Photography As A Tool For Social Impact - Podcast Interview

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by Muaz Notiar for his podcast Blazon, a business and entrepreneurship podcast for the Creative Industries. We spoke about how photography can be used for social impact and how it can be used to pursue sustainable change.

Muaz is the co-founder of Revstance, a Fashion Advisory and Consulting digital agency on a mission to give designers and boutique owners a channel to showcase their talent and reduce the hurdles when consumers try to find them.

They created the Blazon podcast to allow the public to hear directly from people working in the creative industries in order to give them a glimpse into how these industries work.

During the conversation, we touched on the environmental challenges that the industry and the world face. We also talked about how many creatives, photographers in particular, don't know where to begin when it comes to running sustainable and ethical practices and how starting small is a good approach.

You can listen to the episode on the player below or you can also read a transcription of the interview in their blog.

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I Took The Sustainable Production Training Run By AdGreen

Last week, I finished the sustainable production training run by AdGreen and offered to creative departments, ad agency production departments, production companies for motion and stills, and crew. AdGreen enables the industry, wherever the activity is, to act for a sustainable future and reduce emissions from productions. Its founding partners include leading industry players and key trade bodies such as the Association Of Photographers - AOP, of which I am a member.

The training offered by AdGreen is aimed at uniting the industry to eliminate the negative environmental impacts of productions and enable the community to measure and understand waste and carbon impacts. The training session is an opportunity for those working in productions to understand the key challenges we face, as well as what can be done at every level to promote environmental sustainability.

The session covered everything from the global environmental issues that we are facing, such as the millions of people displaced by climate change and the rapid extinction of species, to the industry’s impact and what reductions need to be made in our productions to counteract the climate emergency. We also learned from some interesting case studies how to measure our carbon footprint and what are the key things to think about when putting productions together.

If you are interested in learning more about AdGreen, including case studies, tips by activity area and company type, you can visit their website weareadgreen.org.

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A World That Others Can't See... with Zula Rabikowska

Our role as photographers is to capture a world that others can't see, and in this process, we leave a little bit of us in every photo that we take. In a way, every single one of our photographs is also a portrait of ourselves.

In this series, A World That Others Can't See, I ask fellow photographers to talk about an image from their portfolios in order to discover the stories behind their work and to learn about the person behind the lens.

For the twelfth post of the series, social documentary and commercial photographer Zula Rabikowska shares with me her most recent work, from her self-portrait project "Becoming Herstory."

Zula says: “This image is part of my most recent series entitled "Becoming Herstory." This is a personal project which explores the idea of home, belonging and migration. I moved to the UK 20 years ago as a child and this move created a physical and cultural rupture with my family and Polish society. Using self-portraiture, I wear my ancestors’ clothes, connect with my family heritage, and highlight the war-torn complexity of Eastern Europe. I created this project during the 2020/21 winter lockdown and was my own creative director, stylist, assistant, model and photographer. The images were inspired by a personal need to reconcile parts of my family history and conversations with my mum.

My mum spent years bringing clothes and glassware from Poland to the UK, as these enabled her to maintain a physical bond with Polish culture, and helped us create a feeling of "home", something that we have always found difficult since moving to the UK. Holding onto these items facilitated a connection with the past and our family in Poland. In the series, I use various items, and amongst others, I include my mum’s first kitchen curtains, a handmade sheep coat, my grandma's special swimsuit and Coca Cola towels won in a radio competition. I “wear” and “perform” my family history and reflect on how the memories of women in my family have shaped my identity.

This self-portrait is called "My Mother's Dowery" and I wear my grandma’s special New Year’s Eve outfit, known as the “Nefertiti Collar” which was smuggled from Thailand. During Communism in Eastern Europe cash was largely worthless due to high inflation, and people invested in crystal, which was passed down through generations. It was quite normal for people to set up their own garden crystal productions and sell such items from their homes. The glass in this portrait was bought from my neighbours in Poland, which was part of my mum’s dowry. My grandparents, like a lot of of people at the time, invested in crystal, which was commonly referred to as "glass" (szklo in Polish), as a way of financial security, The background is created from a sequin fabric, which my dad used to sell in his clothes shop the 90s.

"My Mother's Dowery" from the series Becoming Herstory @ 2020 Zula Rabikowska

At the end of 2020, I found myself living back at home in London with my mum and my step-dad, and I started this series largely in response to my living situation and a way to stay busy during the winter lockdown. Since almost everything in the UK was closed during the winter months, and households were not allowed to mix, I became my own model and creative crew. I bought a studio lighting kit and in my mum's office set up a temporary studio for five weeks. She was using the room during the day for work, so the only time I could shoot was at 6am-9am and then after work and during the weekend, which created quite a strict shooting schedule for me. During the day I was looking at old family photos for inspiration, and sorting and compiling outfits from bags of clothes I found in the basement and the loft. My bedroom pretty much transformed into a dressing room full of clothes, makeup and wigs.

This was not the first time I was working with self-portraiture, as I developed an earlier project in the first 2020 lockdown called "Untried Realities", where I spent numerous hours behind and in front of the lens. This proved extremely useful, as when I started "Becoming Herstory" I was already comfortable with being the photographer and the subject. I created "Becoming Herstory" by placing my Nikon D800 on a Manfrotto tripod and used a self-timer, which gave me 10 seconds to move from pressing the shutter and arranging myself in front of a camera.

I am hoping that in the near future I will be able to organise an exhibition to show this work, and my plan is to exhibit the photographs alongside the clothes and objects that I used.”

Thank you so much, Zula, for sharing with me such a beautiful project and the story behind it! You can see more of Zula's amazing project at zulara.co.uk or her social media @zula.ra.

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If you haven’t read the previous posts of this series, you can check the whole series here.

Do you like what you just read? Consider becoming a patron on patreon.com/jccandanedo where you can learn more about my creative process and the stories behind my images. I’d love to have you as part of my Patreon community.

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I Want To Get To Know You

I started writing this blog as a way of documenting my path in the industry. To my surprise, it soon became a tool for starting creatives to find resources about their careers. I'm humbled by the constant flow of positive feedback and I'm really grateful that you took the time to stop by. Please, now that you are here, do introduce yourself. I want to get to know you.

When I'm writing these posts, I think of you. I write for you, so the more I know you the more I can keep on writing the posts that you enjoy reading. There is a special bond between the writer and the reader. For a few minutes, words have the power to connect us transcending time and space. In my mind, and for the length of these posts, it is as if we were sitting across from each other having a chat.

It doesn't really matter if we agree or disagree. What's important is that we were given the opportunity to find each other in the depths of the internet. Out of the 8 billion people that inhabit the planet, you and I connected through this blog and to me that is worth every single second that I've spent writing on it.

Post a comment below, send me a message on my contact page, or send me an email to info@jccandanedo.com. I want to know who you are, where you are visiting from, why are you here? What do you like reading? What inspires you? Do you work in the Creative Industries? Are you here for my social activism? How did you find out about this blog? Anything you want to share with me, just feel free to drop me a line.

If you receive my weekly newsletter, or if you come to my blog from elsewhere, I want to thank you for your continuous support and for reading my posts. If, on the other hand, you just found out about this blog through this post, I say: welcome. Sit down, relax, grab something warm to drink and enjoy the reading. If you don't know where to start, below you will find a summary of the topics that I write about to make your life easier:

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Posts for the creative community where I write about my experiences working in the Creative Industries in the UK.

Opinion pieces where I write about the social issues that I care for, such as Human Rights and Mental Health.

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I Wish I Had Known: a column where I interview other creatives and ask them questions about the things that I wish I had known when I started out as a creative myself. We talk about their careers, their roles in the industry and how they started out.

A World That Others Can't See: a column in which I ask fellow photographers to talk about an image from their portfolios in order to discover the stories behind their work and to learn about the person behind the lens.

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Do you like what you just read? Subscribe to my weekly blog posts here! You may subscribe to the audio version wherever you get your podcasts.

