Catherine, tell us a bit about yourself?
"I started taking snaps when I was 11 years old. I loved to take pictures; I just didn't know anything about photography. I didn’t know there were different cameras to the type I was snapping away with!
Christmas 2012, my fiancé gave me a DSLR camera. Up until then, I had never even heard of them, or encountered any photographers. My world changed, as this whole new vista opened in front of me."
How did your photography develop from there?
"Someone once asked me, 'What do you photograph?' I replied, 'I only shoot two things. Everything that moves. And everything that doesn’t.' At that time, that was true.
A lot of photographers I have met, describe themselves by the genre of photography that they enjoy; 'I am a nature photographer' or 'I am a landscape photographer'.
I can’t do that, because I can’t find a genre label that covers what I enjoy photographing.
As time passed though, I began to gravitate towards shooting people. I began to take images of models and I realised that this was what I loved doing."
I prefer to shoot a feeling than a face
What is it about photographing people that you love?
"I love portraits and particularly emotive portraits. If I can drag an expression out of someone that shows an inner sadness, pain, heartache, I am pleased with my images.
Weird, I know, but I prefer to shoot a feeling than a face.
I also photograph nudes, I have some really beautiful traditional nudes. However, I would not be true to myself if I did not have some weird ones as well!
I also love to fiddle and diddle in photoshop, to the point that I can’t technically say I still have a photograph. These photographic art works are mostly fantasy based. Usually things with wings!"
Our photography can often be a reflection of our inner selves. Do you think this is the case with your work?
"Being 'normal' is difficult for me, yet being like everyone else, is difficult for me. This spews out in my photography, which I feel is never normal enough, yet never wildly imaginative enough, due to this war within.
My biggest challenge though, is being told that I am not a photographer by my peers, because I love to post process (a lot!). I really don’t care for labels; I just care about taking, making and creating images."
How did you select which of your images to share with us?
"It seemed weird to me to mix up my three ranges of portrait, art nude and fantasy in one showcase. I therefore decided to share images from my art nude range.
They are still recognisable as photographs, yet still reflect myself and the range of work I like, from conventional, through to the more unusual."
How do you hope your photography will develop going forward?
"Well, I have a couple of projects that I am working on at the moment. I am a quarter of the way into a '100 Strangers' project. I also have the germ of an idea for a weird and creepy project.
But my current big adventure is a series, for which I have drawn inspiration from Japanese animation or anime.
It is mostly done, but I am tidying up my colour-grading and so on. My first series ever!"
Thank you Catherine and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.
Image Titles
Main picture: 'Agonised'
Left from top: 'Up the Wall', 'Disrobed', 'Turned Away', 'Suspended', 'Emergence'
Right from top: 'Going Up', 'Under the Arch', 'Taking a Moment', 'Night Crawler', 'Darker Days'