Garrod Kirkwood

So today we had an inspirational talk from a photographer that studied the same course as me and WOW has he done well for himself!

Check out his work;

www.garrodkirkwood.com

Something that sticks out about his website is its very clean cut and all about the imagery. He said our websites had to be straight to the point and logo had to be good or a commercial graphical company wouldn't touch us. I'm still in the process of branding myself but I think for a while I'll change and perfect it until I'm happy with the design. First impressions count.

He spoke about how he wasn't the best student at the college but how he had such passion and drive for photography that thats the job he wanted to do. As soon as he left Newcastle College he assisted Alex Telfer (Also from Newcastle College) which he said was great because Alex gave him a full time paid job assisting. He was being paid to do what he loved although he said being an assistant is a job in itself, its important for the photographer not to worry too much and get on with the job as soon as possible. Garrod would set up lights and (as it was film back then) wind films on very quickly. He said it was vital to be a good assistant so the photographer trusts you and you get the most of your time being an assistant.

Alex knew he was giving Garrod the stepping stones he needed to become an established photographer himself, but when Garrod felt it was time to leave he realised it wasn't just taking the picture that mattered. It was a business too, so he mentioned that Social Networking is important to get your name out there and let the public know what your up too. Gerrod said A LOT of his work has came from chats from twitter or people phoning saying they saw his work online and wanted to hire him. 

As important as shooting pictures for clients to pay the bills, Gerrod said it was crucial to carry on with personal work to keep the passion and to have something to talk about too, as many photo shoots are confidential and don't want them leaked until they are ready to go to press. 

Personally I love Garrod's attitude to his work and also other peoples, he named drops quite a few photographers through the Talk and said where and who inspires him. 

He was very open about his personal life where he brought up if it was between a girl and photography, his passion for photography won every time. I felt like I related to this because I get such a thrill when I capture the picture I want and no body (unless photographers themselves) understands how much of a high it gives you to achieve something you've spent possibly hours if not days trying to achieve.