm horrible at naming things. I think I spent about 5 days staring mostly at the computer screen/scrolling through Tumblr until a name just came to me. I wanted to encapsulate a little bit of myself in my title, something that would sum up what I'm all about. So I came up with young, because of my age, and limbs because my blog follows my adventures as a photographer and working in the industry and spreading my 'limbs' out into the world.

what has been your favorite photo shoot?

My favourite photo shoots are always the most recent, I think because I can see myself grow as a photographer, even if everything doesn't go smoothly. However some are always more fun than others and often the best ones are when I'm just shooting really good friends spontaneously.

do you prefer shooting editorials or documenting your life?

I like both equally. I love the planning that goes into editorial work as well as the opportunities to do new things I've never been able to do. However I also love the simplicity and nostalgia associated with documenting everyday life.

how would you describe your style?

I feel as though it changes at the moment, depending on my subject and mood. It's spontaneous but it can be quite edgy sometimes and soft at other times.

what are your aspirations towards photography?

I have ideas of where I would like to head with my photography but I just don't know if it will happen. I think the best thing about photography and art in general is that anything can happen. I don't know what the future has in store for me and something may come along that just erases my plans completely. However, in the next couple of years, I'm hoping to finish my fine art course, travel overseas on exchange and work with some photographers and bloggers I admire and develop my photography business further.

where do you find your models?

Most of my models are good friends of mine, or people I have met once or twice who I have liked the look of. I'm always looking for people on the streets who would look nice in my pictures or who are friends of friends on Facebook. Often, if I see a picture of someone on my newsfeed that I like, I send them a little message asking them if they would be interested. I also do test shoots for a couple of modeling agencies in Melbourne where I work with models who often have a little bit more experience than my friends.

do you think social media is a helpful or a harmful tool for your work?

I think it has the potential to be both. At the moment it's incredibly helpful. I've been able to show my work to the world and to people so far away from me, something that's impossible without social networking. It has also been vital in obtaining me commercial jobs and commissions. However, I know that it can be harmful to your work and yourself too. Thankfully, my work isn't that popular yet that people are trying to claim my work at their own/trying to be me. I'm not sure what I'd do if that happened.

do you have preconceived concepts of what you want to shoot?

I often dream up things or see an image in my mind before planning a photo shoot around that idea. A lot of my self-portrait work is often spontaneous and unplanned, usually because I suddenly have an idea about something I would like to try, but no one to model for me.

if you could photograph anyone, who would it be?

I actually have a list of well-known people to photograph one day. At the top of my list is Stephen Fry because I find him so entertaining and interesting. I'd also adore to photography Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Emma Stone.

what has been your education as a photographer?

I studied photography in high school for year 10 and 12 but hated it. It's quite irrelevant to what you actually do, working in the industry and you learn how to put together a folio of work rather than anything technical. I've self-taught myself all that I know about using cameras, photoshop and photographing people and subjects.

I started my university course literally last week. I'm studying a Bachelor of Fine Art, Visual Art, Photography. I'm doing this mainly so that I can learn how to develop and process my own film work and learn off my lecturers and classmates. There are 21 photographers from all different backgrounds and I find it very inspiring.

what is the thing you have liked the most about college?

I think talking about each other’s art work. Everyone has their own style, their own subject matter they prefer to shoot and its interesting seeing how they view the world as well as their method of producing their work and hearing about their achievements. Everyone is their own individual, which is a really nice thing.

who is/are your favorite photographer(s)?

My favourite photographers are still people who are close to my age and who are also Australian. I find people who are also heading in the direction I would like to go incredibly inspiring. Some of them are Nirrimi, Charlie Brophy, Julia Trotti and Claire Alice Young.

I'm also very inspired by Beth Murphy and Leo Patrone and Carissa Gallo who are photographers in America.

if you couldn’t be a photographer, what would you be?

If I wasn't doing photography I'd probably be studying anthropology and sociology. People interest me immensely and I love working with them!

where do you see yourself 5, 10 and 20 years from now?

In five years, I'm hoping to have finished my course and maybe another year of further study, volunteered overseas, traveled extensively and hopefully working for a beautiful magazine or maybe even have one of my own.

In ten years, I'd love to have my own little children running around me and working mostly from home and on the occasional out job. I'd love to have my own wedding photography business.

And twenty years I have no idea. I don't even want to think that far ahead! It's a bit of a scary thought!!

what advice would you give to those beginning?

My advice is to just immerse yourself in photography. Don't do it for the money, fame or whatever, do it because you love doing it and you can't imagine working as anything else. Take as many photos as you can and experiment, it's the only way to develop and be a better photographer. Have little goals, be head smart about what you're doing and work with other people. Talk about your work as much as you can, you never know who someone else knows and just enjoy it all!

you can see more of Carolyn’s work on her blog, Young Limbs. 

all photos by Carolyn West.