Features

LIFE BEHIND THE LENS

Photography is the art of seeing what is invisible to the eyes of others. It is painting with images. When words fail, we can always rely on pictures to say it all. Perhaps the best thing about photography is that it captures irreplaceable moments, and immortalises our memories. This week we chat to our photographer and see what life is like behind the lens.



Lindsay Michelle Purdon

1. Basics - name, age, studies, and hometown: My name is Lindsay Purdon. I’m a 21 year old 3rd year Fine Art photography student at Rhodes University, and I currently live in Port Alfred.


2. Who is Linds in a nutshell? I’m independent, passionate, strong-willed, stubborn, compassionate, and seem quiet (to those who don’t know me). I’m also an animal, music, and lazy day lover, and I am both a coffee and tea person. I love art, getting creative, traveling, and driving around with the windows down. I live for my family and friends, and I want to grow up to be just like my mom. I like to help and listen when I can, and I like to try to see the positive side of things. Sometimes I’m indecisive, and I really (really) enjoy procrastinating.


3. What first ignited your passion for photography? I’m not really sure. I remember taking art and painting at school, then starting university set on the idea of actually going into painting for 3rd year. Towards the end of second year, I was still pretty set on painting, but one day I just changed my mind. I have always enjoyed photography and realized that I knew nothing about it, and suddenly it was all I could think about. I really wanted to learn, and changing my mind at the last minute actually turned out to be the best decision for me, I’ve loved every second of it!


4. What is photography to YOU? in 3 words,  l’art pour l’art.


5. Art and photography are often considered the same thing - do you think of yourself as an artist? I guess I do. I thought I wanted to be ‘an artist’ when I was ‘growing up’, but I think it’s not really something you can control. It’s not a question about whether I think of myself as an artist or not, I just love making art and that is what matters. I’m also at university studying towards a Fine Art degree, and we’re taught to see ourselves as artists practicing in ‘the real world’ from day one.


6. If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be? I’ve asked myself this exact question a hundred times before. I’m fascinated by nature, so maybe I’d be a 21 year old student studying botany and entomology instead of art. I also have this immense and inherent desire to travel, so maybe I’d be picking fruit and/or backpacking my way through Europe. Who knows?


7. Favourite photographer/one you look up to and why? Internationally; Sally Mann, but locally; Amy Scheepers. Sally Mann is a renowned American photographer, and I find her photographs fascinating. She uses old-school photographic equipment and techniques, and develops all pictures herself, giving her photos a strange eerie/mysterious kind of quality. Many of her images, especially the ones of her children when they were younger, have been questioned; but she never let that influence or affects her process and progress. I like how she continued doing what she loved, not because others wanted her to, but because she just needed to take pictures. And on the other hand, Amy Scheepers, a local photographer based in the Eastern Cape, is definitely one of my favourite South African photographers. Her fashion photography that incorporates pastel shades and floral are probably my favourite. Her images also have a whimsical and nostalgic feel to them, and I like her because she creates beautiful images, which is what I hope to do one day too.


8. How has it been working w/ us and creating The Quadrant? It’s been great. I’m happiest when I have a camera in my hands, so this has been an exciting opportunity for me. I also like how the group’s vision tied in so closely with a lot of technical ideas I’ve had in the past and have wanted to try out, so I’ve been able to incorporate bits of them and myself in the images 9. On social media - where can we find you - tumblr? Etc? I don’t have a single place that I showcase all my photography, I usually just post one or two pictures of what I’m up to on Facebook. I have tumblr too; milkandcotton.tumblr.com, but it’s not for my photography. It’s more of a space I use to blog the images I enjoy, with some of my own photography scattered throughout. I think the best way to describe it is as a kind of sneak peak into what the inside of my head looks like? However, now that my portfolio is growing, I’m thinking of starting a new tumblr for just my photography though, so watch this space!


10. Two main tips for good photos? One on how to catch good lighting :  My favorite time to shoot is just before sunset, the light does all sorts of amazing things that can turn an average photo into a spectacular one
One on how to edit:  Natural light is amazing. . As for editing, try not to over-edit your photos. Good pictures don’t need a lot of re-touching, so just let them speak for themselves.


Follow Lindsay on Twitter : @lin_dz

Below are photos that show us her amazing talent for photography and art.