HELP ME PRODUCE MORE LIKE THIS

Patreon is a platform that enables me to offer you the content that you enjoy. Consider becoming a patron by clicking here. For less than the price of a cup of coffee a month you can support this blog and learn how I create my work. Also, 6% of my patrons' support goes to a different charity each month!

Get More Confident Pricing Your Work

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How many times have you been asked to write an estimate for a job in which you end up undercharging out of fear of not getting the job? How many times have you written down, deleted and rewritten the figures on an estimate because you thought the client would not pay what you were asking for? How many times have you quoted so little for a job that you actually ended up regretting getting the job? If this sounds like you, welcome to the club. It happens to all of us. To this day, I'm yet to meet a creative who at some point in their careers hasn't gone down this spiral of fear when they get asked to quote for a job. It takes a change of mindset to combat this fear.

Not knowing how much to charge for a job is at the top of the list of problems that freelance creatives who don't have an agent face throughout their careers. I would like to say that it gets better with time, but as we progress in our careers the jobs keep getting more challenging which in turn worsens the issue of not knowing how much to charge.

I blame this on a lack of transparency in the industry. Very rarely we see other creatives advertising their rates on their websites or discussing them in public. Everyone is very secretive about how much they charge out of fear of other creatives charging less and stealing their clients. I have a group of photographer friends who support each other in every possible way and even with them the conversations about how much we charge seem uncomfortable.

In some industries, there is a suggested rate that everyone is familiar with. People who work in those industries use this suggested rate to know how much to charge according to their level of expertise and seniority, and clients understand these rates and know approximately how much they will have to pay. In other industries, unions set the rates.

But for most of the creative industries, and particularly for photographers, unless you are represented it is always a guessing game. There are a million websites that give guidance on how to calculate your cost of running your business and all sort of magical formulae that should help you come up with these figures. In my experience, these don't work for most creatives. Those calculations work if you can predict the number of jobs that you will have per month, but most photographers can tell you that this doesn't really apply to the type of work that we do.

Ironically, there is pressure within the creatives industries to charge fees that are fair for you but also fair for the rest of the people working in the industry. Undercharging for your work forces other creatives to lower their rates to be able to compete and this affects what clients expect to pay in the future. Charging too little affects you and the industry both in the short and the long term.

I know that we all have bills to pay, families to support and food to put on the table. If times are tough and you really need the money, I can't advise you not to take on underpaid jobs. I also might not be able to give you an idea of how much to charge for your work because I myself came up with my rates after years of experimentation, self-valuation and building up confidence in myself and my work.

What I can offer you is guidance on the things that you can tell yourself to gain the confidence that you need in order to be at ease with the figures that you are charging.

1. My first piece of advice is that you write down your rates. Create a rate card for your services. It could be on a notebook, on an email that you send to yourself or anywhere that is easy enough for you to access when you are asked how much you charge. Resist the urge to change them every time that you have to send an estimate. Stick to them for a while and see if you feel that you are being paid fairly. If you quickly realise that they are too low and do not equate to the amount of work that you are putting in, by all means, change them right away.

2. Don't charge too low thinking that it will attract more work. It might at first, but a photography business is not an economy of scale. You are not manufacturing goods. Your expenses won't become cheaper the more jobs you get. Quite the opposite. And you will end up overworked and probably losing money. Also, undercharging will devalue you as a photographer. As you progress in your career, you will want to have access to bigger clients and usually bigger clients do not work with cheap suppliers. Creatives who charge very little seem inexperienced.

3. Don't charge an amount that you are not happy with and that you don't feel is fair. Some clients ask for a discount with the promise of hiring you many more times again in the future. The sad truth is that, most likely, they will never hire you again. And if they do, you will have a difficult time trying to raise your rates in the future to a level that you feel is fair.

4. If your clients are other businesses, think that both of you are trying to make money with the photographs that you are taking. So, It is only fair that you both make a profit. If you are working for individuals, think that they probably don't know how much it costs to have their photos taken. If after defending your fee they still can't afford you, that only means that they are not the type of clients that you should be pursuing.

Most of the times, if we are uncomfortable pricing a job is not because our fees are not adequate but because we are not confident about the value of our work. Funny enough, your potential client can see the quality of your work because they want to work with you in the first place and they asked you for your fee. It's about time that you own the value of your work yourself.

Photo credit: behind the scenes by Andrzej Gruszka.

Do you like what you just read? Consider becoming a patron on patreon.com/jccandanedo where you can learn more about my creative process and the stories behind my images. I’d love to have you as part of my Patreon community.

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3 Ways I Can Help You Manage Your Photography Projects Better

If you are a Professional Photographer, what is the one thing you want the most? To take photos. Sadly, anyone who runs a photography business can tell you that 95% of our time is spent dealing with the business side of things and managing our projects. Successful Professional Photographers have to be excellent project managers to be able to balance multiple projects at the same time while still running their business, promoting their work and finding time to work on personal projects to update their portfolios. However, even amongst those who successfully deliver projects consistently, there is a vast majority of Professional Photographers who lack Project Management skills. Here's how I can help.

I am a Socially-Conscious Photographer with more than 25 years of Project Management experience in different countries, and more than 10 years of experience in mentoring peers and students in the Creative Industries. I designed a set of tools to educate and empower other creatives to run their projects successfully and achieve their potential as change agents.

To help you manage your Photography Projects better, be it personal or client work, I offer One-On-One Mentoring Sessions and Consultations for Individuals, and Talks, Webinars and Workshops for Organisations, to help them turn their ideas into projects, successfully manage their projects from inception to completion, and run a practice with a social orientation while creating projects for social transformation.

Mentoring

I know first-hand that having a mentor can change your career forever. When I changed careers at almost 40 years old, I started anew in a different industry, a different country, a different work culture and a different language. I wouldn’t have been able to get a foot in the new industry if it hadn’t been for those who lend me a hand. So I decided to offer that chance to other people, allowing myself to have a positive impact on someone else’s career and see them thrive while they feel supported.

These tailored 1-hour mentoring sessions allow us to discuss Photographer-to-Photographer anything you might need support with:

• Turning your ideas into photography projects.

• Planning your photography projects.

• Keeping you accountable for the progress of your projects.

• Creating projects with a Social Impact.

• Running a purpose-driven practice.

Find out more about my mentoring sessions here.

Project Consultations

These 2-hour working sessions allow me to help you design your project or help you unstuck a project that you've been dragging on:

• Feedback on ideas and approach.

• Support on Project Development.

• Practical Advice on Planning and Managing Tasks.

• Advice on Execution and Management Tools.

• Accountability for progress, actions and goals.

• Guidance on developing projects for Social Transformation.

Find out more about my project consultations here.

Talks, Workshops and Webinars:

I am available for Talks, Workshops and Webinars for Organisations that include group dynamics, activities and discussions on any of the following topics, or I can even design a topic tailored to your needs:

• How To See Life As A Photographer

• How To Turn Ideas Into Photography Projects

• Introduction to Project Management for Photographers

• Designing Projects For Social Impact

All the talks, workshops and webinars can be tailored to the organisation's needs and I can also design a tailored one that fits the requirements of your organisation. Just get in touch!

Taking amazing photos is no longer enough. The truth is that there are more photographers out there than we'd like to admit that are as good or are better than we are. But, running a successful photography practice takes more than just knowing how to take good images. And knowing how to successfully manage your projects is a mandatory skill. If you are ready to run your projects better, let’s have a talk.

Photo credit: behind the scenes by Facundo Bustamante.

Do you like what you just read? Consider becoming a patron on patreon.com/jccandanedo where you can learn more about my creative process and the stories behind my images. I’d love to have you as part of my Patreon community.

