To begin with, how about a bit of an introduction?

Hi I am Cat!!!! I’m a photographer and an artist!

When did you first become interested in photography and what sparked that interest?

Well it all started when I pulled apart my parents photo albums to make my own…..no that wasn’t it. It was for my 8th B’day I got a snap shot camera and went for a walk and took photos of boys I didn’t know, in the park practicing karate….or maybe that was when I discovered boys…mmmm a very long time anyway.
On a serious note...well half serious anyway, I do like to tell stories so with a photo you get to play show and tell!

Where did you study?

La Trobe Uni in Bendigo, I studied Fine Art major in photography

Speaking of study, we hear you have had a stint at teaching photography. Where about and how have you found the budding photographers?

Yes, I felt like I didn’t get to really experience the “uni life” doing fine art, you cant just whip up a drawing assignment the night before, so I did my diploma of education after my bachelor so I could party and yes, yes I did!!! Surprisingly I passed, so, officially I am a secondary school teacher……..arrrrrrrr even the thought of that scares me.
What scares me more is the fact that I love teaching too. I don’t like teachers but I like teaching…mmmmm work that out!

I did a year of emergency teaching, yuk! Real funny me teaching maths. And a year of fulltime teaching Yr 7 & 8’s art & graphics. And if it wasn’t for my rebellious night life during that time they would have sucked me dry of any creativity & sanity in me. The kids in a different environment would be great and ones that want to be creative yay but I doubt I would ever do that again.

Over the years I have indulged in many art programs with primary school kids which was fantastic as well as adult education that I am currently doing and have been for 10 years at Monash uni short course centre, basic photography & now digital. Sadly the dark room has gone.

Can you recall your first professional job with photography?

Mmmmm… I got the job as uni photographer at the end of my first year, that I did for the duration of my uni life…ok ok so I did get to party doing fine art years and go to every event, band or trip the uni put on and it was back in the days of free alcohol  but  my days weren't a blur from drinking it was because I used the art facilities, darkroom & printmaking presses, till 9pm, then photograph a function til 1am then go home and finish history or painting assignments.

No wonder I am such a night owl now.

Oh yeh, sorry my first paid job was a beach party night and the photos consisted of lots of boys with shirts off..and a guy passed out on the top of a large pile of empty VB cans.

The second job was a fun cricket game, all with cans of beer in their hands and I got a streaker…aaarrr those were the days.

Or the best was the kegathon which consisted of teams of 6 and it was a competition to see which team could drink the most! Lots of vomit shots and unfortunately the proofs got a big red cross through them by the student uni president and none were allowed to be published. (the footballers won)

Very stylish and a real help for my future in the creative industry.

My first creative paid job may have been a friends wedding, she was a bit of arty herself wanting only black & white and was having the ceremony in the cellar of a winery, she wanted natural lighting, no flash, so I had been there had a look planned my shots bla bla.

On the actual day I had 2 cameras stop working????  I ended up borrowing a camera from the local photographer and my mum’s instamatic just in case. That’s not the worst of it we get down into the cellar, bride about to walk in lights go out and bride carries a candle to the groom and the ceremony was in candle light. Total darkness. ISO 400 my shutter speeds is about 10 second exposures, no flash as the camera the flash fits onto was not working, she didn’t want flash anyway, so basically all the photos are blurry. Lucky for me she loved them, I did get the traditional family ones on the snap camera and a few more arty blurry ones in the cellar, but what a disaster. It turned me off weddings for 8 years.

Wow I didn’t realize I had so many stories, I should write a book!

Your work opens into many different styles of photography, from portraits and weddings to a texture library that would rival many large stock photography companies. Can you tell us a bit about your different approaches to your medium?

Oh good I need to re-focus back to this interview and my work, god its only question 6! I will be here forever, no you will be here for ever!

Different approaches, I don’t have different approaches, I just seem to be able to adapt to all situations, so far, even if its not the style of photography I like, I can get into the zone, for example “glamour” portraits or…. no, now that I think about it, lots of the jobs I do for clients I don’t particularly like that style of photography but I appreciate the reason or the use of that image and I love the challenge of being able to give them what they want, I must admit I do get a bit obsessed with all jobs, some even sacrificing payment just to get it right, I recently working on a job photographing a piece of cheese. The client wanted that nice curled, just sliced off look except this was with parmesan cheese and if any one has cut parmesan cheese before will know that it doesn’t curl, no it crumbles….4 hours later it curled!

