In our newest segment of the blog, I'll be talking to the creative women I admire who are slaying it at their chosen (and self made) professions.
This is week I spoke to British photographer Alice Wint (aka She Cried Wolf). I was lucky enough to have my Age Of Aquarius look book shot by Alice last summer, and was immediately struck by her warm laid back nature and ability to add a dream like haze to all she puts her lens to.
1. When did you start your journey as a photographer and what led you to choose this career path?
I've loved photography since being a little girl and redeveloped the love while travelling in 2014. For years I'd cut the editorials out of Vogue and save them all in a big box because I loved the prints - I never thought about photography or fashion as a career. Also I'm a small town girl, in the very early stages I had people putting me down, questioning me and really knocking me back. I know that's typical small town mentality - if you're not following the herd you're doing something wrong - I had to learn how to ignore and just do it for myself. Each time I book a big job or see my work in another printed publication I always smile to myself and say "thanks for the extra push fuckwits!"
2. What's your biggest source of inspiration?
I spent most of 2014 walking around foreign cities with my camera looking for things to photograph and I think this developed the overall foundation for how I work now. I'll have an idea beforehand but I'm happiest being inspired on the spot and going with the natural flow of the shoot. I get super inspired by locations which is amazing at the moment as I've just moved to Australia, the architecture here is so interesting and unique.
3. Being self employed, what advice would you give to someone starting out?
Value yourself, financially and mentally. I have a habit of working late into the night and it isn't until my boyfriend tells me to put my phone down that I even notice. Which is usually followed by "one minute I just need to...." It's hard to draw a line between work and play. If I'm not shooting, editing or doing the admin side of things you can guarantee I'm on my phone researching and networking - or lately watching cat videos.
4. What's your favourite project to date?
I shot an editorial for Material Girl Magazine at my grandmas house. My grandmother actually passed away in 2006 and due to technicalities with her will we were unable to access the property for 10 years. It was crazy when we did though, literally everything had been left in the same spot right down to the ornaments on her mantle piece. It was amazing to go in and shoot in a place which has so many childhood memories to me. Extra amazing that Freya really reminded me of my mum who grew up in the house from the age of four. Since then my mum has moved back in and totally renovated so it looks like an entirely different property, I think it's been really special to her to have a piece of my grandmother, her childhood - and to a degree myself - immortalised in print.
5. If you could photograph anyone from history, who would it be?
My parents before they had me, life has been complicated for them both over the years and I can't imagine a time where they were ever in love. It would be amazing to go back to a carefree era when they enjoyed each others company and thought they'd be together forever. Life is funny how it works out though, you can't be a twenty year old forever.
6. As a creative, what's your biggest source of anxiety and how do you work through that emotion?
The business side - I just want to photograph beautiful people and make amazing images but that doesn't pay the bills. My rent is crazy and I have to be really strict and not let people take the piss. Brands are always after something for free. It took me a few months in the beginning to realise my landlord wouldn't accept free clothes as payment. It's also hard to put an actual price on a creative skill, my perception of my work is different to some else's perception. I'm in a constant battle between loving my work and hating it 20 hours later ha!
All photographs courtesy of Alice Wint © 2016
www.shecriedwolf.com