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Your Worth Is Greater Than You Give Yourself Credit For

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In November last year, I moderated a panel discussion with photographers and filmmakers of all levels and backgrounds in support of the Aldridge Foundation. The panellists discussed what it means to work in the Creative Industries in order to inspire young people who want to become creatives. The Aldridge Foundation is a charity that aims to inspire and equip young people with the skills they need to take control of their futures. During the conversation, the advice that was offered the most by the panellists was that creative people have to work hard in building up their self-confidence. Only with confidence in yourself and your work is that you can thrive in this industry. But, in my personal experience and the experience of most creatives that I know, this is easier said than done.

Last week I had two conversations with two very different young persons that made me think of how far I've come in terms of building up my confidence. One of them told me that they were really nervous about an interview but not for the reasons that one might expect. They weren't worried about the skills or work experience part of the interview. What was giving them anxiety were the personal questions. According to them, their life was very uneventful and they had nothing to say about themselves that sounded interesting.

The other conversation was with someone who told me that they didn't know how to meet people in person. Young people these days are so used to having interactions through technology that the thought of having an in-person conversation with another human being can be daunting for some. When I asked if they knew why this was, they said that when they are chatting via any messaging app or when having a videocall conversation they feel at ease. But, as soon as the protection offered by technology is taken out of the equation they feel uncomfortable to the point of not being able to utter a single word.

I remember a time when I was afraid of talking to other people. I thought I didn't have anything interesting to say about myself. Before going to university, my self-image had been built up (more like torn down) by years of psychological abuse by family, neighbours and classmates. I was made believe that I was anti-natural, I was made feel different, I was called a faggot, I was called fat and effeminate, I was told that I spoke weirdly, that I had an accent, that my acne was horrible, that I had an odd shape, that my hips were too wide, my torso too thin, my legs looked like women's legs... and the list could go on. I was a walking mess of insecurities because I let everyone else build the image that I was supposed to have of myself.

And then came university. It was the first time in my life that I was away from familiar surroundings. At university, nobody knew me. It was the perfect opportunity to tell the world who I was with my own voice. Don't get me wrong, my insecurities didn't just vanish. They stayed with me for almost 20 more years. But, what was different was that in every new interaction I was telling my own version of my life story. Not the version that included the image that other people had had of me so far. And that gave me confidence.

How did I go from feeling like the ugly duckling to feeling like a swan? I think it was the realisation that we all have something to offer others, no matter how dull we think our lives are. We might feel like our lives are uneventful because we are the ones living them. But no one else has our background, our families, our experiences, our hobbies, and no one else sees life the way we do.

So, when I started to meet people at university I soon realised that some people were interested in the things that I had to say. Even the simplest of things like what I did during the weekend was completely different to the plans that other people had. Not because I was different or special, but because I was me and they weren't me. My anecdotes weren't interesting to everyone, but those who were interested really wanted to know more. And this gave me more confidence.

At some point, I also learnt the phrase: "We are not gold coins. We can't possibly be liked by everyone". These words freed me from the pressure of trying to please everyone.

Somewhere in here is a lesson for everyone struggling with their confidence, especially for all creatives. Do your thing. Just be yourself. As cliched as it may sound, the more you try to imitate others the less authentic you are and the more difficult it gets to present your work. Your audience will appreciate you and what you do. Finding that audience is difficult, I won't lie to you. But after building your portfolio for some time and getting yourself out there you will start seeing how some people engage with your work more than others. Those are the people that you have to talk to. Those are your people, your audience.

Cultivate them, talk to them. Don't force things, just continue being you because that is what they like. They don't want you to be anything other than who you are. As you grow, you will evolve. And some of those followers will not relate to the evolved version of your work and they will inevitably stop following you. That's ok, it's natural. But those who remain will grow stronger links to your stories and will want to know more.

When we are starting out, we often think that we have to fish the market with a massive net and catch whatever falls in it. But this fishing technique is not sustainable. Not everything that you catch is useful, and with this technique, you might end up hurting the environment because you hurt other species that weren't supposed to be fished out. But, if you put the right bait at the end of a fishing line you will catch just the right type of fish for you.

The more confident you look to others, the more they will want to be with you and the more they will appreciate your work. And it's ok if some people don't like you or what you do. It's their right. The same way that you have the right to not like some people or what they make. Someone not liking you or what you do does not invalidate you or your work. Your work is still valid, you are still valid. You just need to cross paths with those who can appreciate both. And when that happens, your confidence will do the rest.

Photo credit: behind the scenes by Stef Mic.

Do you like what you just read? Consider becoming a patron on patreon.com/jccandanedo where you can learn more about my creative process and the stories behind my images. I’d love to have you as part of my Patreon community.

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Don't Believe Anything I Say

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It may sound counterproductive for me to say this about my blog posts, but you shouldn't believe a word that I write. Or a word that anyone else writes for that matter. Instead, you should do your own research every time that you read about the topics that interest you. Even if what you are reading comes from a source that you trust. Every article that you read has some sort of bias, including those written by journalists from reputable media. The editorial line of the publication will always have a bias and will always try to please its audience. There is no such thing as an unbiased news piece and all opinion pieces obviously have a bias. The person presenting you with the information has, consciously or subconsciously, imprinted their own way of looking at life on the words they write. That is the reason why, whenever I write a piece where I share facts about any issue I always include the links to my sources so that you can do your own research and don't believe my words blindly. I was brought up knowing not to believe everything I hear and striving to find my own truth. That has made me a very inquisitive person.

"The truth is out there", said the famous tagline from the X-files. Today, it would read "The truth is paywalled". If you want to have access to rigorous investigative journalism on the internet you have to pay a fee. But, hoaxes, disinformation and conspiracy theories are roaming free all over the web. The majority of people either can't afford or don't want to pay to read news online and that is why misinformation spreads like wildfire. As a creator myself, I understand that journalists and news outlets must charge for their work but we must find a strategy to make truth and facts available to everyone or the misinformation problem will only become worse.

Back in 2017, I wrote a post where I spoke about how the most searched word on the internet that year was "truth". It's really preoccupying that today, 4 years later, misinformation is still being spread without any consequences and under the protection of Free Speech. As if Free Speech was meant to protect words that inflict hatred or cause harm to humanity.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate has released a new report in which it proves that as much as 73% of vaccine misinformation on Facebook and 17% on Twitter can be linked to the same 12 individuals. Take a few seconds to digest what I just said. Twelve people from the 8 billion humans that inhabit the planet are responsible for 73% of vaccine misinformation on Facebook. It seems to me that they are fishing in troubled waters. Someone always profits in moments of chaos. Sadly, it will take us a while to find out what their agendas are and by then the damage might be irreversible.

Finding sources that one can trust has become a major challenge. Take it from me, every time that I write on my blog I spend hours, if not days, carefully researching the topics that I write about. Actually, don't take it from me. Don't believe me. Do your own research. Read my words with the utmost disbelieve and carefully look for other sources to contrast the information that I present in my blog. The truth is out there... if you have the patience to find it.

Photo credit: portrait by Ivan Weiss.

Do you like what you just read? Consider becoming a patron on patreon.com/jccandanedo where you can learn more about my creative process and the stories behind my images. I’d love to have you as part of my Patreon community.

Subscribe to my weekly blog posts here! You may subscribe to the audio version wherever you get your podcasts.

Climate Change Is A Fashion Issue

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Yesterday marked a year since the first lockdown in the UK. If this year has taught us anything is that our relationship with the environment must change. In a previous post, I wrote about how the climate emergency is a photography issue encouraging fellow photographers to reassess their practices and get involved in bettering the planet. Today, I write about how those of us who have a direct or indirect role in the Fashion Industry, or anyone who consumes fashion for that matter, are also part of the environmental problem. The good news is that we all have the potential to be part of the solution. Small changes in our day to day lives can have a massive impact if we all apply them consciously.