Then I ate all of it!

How do you approach a shoot? Do you have a set routine you perform beforehand?

I jump up and down on my left foot holding my right elbow in the nude singing mary had a little lamb…(but really… –Ed.)

The night before any job, I anally go through all my camera gear, check batteries etc and put everything in a pile ready to grab in the morning. With a posted noted melways of times etc.

Only for photography jobs, nothing else!

It does depend on the job, but I like to have a clear brief of times, places, or products, exactly what the client intends to do with the image…basically cover my backside so there is no guess work.

I also like to meet the clients and talk about it, get on the same wavelength, even their level, get into the zone. Especially with wedding clients I defiantly have to get into their zone.
My motto is If I’m not having fun, they're not having fun, so I am very aware of my presence when dealing with people no stress, fun, in control, no problems. If a problem comes up, fix it, there is no time to stress or worry, just do it.

Once again only on photography jobs!

When I take photos for myself I have found it a lot easier to go out the door with a basic plan of what you are aiming to shoot and why. I may not end up shooting anything that I planed as I tend to go with the flow of what inspires me when I get there, what I see, but if I leave with the attitude of I will see what happens nothing ever does! I always see things when I don’t have a camera.

But I am now happily totally obsessed with photography and I never leave the house with out my little snappy digital, like I wasn’t before, I have withdrawals if I go more than a few days not shooting.

A large amount of your shoots involve some interesting scenarios to get the final result, especially when it comes to textures. What was the strangest situation you have found to be a ‘Kodak moment’?

And how long is this supposed to be?

Well I have mentioned a couple already and you really cant be an embarrassed or scared kind of person. (You need to be naughty and adventurous like me) not worry what people will think & I don’t mean in an arrogant pushy clique photographer way, I mean be prepared to look silly to get the shot. And sacrifice fashion as its not a good Idea to shoot with a dress or skirt on & if so be prepared to show your undies!

The amount of times I have balanced, hung, crawled to get the shot are too many, once again I get into that zone and I don’t notice my undies showing! Just Friday I had a shoot for a magazine Grand Prix party with lots of half naked girls dancing on the podiums, well I couldn’t get a good shot of the whole room with all the people dancing yada yada yada, I just watched that episode of Seinfeld, sorry, anyway so after the girlies got off the podium, up jumps Cat in her knickerbockers, boots & pigtails, tripod and all.

Got some great crowd shots!

I would have a bizarre story or Kodak moment from every shoot I did.

I do love driving and taking photos, I have some great shots, especially at night, with all the lights, lucky I work in abstract. It makes me feel a bit naughty too. I have recently bought a bike  but that’s a bit harder to ride & shoot!!

I am in training to do a 15klm run through the tunnel and over the Bolte bridge only because I want to take photos!

My texture & personal photography is more of an obsession for me, no real adventures just bumps and bruises from walking along viewing he world through a rectangle, its really trippy you should try it. Its like being on a ride and you get disorientated, do it do it!!! But it’s a good idea to actually look where you are walking.

Who needs drugs?

Unlike a lot of career photographers, you have found the transition to digital relatively easy, and used it to increase your skill-set with your medium. Any tips for photographers who are still dubious about the digital age of photography?

I still get very frustrated with digital, the highlights get blown out and the pro labs wont colour correct so I spend hours, no, days get the images ready for print for them to then look crap as you haven’t re calibrated your computer to theirs.

It’s a catch 22 so you have to make it work for you. The quality of film in my opinion has beautiful detail but then scanning is too expensive if you want it to email or manipulate it. The convenience and instantaneous image of digital has defiantly helped in the commercial world and the fact that I can take a photo every 20secs for the rest of my life if I want is phenomenal, I love it. I see it then I have it. Mmm sound like an only child!

I can have little pieces of art work as quickly as I can print.

Time verses $$$, digital is cheaper and you can save $$ by only printing the ones that you want but the time you spend on the computer, what is that worth?

To me I would be doing something creative anyway it may as well be this.

I do miss taking photos, dropping them off at the lab, having a life, picking the photos up, dropping them to the client. The end.

