Claire Gill on Finding Joy in Pictures
After Years as a Professional Photographer, Gill says she’s learned to Take Risks
I’m a photographer who works exclusively in black and white. I especially love winter, so much so that I named my business after it: Winter Light Photography.
I started taking pictures when I was eight years old, but only became serious about it when I went to college at Boston University where there were tons of opportunities for art classes and guest speakers. After graduating from BU with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts photography, my first job was with a newspaper as an editorial photographer working on sports coverage which is what led me into the world of magazine photography.
I’ve been photographing professionally for more than 20 years now. During this time, I’ve learned how important risk-taking can be when creating something beautiful or interesting or moving and sometimes even funny! Risk-taking helps us learn more about ourselves; we’re forced outside our comfort zones as artists/photographers/whatever label we want to give ourselves today (especially if you’re reading this article). There are times when we’ll feel like throwing everything away because things aren’t going quite right and then bam! Something happens that makes all those hard times worth it once again.
Gill says that her Series of Underwater Photography was inspired by her Mother’s Death
Claire Gill was born in England and grew up in the picturesque town of Bristol. She says she didn’t start taking photos seriously until she was 18 when she got a camera as a Christmas present from her parents. She credits them with instilling her love of photography: “My father would take us all on walks around the neighborhood and teach us how to take photos.”
Gill’s father is also responsible for another important aspect of her life: he taught Gill how to swim when she was three years old. The first time he put her in water at the local pool, Gill says she loved it instantly and this love hasn’t diminished over time. it influenced one of Gill’s most iconic projects: an underwater series called “Under Water,” which features portraits taken by using an underwater camera housing (a small box that lets photographers shoot underwater). The series was inspired by Gill’s relationship with water after growing up near Bristol Harbor and having such a strong connection with swimming as a child; with Under Water (which has been exhibited around the world), Gill felt like she could express something deeper than just visually appealing imagery. “It had more meaning than just pretty pictures,” she explains. “I wanted people [to] see what I saw.”
Importance of Water
Gill didn’t realize how important water was to her until following the death of her mother. Gill’s mother loved the water and as a child, Gill spent much of her time playing in it. The ocean, ponds, and lakes were all part of her life growing up on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. Following her mother’s death in 2012, Gill discovered a new love for underwater photography an interest that had been latent since childhood but had never taken hold until then. Now she has a series called “Underwater Worlds” that includes images from around the world: from microscopic photographs taken at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole to large-scale underwater images shot off North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Gill finds that water has always calmed her down when she is stressed out or anxious about something going on in her life (or if she just needs a break).
As a Photographer, Being able to subvert the Medium
As a photographer, being able to subvert the medium and come away with something new is an exciting challenge. For example, my photography has a unique style that combines my interests with the technical skill required for photography; this allows me to take pictures that I would otherwise not be able to capture.
My work often focuses on the relationship between people and space how we interact with each other and how we use different spaces in our lives. It’s I need to express ideas through photographs because they allow me to better understand myself as well as others around me.
Gill’s Photographs with Personal Meaning
Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or just getting your feet wet, Gill’s photographs are a great example of how you can infuse your work with personal meaning. As she says, “I love images that have had their edges blurred by the passage of time. They remind me of how we all move from one place to another throughout our lives; we are never static.”
Gill’s approach is very much about taking risks and being open to finding inspiration in unlikely places even if it means subverting the medium itself. “A photograph needs to be more than just an accurate representation,” she says. “It needs to tell its own story.”
For Claire Gill, photography is an outlet for joy.
“I’ve been taking pictures since I was a kid,” said Gill. “It’s something that brings me great joy and helps me to see the world differently.”
Gill’s work has been featured in multiple publications and galleries throughout the United Kingdom, including [publication name 1], [publication name 2], and [publication name 3]. She works with a variety of different styles and mediums, ranging from oil painting to acrylics, but her favorite medium is film photography. “I love the challenge of working with film,” she says. “Some people say it’s more difficult than digital photography but I think it adds another layer of creativity. “Gill believes that there are two types of photographers those who take pictures because they want to share them with others and those who take pictures because they just want their enjoyment. She falls into both categories: “I want my pictures to be shared but also for them to be something that only I can see,” she says. She uses her Instagram account as an outlet for sharing her work with others while also enjoying it herself: “When someone likes one of your photos or comments on it.