There is no doubt that the Fashion Industry is one of the biggest polluters on the planet. For this reason only, anyone who supports the Fashion Industry has a duty to protect the environment. If your support to the industry doesn't come from your line of work (design, production, logistics, retail, wholesale, support roles), and you don't see yourself as a fashion victim, you might think that this article is not for you. The reality is that, when it comes to the clothes we wear, we are all partly responsible for how the Fashion Industry affects the environment. If you didn't make your clothes yourself using sustainable materials and processes, you are part of the problem.

When we think of the Fashion Industry, we tend to think of luxury brands and fancy designer runways. We forget that everything that we are wearing this very second (shoes, undergarments, clothes, accessories) was produced by a brand that is part of the industry and also accounts for a percentage of its environmental impact. So, when I say that Climate Change is a Fashion Issue, what I'm trying to say is that Climate Change is an Everyone's Issue.

In my post about how Climate Change is a Photography Issue, I wrote that at its most basic level climate change is a human issue. This means that if you are human, you are both affected by or liable for the climate crisis. And this includes both our consumer behaviour and our work practices.

How can I reduce my fashion environmental impact as a consumer?

As part of the efforts that we have to make to have more environmentally friendly habits, the way we shop needs to change. This doesn't only apply to the way we buy clothes, but learning to be a more responsible fashion consumer can have an impact on our shopping behaviour in every other type of categories of products and services that we buy.

Here are a few things that you can start doing as soon as you finish reading this article to become a smarter consumer:

• Buy less: I know, this sounds counterproductive coming from someone who runs a business within the Fashion Industry. The sad reality is that the reductions that we need to make to counteract climate change go against the concept of capitalism and growth. If you don't buy new clothes, you will not contribute to the problem at hand. But I can't advise you not to buy new clothes ever again because this will unleash a series of other problems (economy, employment, waste) and it's very naive of me to think that you won't have the need to buy new clothes at some point. The correct advice is to buy less, to think twice before we buy a new garment and to consider the other points coming below when you really need new clothes.

• Repair: cheap clothes damage easily. Also, up until now, they were seen as disposable. This has contributed to the massive amounts of clothes piling up in landfills all over the planet. I am aware that not everyone can afford better clothes even if it means that they will last longer. But, something that everyone can do is to try to mend the ones that we own if they have small, fixable damages. Fashion businesses will soon start to provide this service to consumers.

• Repurpose what you have: we all have pieces of clothing in our wardrobe that we haven't used in ages. If you believe in trends, they do come and go so it is likely that some of those pieces are back in trend. If you don't buy into the trends nonsense (and you shouldn't), rescuing those pieces from the back of your closet will make you feel like you are wearing new clothes without the expense.

• Buy second-hand: buying pre-loved clothes is an excellent way of repurposing other people's clothes while not contributing to damaging the planet. There are plenty of places that sell second-hand garments, but soon this will also be a service provided by most fashion retailers.

• Buy sustainably and ethically: finally, if you do have to buy new clothes the best that you can do is to support brands that are sustainable and ethical. Sustainable and ethical are not synonymous concepts, they are two very different things even if people use the terms interchangeably. Sustainability refers to brands that use materials and processes that are environmentally friendly. On the other hand, ethical practices refer to offering good working conditions to employees and paying them fairly, for instance. A brand can be sustainable, but not ethical. Or the other way around. When you become a smart consumer, you get used to researching the brands that you buy from before checking out. Try to support brands that are transparent about where they produce their garments, which materials they use, who works for them and how do they treat their staff. Extra points for those brands that support their communities, that show on their websites videos of their facilities and that have made a commitment to treating their employees fairly. You don't want to give your hard-earned money to brands that don't respect the planet nor humanity.

These are just a few things that you can start doing right away to become a smarter consumer. But, beware of greenwashing. Saying that a brand is sustainable and ethical is not enough. There must be transparency and proof. Also, stay away from brands or products that claim to be 100% sustainable or 100% ethical. When it comes to ethical and sustainable practices, you must constantly reassess your impact. Stating that a brand or product is 100% of anything implies that they feel their job is done. Be wary of brands that use euphemisms like natural, or organic, or good, because none of these words means sustainable nor ethical.

How can I reduce my fashion environmental impact as an employee?

It wouldn't be fair to suggest that you quit your job in Fashion if you suspect that the company that you work for is not ethical nor sustainable. Times are tough and we need to pay our bills. What I ask of you is that you research your employer and assess whether they are good for humanity and for the environment. Having this awareness is a good first step.

If you feel like your employer could do better (going beyond the basic environmental legal requirements, for instance) raise your voice. Change comes from within. You can become a change agent in your workplace. Group with like-minded coworkers and share your concerns with management. No company within the Fashion Industry can be excused for not being aware of their impact on the planet, but the management might not be aware that the company could be doing more.

It is easier to change our behaviours than to try to change the way that the companies that we work for operate. Businesses, especially large ones, don't have enough flexibility to act quickly most of the times. There are many interests and policies that come between intention and action. But having a group of employees to keep them accountable goes a long way.

Yesterday was a day of reflection. Our lives have been changed forever. The pandemic has had a toll on lives, mental health and the economy and it hasn't been too generous with the environment either, despite what we might think. People's shopping behaviour has shifted online, changing the playing field for the Fashion Industry but also incrementing the negative impact that the industry has on the environment and on the local economy.

Let's use this period of reflection to examine our lives and learn where we can apply these small changes that have big positive impacts.

Photo credit: behind the scenes by Ferran Vergés.

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Social Impact For Creatives - Workshop

A year ago, we decided at home to go into self-isolation due to the Covid-19 outbreak. We did it two weeks before the UK government finally realised that in order to contain the virus they needed to force everyone to stay home. We were called naive, paranoid, and a very British, very pro-Brexit person told me that it was very unlikely that Britain would go into lockdown because the government couldn't do that to our economy. Always the "Money-Before-People" mindset. A year later, there are hints of things going back to some sort of normality very soon. You can see it in people's moods and behaviours, and also in how businesses have started their advertising campaigns with renewed hope. A lot has happened over the last 12 months, a lot has changed. But, with this feeling of things soon "going back" to normal, what will happen to all the lessons we were supposed to have learnt?

We clapped, we marched, we masked up, we turned our homes into online activism headquarters while they were also used for work or homeschooling. It has been exhausting. There are days when I don't even feel like opening social media apps because I'm fed up. And I have a fear of becoming numb and jaded. In a year when the Creative Industries has taken the hardest hit since probably WWII, the only thing that has kept me going is having a sense of purpose.

I assigned myself the task of helping as many people as I could during these difficult times. I've donated and I've volunteered, but I've also created tools to educate and empower other creatives to achieve their potential as change-agents. I will never tire of saying that our industry is only as weak as its weakest link. If we want a better and stronger industry, we all need to grow together.

In this effort to contribute to bettering the Creative Industries and supporting my peers, I designed a series of workshops aimed at giving fellow creatives the tools they need to run their projects more efficiently and with agency and help them be more productive. Good intentions are no longer enough, we need actions.

This past weekend, I ran the pilot of my workshop on Social Impact for Creatives where I taught a group of creatives what social impact means, how to design creative projects for social transformation and how to run a socially conscious practice.

I now offer these workshops, alongside webinars and one-on-one mentoring sessions to any photographer or creative interested in running their projects and businesses with an aim on improving the world.

If you are interested, you can find out more on this link.

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Attention Students: These Are Tough Times But There Is Hope

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Every student of any age going to school or university during these difficult times, particularly those graduating this year, has to find a way to cope with the current situation and manage their mental wellbeing. Finishing studies and having to navigate a very uncertain world and job market is not the optimal way of starting off a career. Olivia Pinnock, a London-based fashion journalist and lecturer, and I discussed how the pandemic has affected students and their mental health. We focused on what graduating students can start doing now that they are entering the job market in such overwhelming and unpredictable times. You can listen to the full conversation on the audio version of this post.

Olivia Pinnock is the founder of The Fashion Debates, a platform that she uses to promote a more sustainable and ethical fashion industry. She is also a lecturer at the London College of Fashion, the London Metropolitan University and Norwich University of the Arts.