But it’s so much easier to paste someone’s eyes open on the best shot with digital. Guaranteed it will be the best shot they close them on!

You have managed to organise some more ‘regular’, paying shoots into your business, to keep the income flowing and allowing you to expand your vision into other areas without becoming a ‘starving artist’. Any tips for people looking to break into photography for a living?

It has taken me 5 years to do it on my own and a few years getting to that & it is 24hrs no clocking off at 5pm! Your work week ends & evenings so be prepared for that. It's been like a long had battle with my party self & take some control & responsibility self & with arty brain jumping in to distract me and make me behind on my tax by 2 years!

I was lucky I have my teaching background and creative background and my determination to make it in the creative field one way or another. It helps to have something to fall back on.

I did however start at the bottom and let me tell you there are lots of stories of taking Santa photos in Traralgon!!

And even more in taking school photos!

My advice is you have to start some where but don’t get stuck. Unless you like it. I have still got friends doing school photos and all they do is hate it but it has been too long and they are too old to do anything else, nar you can always find a way to get out if you aren’t happy,  they love the regular $$$, super and holiday $$$ too much to admit.

Try lots of different areas until you find something that suits you. Don’t limit your self to things you like. Try and get some small jobs with friends & family, even non-paying jobs just to build up a folio. Grab the phone book, call photographers and try to get some volunteer work or assisting work.

Your collection also includes some ‘photography as art’ pieces, including your coffee series (shown below) which you turned into a successful exhibition. Can you tell us a bit about the process that led from blank digital cards to wall-mounted canvas on display?

My obsession with textures started off as just photos of rocks as I was into rock climbing for a few years the textures and colours were so amazing I took them to do paintings from and I ended up just keeping them as photos & enlarging some for some group exhibitions. I do have all the paintings in my head not all of them have come out yet.

My coffee exhibition “ caffeine rush” happened quiet by accident. I was sick of cleaning up all my coffee spills from making plunger coffee, every time I would make one I would either spill the actual coffee grinds or the water. I had the house to my self for a week and decided not to clean it up. The plunger itself also had a crack in the glass that contributed to the mess as well.

After a couple of days when parts had dried, I thought it looked so cool all swirly and texture like, I wondered how it would look on canvas & how I could create more of a texture.  So I started saving my used coffee grinds and basically splashed them onto canvasses.

I did decide that I liked the way it looked on the bench better at the time, more naturally formed, like finding little compositions in rust or pealing paint layers, so I photographed it all.

After about 6 weeks of totally taking over the kitchen benches with coffee spillages and the floor space with all the canvasses waiting for those to dry, my house mate had had enough so my mess was over and the exhibition appeared.

Oh I also have a coffee machine now too!

Where do you find your inspirations for shoots like this one?

Simply, I just see it!

It doesn’t matter where I am, I will find something that will be visually stimulating, not the obvious either.
Anything from paint pealing off the wall, to a scribble on a pad. I love find little compositions in everything I am looking at.

I never get bored as everything I look at inspires me, I have too many ideas in my head… I can actually have days where I have been too visually stimulated and my head gets scrambled and I go blank….mmm another idea a blank canvas titled “my head” self portrait maybe I can enter it in the Archibald 2007

My friends get annoyed with me as they will be talking to me and I will be winking at them, framing them up to take a photo, I will slightly move myself just so they are a better composition.

Just at the airport today I was staring at the escalators & the way the lights reflected on the floor and I was winking from one eye to the next framing it up about out get out my snappy when a security guard came and asked if I was ok. I don’t know how long I was there for.

I got the photo!

I can’t wait for the day when I can have a camera inserted into my eye and all I have to do is blink and I take a photo.

He He Heeee! Where will the photo come out?

So, where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? Any plans we should know about?

More art pieces, exhibitions, selling personal work on a regular basis, stock library images, travel. Lots of adventures!

Website up and running!

Ideally a cheap studio that I can put all my creative adventures into, space to use as a photo studio, a creating area with lots of storage, business area for post production, and a space for teaching & running my own courses.
5 years…maybe buy something.

Finally, know any good resources, names, website links, or industry secrets you’d like to share with up-and-coming photographers?

www.straycatimages.com.au & “google”. Play, explore, have an adventure, look beyond what you see, enjoy!

Thanks Cat, you’re a legend!

Not until I am dead!!