Linda Wevill
This week we put the questions to creative photographer Linda Wevill
What got you into photography?
I got into photography when my daughter was studying ‘A’ Level Photography. We were living in London and went to lots of photography exhibitions and I was very interested in what she was doing, even dressing up as a witch for one piece of work. One evening I was at the theatre with my husband and daughter and we saw an intensive weekend photography course advertised on the noticeboard. They both said to me that I should go along. I had not realised I had shown so much interest. Anyway, I went along to the weekend b&w film darkroom course with my daughter’s budget camera and the rest is history. I was absolutely hooked!
How long have you been shooting for?
This first course was in 2002 so I have now been shooting for 22 years.
What do you most like to shoot?
I am a creative outdoor photographer specialising in the landscape and nature in general. I like to adapt my photography to my surroundings and to express a personal depiction, looking beyond the obvious, to capture the atmosphere of the scene or the beauty that can be hidden from sight. I enjoy looking around and sometimes I find interesting things in unusual places such as trees in mould, landscapes in rust, patterns, reflections and so on.
I lived in Devon for over 20 years and I was in my element with the beautiful landscapes and beaches nearby. Since then, I have spent a lot of time in the French countryside and my images taken there have been incorporated into my latest book ‘The Aquitaine Countryside’.
I really enjoy experimenting with creative techniques and am always looking for something new to try. So, when I am in an urban setting or when lacking inspiration, I can try the different creative techniques until I find something I can work with.
What camera do you shoot with and what else is in your bag?
I have always used Canon cameras and my most recent is the Canon DSLR 5D Mk IV. I am, however, just on the point of changing to the Fuji XT5. I have decided I need a lighter system so I am giving this a go. I am finding the XT5 a little difficult to adjust to but all the photographers I know with this camera rave on about it, so I will keep at it. I won’t, however, sell my Canon equipment until I am completely happy with the new!
Apart from my camera and lenses, I always carry Neutral Density filters, spare battery and memory cards, a remote release, torch or use my mobile, and a waterproof covering for my camera in case I get caught out in the rain. I used to take out my tripod on every trip but now, as I am taking softer images with intentional camera movement (ICM) or multiple exposures, a tripod is not necessary. Obviously, it depends on the type of photography I am doing.
What’s the hardest part of working as a photographer?
I am lucky I can pursue my photography as I want, and just follow my passion and my creative photographic journey. However, when having an exhibition, there can sometimes be pressure to get the printing and framing done to a deadline, so that can be hard, although fun at the same time. I am sure I would find it difficult to work on a commission from a client where I was not working on my own work but could be photographing a subject that does not particularly inspire me. I would find that hard.
If money was no object, what would your dream camera be or are you happy with what you have?
As mentioned above, I have always been happy with my Canon DSLR 5D cameras and am changing to the Fuji XT5 for a lighter system. There are not any other cameras I would like, although I would enjoy playing with more vintage lenses.
Do you have any photography inspirations and who are they?
I don’t have any particular photography inspirations but I am sure I have been influenced by the impressionist painters and generally what I see in the photography world and on social media. One photographer that did influence me on the road to finding my own style was the late Irene Froy. I learnt about using white layers in Photoshop and in the early days I used this technique quite often to get the soft pastel colours in my work and my style developed from there.
Is there anywhere or anything that you haven’t photographed but you’d love to and why?
I don’t have anything or anywhere that I would particularly love to photograph. I just feel that if I learn to look around to see more unusual shots and learn different creative techniques, then these can be used wherever I find myself, whether that be by the sea, a different landscape or in an urban environment.
One of my favourite quotes is: ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.’ – Marcel Proust.
What advice would you give to a female photographer just starting out?
Probably the most important piece of advice for a female is concerning safety. Some environments are quite hostile to a female on her own. There is the danger of theft when out with an expensive camera in an urban environment, but also care needs to be taken when alone in remote areas, at the seashore or in the open countryside; a photographer could have a mishap such as slipping on rocks or being overcome by a freak wave. So, my advice would be to go with others, or at least let somebody know where you are and to have your mobile on you, although sometimes in remote places you will not have a signal.
So, apart from concerns about safety, the best piece of advice I can give to any photographer is to ‘follow your passion’. Your emotion for your subject will then come through in your images.
Learning the basics of photography is obviously the first step but after that the more skills and techniques you can learn, the more tools you have at your disposal to be creative and to portray the vision you are trying to convey. Try not to copy someone else’s work, but to adapt the techniques to your own photography and your own style will come through.
If you could be any animal/mythical creature, what would it be and why?
I have never thought about this before, but the more I learn about elephants, the more I like this wonderful animal, so an elephant would be my choice. They are highly sensitive and caring with well-developed social behaviours, demonstrating empathy and concern for others within the family group and beyond. They are highly intelligent animals with complex emotions, feelings, compassion and self-awareness. They also have good memories, which I am increasingly finding I am lacking these days.
Line of Trees
Chap in Whistler Street
Sunset at Porth Nanven
To find out more about Linda and her work please visit her links below