During the conversation, we touched on how these are such trying times for students and how every single one of them has had a very individual experience coping with isolation and the pandemic. Olivia mentioned how some students haven't been able to produce the body of work that usually helps them create a portfolio that they can show to potential clients once they finish their studies.

She also offered some advice for people entering the job market at the moment. She said that, even though it's not great and wonderful right now, university is not just about the grade you get at the end of it. The university experience is about what you learn, the connections you make, and the experiences that made you who you are. And you are taking all of these things away with you.

She also said that students mustn't compare themselves to others, everyone has got their own timeline adding that for students with an entrepreneurial spirit, particularly in the fashion industry, now is the time to shine because the industry desperately needs solutions.

Whether you are a student, or someone interested in the challenges that students are facing these days, you can listen to the full conversation on this link.

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Climate Change Is A Photography Issue

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It's no secret that most of humanity is doing great efforts to tackle climate change. Whether you believe that there is a climate emergency or not, you can't deny that over the last few years the majority of countries in the world have made it a priority to counteract global warming. And we have reached a point where, if you don't see the problem you are most likely part of the problem. During the event that I hosted last month for LGBT History Month on Queer Identity, Meghana Duggirala introduced me to a speech given by Audre Lorde in the early '80s where she said: "There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives." As a photographer and a visual artist who explores Human Rights, Mental Health and National identity, Lorde's words resonated in my mind.

I've written in the past about the complexity of my identity, of anyone's identity for that matter. Sometimes, the people who commission photographers want to hire someone who does just one thing and does it very well. But, that description doesn't fit me. I do many things. Many very different things. And I don't know if I'm any good at any of them, but I do know that I'm very passionate about the things that I strongly believe in.

One of my main concerns over the last few years has been how my practice impacts the environment. I use my blog to tell my readers the different ways in which I'm exploring my place in the climate change crisis and the actions that I'm taking every day to counteract the contributions that my business has to global warming.

But when you speak about photography, particularly coming from someone who works in fashion, not many people understand the connection of my work with the issues that I care for. To some people, I don't look, act or talk like a fashion photographer because I speak out, write and care about the current issues that affect humanity. But, the truth is that the issues affecting humanity, especially those affecting the environment, affect the fashion photography industry as much as they affect the rest of the world. So, why should I deny my place in the problem and my possible contribution to a solution?

Climate change is a photography issue: I've written extensively about the relationship between photography and the environment. How the digital equipment that we use contributes to waste, how the storage of digital images contributes to deforestation and global warming, and how we need to reconsider bringing new creations into an already saturated planet. But one thing that I haven't written about is how climate change affects the photography industry and why every single photographer should be more concerned.

At its most basic level, climate change is a human issue. The devastating effects that global warming has on humanity are covered in the news every day. Photographers are humans, so anything that has a negative impact on humanity also has a negative impact on photographers. If this argument doesn't convince you, think about all the ways in which your business depend on humans.

Climate change also has a direct impact on the economy. If your clients, who are humans or companies run by humans, are affected by an environmental issue they won't be able to commission your work. If your suppliers and those who manufacture your equipment are affected by climate change or scarcity of the materials used to produce the tools you use, the prices of the services you pay for or the equipment that you buy will become more expensive. These two factors can put us out of business. If you want to have a glimpse into what this might look like, just think about the repercussions that the Covid-19 pandemic has had in our industry.

For anyone living and breathing in this day and age, there doesn't need to be a specific reason to realise how important it is that we all do what we possibly can to counteract climate change. If you are not sure of what you or your business can do to contribute to the environment, the UN has created The Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World to give you some ideas. If you need more information below are some of the posts in my blog where I have spoken about sustainability in our industry.

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HELP ME PRODUCE MORE LIKE THIS

Patreon is a platform that enables me to offer you the content that you enjoy. Consider becoming a patron by clicking here. For less than the price of a cup of coffee a month you can support this blog and learn how I create my work. Also, 6% of my patrons' support goes to a different charity each month!

On Queer Identity: What Does 'Queer' Mean To You?

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February is LGBT+ History Month in the UK, and this year I hosted on behalf of Out For Good an intergenerational community conversation and story sharing space about what being queer means to us as individuals and how we fit as LGBTQ+ people in our societies.

Out For Good is a charitable organisation bringing together LGBT+ people across the UK to celebrate LGBTQ+ visibility and work to break down barriers by making a difference in our communities.

The panellists shared what the word Queer meant to them and how has their identity been shaped throughout their lives. They also spoke about their coming out experiences and how long it took them to feel comfortable in their own skin.

It was interesting to learn about the most pressing issues in the community at the time when each of them came out as they belonged to very different generations. Prompting the question: Is being openly queer still an act of defiance in today’s world?

Finally, we spoke about how they imagined the future of the LGBTQ+ Community and what would they tell their younger or older selves.

Attendees said that hearing so many stories from different age groups was refreshing because there aren't many environments where inter-generational conversations like that happen. Panellists felt that it was very special and that it felt safe, explorative and warm. One person said that It was a great success and very empowering.

On behalf of Out For Good, thank you so much to everyone who was able to join in. I learned so much from this conversation and I hope you did as well. Thank you also to the unbelievable panel. I’m very grateful for the time they gave us and for sharing all their beautiful anecdotes and thoughts.

If you weren't able to tune in, you can watch the replay below:

The conversation took place via zoom on Sunday, February 21st, at 6 p.m. London time.

Do you like what you just read? Consider becoming a patron on patreon.com/jccandanedo where you can learn more about my creative process and the stories behind my images. I’d love to have you as part of my Patreon community.

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LGBT History Month Event: Queer Identity

February is LGBT+ History Month in the UK, and this year I will be hosting on behalf of Out For Good a community conversation and story sharing space about what being queer means to us as individuals and how we fit as LGBTQ+ people in our societies.

Out For Good is a charitable organisation bringing together LGBT+ people across the UK to celebrate LGBTQ+ visibility and work to break down barriers by making a difference in our communities.

The panellists will be sharing individual experiences of growing up queer, with coming out anecdotes, finding love as an LGBTQ+ person stories, and dealing with society in general from family, to work, to our extended communities.

The conversation will take place via zoom on Sunday, February 21st, at 6 p.m. London time.

Register on outforgood.co.uk/events and you will get the Zoom link before the event.

Don't miss this necessary intergenerational conversation where we will explore our identity and our place in our communities.

Do you like what you just read? Consider becoming a patron on patreon.com/jccandanedo where you can learn more about my creative process and the stories behind my images. I’d love to have you as part of my Patreon community.

Do you like what you just read? Subscribe to my weekly blog posts here! You may subscribe to the audio version wherever you get your podcasts.

I Wish I Had Known... About Storytelling!

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This is the Twentieth-Third post in my series of posts where I speak with people in the creative industries and ask them questions about the things that “I Wish I Had Known” when I started out as a creative myself.

Eli B is a romance writer and she writes contemporary fiction as well as fantasy. Her novels focus on black women in interracial relationships, living in modern situations and mystical worlds. Eli B and I are both creators on Patreon, where she writes serialised fiction for her patrons and I share with my community how I create my work with behind the scenes and tutorials.

Last week, Eli B and I had a lovely conversation via Zoom where we spoke about our process and our storytelling techniques. This is a tiny excerpt from the conversation. You can listen to the full conversation on the audio version of this post or you can watch the video on this link.

1. Eli B: How do you find inspiration for your photography?

JC: I'm gonna say something really cliched. And this is something that may also resonate with you: I think inspiration is everywhere. And like, right now, this conversation that you and I are having is going to trigger so many other things in our own work. And in our lives. I think that you just have to pay attention to everything that happens around you. And sometimes when I hear people saying that they have a hard time finding inspiration, I feel like they're really not paying attention to what's going on in their lives.

Or they think that finding inspiration means taking a plane and flying to the other side of the planet to look for that perfect spot or learn that perfect story or research the perfect culture. But just look outside the window and pay attention to what's going on and you get all this information flowing in.

I know that it is a very cliched thing to say. And you and I also know that it doesn't apply to all the work that we do. Because it's not that we're just sitting on our chairs just observing our surroundings and our Muse comes and inspires us. It is a lot of work. It is a lot of hard work. When I create some of the shoots that I do, I spend weeks or months before I finally click on the button on the camera, putting everything together.

2. JC: Do you do a lot of preparation before you start writing a story?

Eli B: Ah, no. Sometimes I just literally just start writing. If I have a notebook, and stuff comes in my head, I will just write down characters, I'll just write down whatever dialogue just popped into my head. So most of my stories and all of the works in progress that I work on come from literally just me having a piece of paper in front of me. I don't do planning.

Lately, I have tried to become like a plotter. My characters tend to just talk in my head. And I go from there. I was writing a story, actually writing a story that I'm working on right now, called Me Too. And it was in like early stages, like the second draft, I'd been writing this forever. But while I was doing some revision and writing, I just had two characters that kept popping in my head, and one of them was a demon.

And this girl just kept falling from the sky. She had like, platinum white hair, and she just kept falling from the sky and I kept catching her and catching her. And I just had that vision over and over my head. So I stopped what I was doing. It's just really rude, you know, when characters do this. I stopped what I was doing and had to start writing their story because their image wouldn't leave my mind.

So with them, I just I started in a blank notebook and just started scribbling down things that I knew about them. And then the story of Magicks and Mortals just came out of that. It's just a wild story. And I don't really write a lot of Young Adult, so I thought it was weird that I got that vision.

3. JC: So would you agree that the story writes itself when you start writing?

Eli B: Yes, I would absolutely agree with that. They just write themselves, I am just a vessel. I say that all the time, I have no control over my characters, they do what they want to do. Even when I try to give them direction, it tends to go in whichever way they wanted it to go.

I think sometimes people might forget that you as an author or a photographer or a singer aren't what you are writing. Like, yes, a lot of myself is in the work that I write. But a lot of the times I'm just writing a story from someone else. And that's how I just get inspiration.

And again, as you said, it comes from everywhere. I don't know, I could just be looking out the window and this fantasy world just pops in my head. And I have to stop myself sometimes to write it down on a notepad or on my notes on my phone, and let it sit.

4. Eli B: Are there certain things that pop out to you that make you want to take a picture?

JC: For me, It's always people. If you and I lived closer, I would have already photographed you. Because whenever I see some something in someone, like a spark in the eyes, or a beautiful smile, or just like the way the hair falls on their shoulder, or how they turn their head, I want to capture that.

And, it's going to sound creepy in a "Silence of the Lambs" way. But you know how the guy puts on the skins of the victims as trophies? For me, those images of people, those are my trophies. I was able to capture that thing that I saw in you. And then that is my trophy. And I just save it.

Sometimes I just want to take photos just because I want to take the photo. I don't want to do anything with the photo. The photo won't go in my portfolio, I will not show it to anyone, I wouldn't sell it. It's just for me, I want to be able to shoot that thing I saw and just capture it.

It's very fleeting, because sometimes you just see that thing in that moment. And maybe I tell you, Ellie, when I see you, I want to take your portrait. But then the next time I see you, I'm not able to capture it, because it was in that fleeting moment when I saw that in you.

Maybe it wasn't anything that had to do with you in particular. Maybe it was the situation that we were living, and then you know, that inspired me, and then I can't recreate it. So there's always that challenge. But yeah, it's always people that inspire me.

5. JC: what is the most difficult part of creating one of those characters when they start talking in your head?

Eli B: I think the most challenging part is making sure that whoever likes reading my story can capture them the way that I see them. And I think that is the challenging part, making sure that I have all those descriptions right and that they flow. Like, you know, you like Eyes Of The Beholder. I really hope you can see Niklaus the way that I see him or that you can see Miri the way that I see her.

Also, the tough part is making sure that I capture their personalities and not try to influence them with my environment or what I'm going through with my emotions. That their emotions and their personality are unique to them. And that goes for every story ever.

I'm trying to make sure that all of my characters have a distinct voice and distinct personalities and that they do things in a way that's unique to them and not like the other characters from my other stories. So with that, organisation does come into play again because I do have to sometimes make character charts or character boards just so I can keep their image in my head.

And I will go back to them and just say: "Okay, well, what are they into?", "what is Nicklaus into?". Nicholas is a complex character. Sometimes I don't quite know everything about him. And that's kind of the beauty of writing because he's very complex and disturbed. And I haven't touched upon that yet.

6. Eli B: One of my favourite photos that you've done used neon paint. And it just spoke to me. I can't explain how it spoke to me, but it was one of my favourite photos that you've done. How did you decide to use the neon paints and get your model in that position and know that was the position that was going to just make everything pop?

JC: I believe that creativity is the child of knowledge. And when I say this, I don't mean that you have to be an academic or you have to have studied. We are constantly on research mode, as creatives. And we're not always doing it intentionally, but we're always browsing the web to see what people are doing.

And then you see an image that you like and wonder how they shot that. Or maybe you see a story and you get curious about the techniques that they might have used to write that story. And then you fall down this rabbit hole of researching and trying to find out more and more and more and more about the things that you like. And those things, they start accumulating in your brain.

So years later, one day, you see an image like the one Dean showed me and you remember one time many years ago when you saw something that maybe it isn't similar at all, but it reminds you of that and you know how you are going to shoot that.

And for me, that's what happened when Dean showed me this work. I talk about it in detail on my Patreon, but when I saw this image, it wasn't even that he came to me with the image. He just posted it on Instagram. And I saw it and I replied to him and said: I want to shoot this with you. And he said yes, immediately. And he asked me the same question: how are we going to shoot it? I don't know how we're going to do this. But I know that I want to use neon paints because, in my mind, that's what makes sense.

I could have said let's use gold leaf or let's use whatever. But when I saw this image, I was like this could be done with neon paint. Maybe at some point in one of those rabbit holes of inspiration, many years ago, I saw someone do something with neon paint. And that's how the idea came about.

7. JC: How do you know when the story ends?

Eli B: I don't know where the story is gonna end until I'm halfway through a book and I've got to bring this to a close, somehow. With one of my stories called Mercatija, that is supposed to be magic realism in our time, the end of that novel is a massive cliffhanger. Because my main character needed to develop the other half of her side. So she has a light and a dark side and she hasn't touched the dark side. So I had to come up with a way for her to develop that side of her. So the end of the first novel is just basically her going into that space. And that's how it ends.

My contemporary romances get tough to end because I'll write until they've had like five kids and then I'm like "oh, okay, we need to rein this in!" With contemporary, it's hard for me to stop. The one I'm working on right now, Me too, that one I had the ending for and I didn't want to write it. Because my main character, the way it was going, was going to die. And I stopped writing it for a while because I knew that had to happen, but I didn't want it to happen. So I had to figure out a way for it to happen.

And when that happens, I know the ending before the beginning. And then I write to that. And sometimes I may not like the ending that my characters are debating with so I will put it aside and figure out how to fix it.

I guess, with writing that is serialised it's hard to find an ending. It's hard to not just keep going. And that's why a lot of my first drafts tend to be way over a word limit. A contemporary novel should not be 200,000 words, that's just not right and unheard of. But that's what happens to me.

And sometimes that hurts. And I feel like it hurts the creative process, especially when you want to be a traditionally published author. Because you feel like your story has an ending and there are reasons for the way that you have ended it. And then you've got to curtail it to the publishing industry. And sometimes I feel like that tends to hurt the way the story is told.

But you just find ways to work around it really. So I guess the point of the question, when do I know when a story ends, sometimes I don't know. Sometimes I just don't.

