Saturday, March 1, 2008

:: KIRSTAN JEANNE PUTTICK ::
PHOTOGRAPHER

24 years old - Johannesburg
kirstan@yebo.co.za / kirstanputtick@hotmail.com / 083 663 3639
http://kirstanjeanne.spaces.live.com

EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO, FOR HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN DOING IT, WHY AND HOW IT ALL STARTED...
I'm far more interested in my art than in being an artist. I started taking photos about six years ago out of necessity (as I was studying design), from there it just grew into my life’s passion.

DID YOU STUDY AT ALL? WHERE? HOW?

Brand Communications at Vega. I am currently completing my second BA at Wits.

WHAT PROGRAMS/MEDIUMS DO YOU MOSTLY PREFER TO WORK WITH?
Digital photography. I used to use film, but now that I have gone digital I won't turn back. It is quicker, easier and cheaper than film and the quality is just as good.
I use Adobe Photoshop to edit my photos. My muse is adamant that I should promote Corel products, suggesting that are far superior, but Adobe is what I'm used to and, anyway, (almost) everyone else uses it.

WHAT GETS YOUR INSPIRATIONAL JUICES FLOWING?
My boyfriend . . . oh, you said INSPIRATIONAL juices.
Inspiration just comes out of nowhere. I see everything with a photographer's eye. It could be spider walking across the page, the light twinkling in a crack of the window pane. For everything I see I think about whether it would make for a good photo, and sometimes I think it would. On other occasions I may wearily take a photo not expecting anything fantastic and end up with a winner – for me its just about following a hunch and seeing where it leads me. I also try very hard not to over think my work – I find this dries it up and makes it look thought out. I pursuit I personally feel is bland.

ONE OF YOUR CRAZIEST WORK EXPERIENCES?
I once had to hide a roll of film in a rather uncomfortable place. If I say any more they will know was me.

HOW DO YOU SEE LOCAL ART/MUSIC/FASHION/CULTURE? (relevant to your field)

I put beauty ahead of fashion. I do not consider beauty to be something limited to a certain time and place. I am far more interested in creating works of unqualified beauty than works which are fashionable. So the local scene - as a LOCAL scene - is really quite irrelevant to me.
But that is not say that I have no opinion on the state of photography in South Africa at the moment. There are photographers such as Roger Ballan, who I really admire and who are much better photographers than I am, who are producing fantastic works.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE SOMETHING IN YOUR INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

There is a lot of snobbery amongst photographers. Mostly amongst the inferior photographers.
I wish people would be less reserved about having their picture taken - for goodness sake, the camera immortalises them, it doesn't steal their souls. I turn their images into art, into something beautiful. There is no need to be shy.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK TAKING YOU IN THE FUTURE?

Well I don't see my art as means like that. The question is really where do I see myself taking my photography. I'm not really sure. I think I'll just let it develop naturally. I will say that all my travels and excursions are pivoted according to possible photo opportunities.