About me continued..

About me continued..

Here’s the about me continued on from the BIO page, I hate sounding all formal and serious so here’s my extended ramble for those who are interested!

I’m one of those imaginative creative types who likes to scrapbook, learn, draw and create beautiful, elegant images. Picking up a camera felt so natural to me. Before I got my camera, I used to spend hours drawing. Now I can create images quickly and get just as much satisfaction in doing so. 

Education

I am formally trained and hold a Triple Distinction in Photography from College and a Certificate of Higher Education in Commercial Photography from The Arts University at Bournemouth. 

Photographing people is my passion. I started my photography career working for a multinational child/baby portrait company. I’m proud to say I was regularly held in the top three photographers in the company on the monthly report. I learned SO much from working with them, the training was fantastic! and I learned how to sell my work. Working there helped me to communicate with members of the public too. Afterwards, at age 22, I went on to start up my own photography business, GemmieV Photography, where I concentrated on photographing babies and families throughout Devon on a part time basis.

(This is getting a bit long, should I add another ‘about me continued’ again heading?!…)

Moving On

In March 2013 a local businessman with a studio space got in touch. He was looking for someone to take on the studio full time.. So, I took the studio on and built it up, learning along the way about all the key aspects of running a studio, organizing shoots, networking, etc. Then in December the Owner decided to sell up, so I moved out of the studio and started again, thankfully I had built up quite a client base.

Devon Photography Training was born!

After moving from the studio, I decided that I would offer Photography Workshops throughout the Southwest of England to teach new photographers everything I had learned. This includes the best bits from my studies at College and University. Then everything I learned on the job in employment as a Baby/Child Photographer. My experiences as a Self Employed Photographer and Studio Manager have also helped me to teach the business side of photography.

Where Am I Now?

I love inspiring people through photography. Helping people understand how to use their cameras and lighting to create images they are proud of makes me happy. Although, I do take on the odd family/baby portrait here and there nowadays, my true passion is teaching. I believe that to be the best photographer and tutor I could possibly be I need to keep an open mind and regularly learn new techniques. I’m often found with my head in a book or watching online tutorials. I’ve moved on to learning about business practices, marketing and AI now too.

Working in the arts

This job has led me to work with other creatives too. I’ve worked both as a commercial photographer shooting others artwork and also as a tutor for artists creating lighting setups for drawing and painting. In relation to this I used to model for life drawing classes throughout Devon and Cornwall. I also held a monthly Life Drawing class where I set the lighting up for our session to give us more control over the shadows and highlights.

Trading Lessons for Lessons

My workshop stylist introduced me to a fantastic, award winning makeup artist Sally Orchard who teaches in Falmouth. We met up and I taught her how to light her makeup effectively and she taught me how to apply makeup properly. I took one of our regular models along. This skill helps when creating new looks with Models and opens up boudoir or beauty sessions. Yet another creative side line!

Publications and Associations

I was a member of the guild of photographers for quite a few years. Regularly entering competitions and taking part in discussions and training exercises. There’s a wonderful community, and it’s great for keeping your standard of work high.

Over the years I’ve seen my work published in some awesome places. The White Elephant, Vanity Fair Jewellery Magazine, Saatchi and Saatchi’s website, Devon Life, Total Offroad 4×4 magazine and more. It’s been excellent working with creatives and small business owners. It really makes me happy to help their processes and be involved in artistic spaces.

Thanks for reading my ‘About me continued!’ if you have any questions please get in touch.