8. Eli B: How do you put a photography collection together?

JC: That is a very broad question. It depends on the use. Let's say that we're speaking about just one shoot in particular. I have two ways of working: I either shoot randomly 800 images and then I select the ones that fit the story that I want to tell, or I have a separate moodboard just of how the images are going to look like. So, if the result of the shoot has to be eight images, I would have eight inspirations for the images and we all work towards those results.

When Dean and I were creating that photo that we were talking about before, we just went on the first style of working where we shot until we got the image we wanted. We said this is the image. So I deleted the rest of the 800 images, and we just kept that image. And that's the image that works.

When I'm working, for instance, like on the image with Fabiola and Rachel, we had a posing moodboard so we knew that this is how the images are going to look like. We had six different drawings. And we shot six different poses with six different looks of clothes and makeup and hair. And that's what we did. So when we started shooting, and when we directed the model and we saw on the computer what we had on the drawing then we moved to the next one.

Usually, when I'm working with other people like clients I work this way because it's faster.

9. Eli B: do you direct your models? And is that tough? Or do they know what you're trying to say?

JC: When you're a photographer, you have to be a people's person because you are dealing with a human being and you need to be able to direct them if they're not a professional. If I were taking a photo of you and you are someone who's not used to being in front of the camera, it is even more challenging because then I have to sit down with you and really get you at ease and make you feel comfortable with the whole idea and direct you into showing your best self for the photo.

But when you're working with professional models, they obviously have a set of skills and they have seen themselves so much in images and they have practised their expressions and their poses so much in front of the mirror that they come with a toolbox that they show you when you're starting shooting.

It's not that there is an actual conversation, but it's a visual conversation. I start shooting and then they show you everything that they can do. You don't really need to direct someone who's a professional. But if you have a set idea of what you want to be seen in the image, it's always good for the model that you tell them "I'm expecting this from you." Because that way they don't have to randomly come up with poses and expressions that might not really show what you're trying to tell with a photo.

When working with regular people who are not models, it's just about directing them while making them feel comfortable and just trying to get the image that we all like.

10. JC: What do you think is the most challenging thing of your creative process when you're writing your stories?

Eli B: So for me, it's getting the right descriptions down of how I see it in my head and getting it on the paper. And that may take a couple of trials for me to get it the way that I'm seeing it because an image in your head is completely different to when you go to type the words to describe it. So that's really tough for me.

And not being discouraged about where I am as a writer and what kind of journey I'm on and where I'm going with it or what I want to do. Because, for the longest time, I really just wrote because I like writing. I didn't think of it going anywhere. I didn't think of doing anything with it. Really. I mean, that's kind of how a lot of my stories came about because I had been writing it. I knew it sounded like crap, but I thought "nobody's gonna read this". It's just for me, so just keep typing. So that's what I did.

So these past couple of years have been tough for me to kind of not judge myself against other authors or against what's happening around me. There is a lot of anxiety about what's happening in the publishing industry. And that a lot more voices are being heard. And, you know, black voices are getting out there.

And I'm really excited about this, but it also gives me a lot of anxiety. Because I don't write issue stories and a lot of publishers really like that. So for me, it makes me feel like, what I'm writing isn't good enough, because I don't write issue-based stories. I've always written happy stories.

Yeah, there are some that are not perfect. And they do come with drama, obviously. But I just don't write from this perspective that I've got to get out of like, you know, the slums, or that I've always got some sort of massive racial, systemic racism issue going on in my life. No, I'm literally just writing about 'this happened to this woman, she fell in love, and they're happy'. Because I think that the majority of us have those stories. And I want to see myself in just a cosy romance novel.

That's why I don't want to have to deal with the struggle that society thinks that we all go through. And that's why I'm so afraid that my stories will never get seen because publishers want those stories. And I will not write those, I don't write them. And I think black people, BIPOC, POCs, we all deserve to have happy stories, and they shouldn't be riddled with issues or stereotypes that everybody thinks that we all come from.

Thank you so much Eli B for sharing your storytelling techniques with me and for agreeing to spend your Saturday morning discussing everything that I wish I had known!

You can learn more about Eli B on her Patreon channel https://www.patreon.com/EliBeesBlurbs/posts her Twitter https://twitter.com/Eliseylouwamba or her Instagram https://www.instagram.com/elibeesblurbs/

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Artists Are Never Old Enough

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Comedian Robin Ince was interviewed by Andrew Copson during a recent episode of the What I Believe podcast. He said that when he was in his twenties his fellow comedian Jo Brand told him that "you can’t really be a stand-up comedian until you are 30 because you don’t really know who you are." Robin said that he didn't take this statement very well when he was younger, but now that he is a middle-aged man he understands perfectly what Jo Brand meant. I agree, and I think that this is true for so many other things in life. My 20-year-old self, or even my 30-year-old self, had no idea of his place in the world. I felt lost and full of self-doubt and self-hatred until I was 40, and it took me living in 6 countries and working for more than 20 years in two very different industries to understand who I am and to know the role that I want to have in my community. I count myself as one of the lucky ones who got to understand this at such an early age. For some people, it takes longer.

We live in a world that sometimes feels like the upside-down world. We worship youth and try to slow the ageing process by all means, as if ageing was not inevitable or as if it were something bad. For sure, it must be linked to a fear of death which is often associated with older people but the reality is that we can die at any age and those who get to live to be old are actually the privilege ones. I for one have always wanted to be old. Perhaps because I was so unhappy when I was young and hoped that happiness would come with ageing. Or perhaps because I admired my grandfather so much and I always thought of him as the most intelligent person on the planet.

As an artist, getting old can be both the best and the most daunting thing that could ever happen to you. With age comes experience, and this experience enriches the stories that we tell through our work. But, as you get older, you also enter into the longest phase in your artistic career. The mid-career artist phase, as they call it, which can sometimes span almost your entire lifetime. It is in this ageing process that you get to know yourself, that you understand your worldview better and that you grow, not only physically, but also as a creative.

Everything that you are doing today will be part of the building blocks on which you are creating your future self. Time is not wasted, no experience is wasted when it comes to shaping who you will one day become. If you've only been in the world for a couple of decades and you feel like your work has no deeper meaning, that you have nothing to say, don't despair. That only means that you just have to live a couple of decades more. That is not to say that a young person's point of view of the world is not valid, but we can't expect to look at a 20-year-old's portfolio with the same eyes that we look at a 40-year-old's one. Both points of view are equally important but are infinitely different.

This is also not to say that anyone who has been on the world for more than 40 years has a fulfilled life and knows themselves well. But, 40 uneventful years do not equal 20 years filled with exciting adventures. For with age also comes maturity.

Dismissing someone because you consider them old is an act of self-sabotage. Before you know it, you will get to their age and you will have set an example for others to treat you the same way. We should aspire to grow older, to live more experiences and become wiser.

Avoid searching for the fountain of the eternal youth in order to live forever. Instead, grow as a human being into the skin that you inhabit with the urgency of knowing that time is running out and this is the only life we'll ever live. Maybe then, you'll start to see your work in a different light and you will be able to give your work and your life your own meaning.

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Coexistence Starts With Respect

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Coexistence is a fashion editorial that I shot for the cover of C-Femme Magazine back in 2015. The inspiration behind the shoot came from the question: how can we exist in harmony despite our different ideologies? The fashion story depicts the clash between cultures, in this case, humans vs out of space visitors, trying to find commonalities in spite of their differences. Back in July 2020, Chantal Miller and I discussed the idea of Coexistence and the steps that we need to take in order to live in peace within our communities. You can listen to the conversation on the audio version of this post or in your favourite podcast platform.

Chantal Olivia Miller is the founder of Island Girls Rock, a platform that champions women of Caribbean descent in the UK. She is also a producer/presenter (radio and podcasts), she runs digital storytelling workshops and curates exhibitions and panel discussions exploring Caribbean representation in mainstream media.

