For many years, art and photography have been my passion. It all began with my high school art teacher, a photographer, who led me to set up my own darkroom at home. However, life got in the way: work, making money, relationships, injuries, etc., and it took some time to realise that photography was the journey I wanted to continue and take further.
My initial enthusiasm for photography was nature and landscapes, but in 2017 I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try my hand at portraiture. From that first session, ‘The Pipe Connoisseur’ was born. My passion for portrait photography was ignited, and I began exploring creative portraiture.
What is Creative Portraiture, you may ask? It can take many forms, from a simple touch of colour grading to elaborate post-work creating a contemporary piece of conceptual art. I love to find clothing and props in op shops, adding to the story of the portrait. Post-production is also involved, sometimes very little, and sometimes more – mainly, if I create a composite by taking images of different people or objects and merging them into a single image.
I aim to create a story for the viewer, and the story is entirely up to them. People will often look at my portraits and develop their ideas and thoughts about the image. I love hearing what they think, who the person is, what the image means, and what they are doing, as regardless of my subjects’ personal story, the viewer’s engagement is important to me as an artist. It doesn’t matter if they like or dislike the image; what matters is that they consider how it made them feel.
I shoot in my home studio and outdoors, in natural light, with a particular affinity for water. Storyboarding my ideas in a journal helps me ensure I understand what I want to achieve, and it allows me to work more efficiently and give clear direction to my models.
The journey constantly leads me into more adventurous areas as I learn and refine my photography and storytelling skills.
I advise anyone wanting to start or elevate their photography journey to believe in themselves and their ideas, be original, enjoy what they do, and join groups that allow them to learn and grow in that environment.
Check out Karen’s website here.
Words by Karen Moffatt-McLeod
