Sara Orme

 

A while back I came across Sara’s whimsical polaroids in a fashion spread and instantly fell in love. Such a unique way to capture modern fashion through the lens of this dieing format.  As a amateur photographer and lover of all things analog the following Q & A left me super inspired, so my hopes in sharing this interview is that it may spark a little something in you! We all have so much to teach and learn from one another. Enjoy :)

Where are you from, where do you live and how long have you been interested in photography?

Originally, I’m a Christchurch girl but Auckland has been my home for half my life. I studied at the university of Canterbury majoring in Sociology and Art history. I later studied photography at Unitec in Auckland. I have been passionate and curious about photography for as long as I can remember.

 

What immediately attracted me to your works were your stunning polaroids. What do you like most about polaroids and do you have a favourite camera?

I’m passionate about shooting Polaroid and it’s the unpredictable nature of it that I LOVE. For me, shooting Polaroid’s is the nearest thing to painting on canvas. It has such a painterly, dreamy finish. I guess it also takes me back to studying all those great painters of centuries ago, in particular the 17^th century Dutch painters who used their craft to explore an emotional quality that became apparent in their work.

At the same time, my moods change and I never like to get stuck on one thing.  Different cameras almost allow me to climb into something quite different each time.

I love my 35 ml camera,  it allows tremendous energy and vitality and can be limitless with, where and what I can do with it. My large format camera though is my true love. It lets me touch on my darker, more intense side. The process is really slow and deliberate. You have a lot of control over the final image.

You do a lot of fashion photography. Is this your favourite genre to photograph? How did you start working in this industry?
There is something about the immediacy of fashion that I love. I also love that it keeps changing and for me this is important. I like to keep my life changing and moving and never to stay stagnant. It has grown into a passion. I wasn’t one of those people who started out at a young age thinking I always wanted to be a fashion photographer. It just evolved.

It provides a platform to keep shooting, experimenting, and entering a fantasy world. I just found myself one day responding to incredible imagery which I considered art in the likes of Italian Vogue.  I found myself pinning them to my wall and responding emotionally to them.  So much so that I wanted to try doing this myself.

Who do you normally work with? Is it all random or are there people you work with a lot?

I tend to have my favouties and work with some great teams.  For me it is all about working with teams that I connect with on a personal level. Even when I am shooting fashion I still must feel a connection with those I work with.

I have my favourites and work with some great teams.  From concept to the hair and make up…it’s all part of the final outcome.  For me it’s all about working with teams that I connect on a personal level. I love working with Courtney Sanders from  www.alwayssometimesanytime.com.  She has the ability to turn something that could be potentially frivolous into something layered and conceptually challenging.  We have worked together this year on a fashion series called ‘freedom’ which was based on Jonathan Franzens book ‘freedom’  we took the idea of escaping the technological confines of the modern world.  Migeul Lledo who is very passionate  about his craft as a hair and make up artist is always amazing to work with. I also enjoy working with the really new generation ‘kids’ such as Jmmy Wilson. Her vision is refreshing.

On your website you have fashion, advertising and documentary photography listed. What is your favourtie to do and why? What do you like or don’t like about each of these? What is getting you the most gigs these days?

I am seduced by many different aspects of photography. I feel I traverse between a lot of genres and I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing but it feels really right for me.

Photography is my business. So from this point of view advertising allows me great personal freedom. I guess in a way it funds me to do the things i truly love.

I love the fast turn over of fashion. It is fun, frivolous and exciting. It’s like a quick fix. I can plan shoots very easily and quickly on a regular basis and it allows me to keep exploring things, which are quite immediate.

Documentary and portrait  photography on the other hand can take years to complete. But it has allowed me to explore a lot of personal works.  It is completely different from my day-to-day world and I love that. It brings out the sociologist in me. I am so interested in people and their personal stories so taking time out from my every day to commit to this is a blessing.

One documentary project I have been working on for a while now is Te teko.  It’s an on going personal project and really it is just a documentation of the slices of life from this tiny rural town of which my extended Maori whanau live.  I shoot using 35 ml for my documentary work  but  I am also working on a polaroid portrait series here using my large format camera. It is completely different from anything I do here in Auckland and it is that diversity that keeps me balanced.

For me it is a privilege to spend days in a small Maori community and the next days with international fashion models.

Whats the most challenging thing about photography for you? And the best?
Portrait photography is my true love and this is the most challenging for me. I always feel nervous before I shoot someone’s portrait. Every insecurity I have comes out here.  Fashion is a creation of anything you want it to be but portrait is not just about me. It’s about me and my subject and there is a part of me that needs to feel an element of collaboration between the two of us.

I also find working with difficult clients challenging. To me great work comes out of great collaborations and a respect for what one can do. It is very hard when you have to work with someone that doesn’t allow you to use your vision to get amazing results. This doesn’t happen very often as I mostly work with great people who get my vision.

Photography is my life. This is my art.  Within photography I explore a lot of different genres. They’re all personal journeys for me. My work is quite autobiographical and photography has become a vehicle to express this.

Any goals for where you want to take this in the future? Anything exciting coming up we should look out for?

The Freedom series will be an exhibition in early 2012. Dates yet to be confirmed.

I am also about to start work on a documentary series which will  evolve into a Polaroid portrait series with gang members from the bay of plenty area. This also combines my love of writing social histories. I am expecting it will take most of 2012 and hope to exhibit at the end of the year.

I have a lot of plans for 2012 and want it to be a year where my diversity as a photographer can be celebrated.

To check out more of Sara’s work of follow her upcoming projects visit www.saraorme.com.