“IT started when I was about 13, and mum gave me an old film camera - a Pentax ME Super from the 1960s that was my grandfather’s,” teenager Genevieve Rankin recalls.
“Ever since then, photography has become probably my favourite hobby.”
Favourite hobby might be an understatement. Over the past few years, photography has been a big part of Genevieve’s life, including studying photography in year 11 and 12 at Chevalier College.
It is a passion that has seen her foray into a wide variety of styles, primarily portraiture and nature photography.
“My style has evolved a lot over the past few years since I first started,” she said.
“A couple of years ago I saved up for my own DSLR, and although I did study photography for the Higher School Certificate, I’m mostly self taught.”
A resident of Wombeyan Caves, Genevieve said it was her location that also played a big part in her photography.
“Living in the middle of nowhere you kind of have to create your own fun,” she said.
“That’s been one of the reasons behind my nature photography. It’s just something that I started doing and it’s evolved from there.”
The concepts behind Genevieve’s work are sometimes complex, sometimes more simple depending on the subject matter - mainly with her portraiture.
“Recently I did a photo shoot with a few Muslim people, and what I really tried to do was capture the visual aspect of their amazing culture,” she said.
“I think that by capturing that moment in time, that element, you can really make an impact on other people and maybe even change the way they think.”
Genevieve has even been to South Africa where she is a good friend of a fellow young photographer, a Muslim boy named Ashraf.
“I travelled to Cape Town a few years ago and met him while I was there, and went back last year and saw him again,” Genevieve said.
“It’s really interesting because the Muslim culture does not allow drawings or reproductions of any living thing, as it is seen as a likeness of God.
“Ashraf creates a lot of street photography and he has really had an influence on me and made me think about the way I compose my own photographs.
“I had never really taken street photos before but now I definitely think a lot more about what I’m shooting, and who I am shooting.”
Some of Genevieve’s other influences are well known photographers Cindy Sherman and Bill Henson.
“I actually chose Bill Henson to study in high school, and I think his work is gorgeous - especially his older work.
“One photo in particular I really love. It’s of a nine-year-old girl, holding a cigarette, and the way she is standing there and looking at the camera, it almost seems like she is a 35-year-old being projected through a younger body.
“I would love to be able to capture something like that - something incredibly elegant.”
Technology plays an important role in Genevieve’s work. She’s a whiz on Photoshop, although she admits she is still “half a purist”.
“I do use Photoshop quite significantly, especially with my indoor and self-portrait shots - so I can fix up things like lighting and skin,” she said.
“But for my nature photography, I try and manipulate it as little as possible.
“It is amazing what Photoshop can do though. It definitely helps me to refine my ideas, concepts and emotions that I want express through my work.”
The internet is also a big part of Genevieve’s photography.
She uses the website DeviantArt.com, an online art community with about two million artists from across the globe.
“DeviantArt is such a great community because you can expose your work to so many people,” she said.
“There’s traditional art, typography, photography and digital art. It’s a really good way to see other people’s work.”
Although photography is a big part of her life, Genevieve admits that making a career from it would be difficult.
“Photography will always be a passion. I plan on upgrading my camera either this year or next and expand my collection of lenses,” she said.
“In the future I would really like to get into things like wedding photography and freelance work. But for a career I will probably head in a musical direction.”
“I’ve been singing since Year 3, and classically singing since Year 7.
“For the rest of this year I’m going to work and save money to head over to South Africa again, and I hope to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2012.”
* Genevieve Rankin has some of her photographs on display at Coffee Culture in Bowral for the next three weeks. For more information about Genevieve and her work, visit her website at genabubbles.deviantart.com or send an email to genevieve.l.rankin@gmail.com.
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter