Designer is Spelled P-H-O-T-O-G-R-A-P-H-E-R
By Whitney Moore
26 Jul 2007
1. What kind of designer are you?
Graphic Designer
2. What did you want to do for a living when you were a kid?
Be an artist, musician or actress.
3. What is it about your design work that makes your photography better? And vice versa? Where do you see parallels between the two?
I see the paralelles between design and photography mostly as it relates to my art history class I took in school. Studying the paintings and designs of historical artists has helped a lot with my photography composition and as well with inspiration for colors. I have always loved photography but I never thought about design until I was ready to go to college I see a lot of ways they relate to each other now not only in color and subject but when relating to stock photography and what designers like to see in a good stock photo.
4. What do you find most challenging about your work?
I think I have the most trouble thinking like a designer rather than a photographer. I find a lot of graphic design philosophy to center around checking, re-checking and being generally obsessive about everything where as the kind of photography I do is a slow process but is very much based on natural progression rather than control.
5. Do you have design heroes? Photography heroes?
I have more photography heroes than design heroes like Linda McCartney. I have always wanted to be a rock music photographer and if I was one I would want to be like her. Annie Liebowitz is also a hero of mine but I like the pictures of her family better than anything. I think taking pictures of your family is a way to show your soul more than anything. my biggest design influence is a painter named Valentina. She uses You Tube to showcase and talk about her work and that is how I found out about her. She's amazing! But I think my biggest influence is knowing that my father was a photographer and knowing that it is in my genes helps.
6. Name some unexpected sources of inspiration you've had.
The most unexpected source of inspiration for me is always when I find a good picture near my home. I don't usually think of my immediate area in North Carolina as a particularly photogenic place but occasionally it happens.
7. Do you have any regular habits/exercises that make you a better designer? Photographer?
When I can the main thing that makes my design good is starting with a good photo. I try to think of photography in terms as a once in a lifetime occurance so I carry my camera with me everywhere and think of trips in terms of where I can go to get the best pictures.