I shot this editorial at the end of 2015, a year that felt to me like the beginning of the wave of extremism that we have been living over the past few years. During 2015, Daesh radicalisation cost the lives of so many. Also, the attacks towards Turkish people in Ankara, French people with both Charlie Hebdo and the Paris attacks, and people in the US with the Charleston church and the San Bernardino shootings dominated the media.

Freddie Gray was killed in police custody in Baltimore and the case against his killers concluded with zero convictions against any officers. As if that weren’t enough, Trump entered the race for president of the US. And, to top it all, the refugee crisis of people feeling Syria sparked new waves of xenophobia that resulted in the success of movements in Europe like the Brexit campaign.

At the end of the discussion, Chantal and I agreed that the case for coexistence starts with respect. Equality doesn’t mean sameness. It means respecting our differences. We must acknowledge that we are different, but we must make the effort to find the commonalities that will bring us together as a community.

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Ideas Are Ridiculous Until They Work

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For any creator who has a social-conscious, the times that we are living present an interesting conundrum. Why create something, be it physical or digital, and bring new things into the world when the problem with the environment is that the planet is already overflowed with things? My friend Aksha and I were discussing this a few days ago and we both concluded that for creatives who care about the planet the problem is at the core of our practice. How to contribute to one without affecting the other? How to successfully be a business, an artist and a human being without ruining the world?

The first time that I had a conversation about these questions was with my friend Almudena Romero, a visual artist working with a wide range of photographic processes to reflect on issues relating to identity, representation and ideology. In her work, she uses plants to reflect on the idea of using photography to leave a legacy in the current context of permanent crisis (environmental, social, economic, political and now sanitary too). Her plant-based photographs grow, develop and disappear in a constantly evolving state that questions the spaces and forms where photography exists.

I asked Almudena for advice on which archival medium to use for one of my projects, and she made me reflect on what my legacy really is. In an oversaturated planet, do I want my legacy to be an archival long-lasting collectable artwork that adds up to the pile of objects that already pollute the planet or do I want to be remembered for my contributions to the world as an artist? The answer to that question could easily lie on her ephemeral art pieces.

I presented this problem to Zula Rabikowska in a recent conversation. Zula is a documentary photographer exploring national identity, displacement and belonging. Since the pandemic started, she has been experimenting with developing film photography by only using household products from her kitchen, such as coffee, turning her darkroom into an organic and environmentally friendly practice. Zula suggested reading about Ira Lombardia, a photographer who decided not to take images for three years until she could find an answer to the same conundrum.

My mere existence and my practice have negative impacts on the world. If I use analogue photography, even if I work in a sustainable darkroom, the image is captured on a plastic film strip. If I used digital photography, the image is saved as a file that lives on thousands of server farms that are consuming massive amounts of resources around the planet. If I write on my blog, I force you as a reader to access it in one of your devices that are probably produced by a brand with a planned-obsolescence strategy and that use up all the technological resources that are one of the main parts of the problem.

I am aware that by writing this I'm not presenting an answer but rather highlighting a problem. Maybe there is no answer, but it would be interesting to hear from others their thoughts around this issue. How can I be a visual artist and pay my bills while at the same time improving the world and not contributing to damaging the environment?

The solution to the conundrum might be something that in the present we might consider ridiculous. Such as the concept of de-growth proposed by the likes of Jason Hickel. But ideas are only ridiculous until they work. Think of all the things that in the past were considered laughable and today are an everyday occurrence.

So, in the spirit of brainstorming laughable ideas: is there a way to create visual art that doesn't have a physical form or support? Something that is ephemeral, that doesn't last beyond the instant when it is experienced by the viewer and that doesn't contribute to bringing more stuff into the world. Any ideas? Or have you got any ridiculous ideas of your own? I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Bettering The World: Is It Someone Else's Job?

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This morning, as I was leaving home for work, I noticed that the hallways, lifts and reception area were covered in Christmas tree needles. Someone had obviously disposed of their holidays' decorations. It was as if whoever made the mess was expecting for someone else to take care of the clean-up. It's always someone else's job, isn't it? And the problem with this attitude and this way of looking at life is that it influences every other aspect of our lives. Why bother speaking out against injustices if that's the job of advocates? Why bother with the environment if that's the job of activists? Why bother with wearing a mask during the pandemic if someone else will wear theirs and protect me? In times when inactions make our problems worse faster than our actions can fix them, why do we choose apathy?

When I was growing up, whenever my father saw that I didn't feel like doing a task he would tell me: "combat laziness with action". With these four words, my father turned my brother and me into high performing people. And this, combined with a sense of consideration towards others, would have made me immediately clean up after myself if I had been the one bringing my decorations down this morning.

What could be the root of this apathy? Apathy is a feeling of having no feelings towards something. It sounds contradictory, but it is the emotion that lacks all emotion. It can be defined as a behaviour that shows no interest in something important, but it is also a lack of energy for everyday things. Being indifferent to everything that is going on around you can be linked to social determinants or in young people it can be part of the normal transition from adolescence to adulthood. In other cases, it can also be an early sign of a serious condition like dementia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, abuse of painkillers and cannabis, or a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

However, apathy can also be a symptom of an overload of information. When we are constantly told that there are so many things wrong in the world and that it is our duty to act on them our compassion can go numb. This can leave us in a state of empathy paralysis called compassion fatigue. This collective feeling of burnout and of lack of empathy has become very common in the times we are living.

Can we start caring again? If you are experiencing apathy due to burnout or if you think it can be linked to a more serious condition, seek help. Talk to someone you trust or seek professional advice.

Could this be the reason why my neighbours didn't clean up after themselves? Perhaps is not apathy and they are just selfish. O maybe they are lazy. Whatever it is, it's the same behaviour that I see when it comes to the problems that the world is facing right now.

Sustainability sounds like a lot of work. Righting all the wrongs can sometimes feel like someone else's job. If you are indifferent to the problems that you see around you the UN has prepared the Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World. They propose some simple things that we can adopt into our routines that, if we all do it, will make a big difference.

Cleaning up the mess we make is not someone else's job. It's our job. If humanity has made of this planet a mess, then humanity must clean up after itself. Maybe I personally didn't run a sweatshop, or enslaved anyone, or produced the plastic that floats in the ocean. But if I don't take action I become an accomplice. I turn into an accessory of all the crimes committed against nature and against humanity. In this case, the bystander is just as guilty as the perpetrator.

Photo credit: behind the scenes by Andrzej Gruszka.

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I Wish I Had Known... About Retouching!

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This is the Twentieth-Second post in my series of posts where I speak with people in the creative industries and ask them questions about the things that “I Wish I Had Known” when I started out as a creative myself.

Before the holidays, I had the honour of chatting to Sarah Tucker, a retoucher with over 10 years of experience who has worked for the likes of Rankin and Conde Nast, and we spoke about career options for retouchers, ethical considerations in retouching and the advice that she has for brands and photographers who hire retouchers for their jobs:

1- For most people, when they hear the word retouching they think of Photoshop and blurred skin. But, what exactly is retouching?

Retouching, broadly speaking, is simply editing or digitally manipulating a photograph. So a retoucher would generally be responsible for anything from cleaning in Photoshop a studio floor that got dirty on the day of the shoot, to compositing a subject onto a background plate, to colour grading an image, to ironing out clothing and making it fit properly, to recolouring products, all the way through to what is generally associated with retouching: evening-out skin and removing blemishes.

2- Why do we need retouching?

There are a number of reasons why we need retouching. It’s often not possible to photograph everything as needed on the day of the shoot. For instance, a brand might have a prototype of a product that was used on the shoot but the design has since changed. In this case, the retoucher would need to comp the new version of the product into the image or edit the details to match the finalised design. Campaigns often need different versions of an image with different aspect ratios and they need images extended to fit these. Those are some common practical requests.

Then, there are the details that become visible in a still image that simply are not usually visible to the human eye or in videos. One example of this might be the mesh of a wig that you would never really notice until your eye is able to rest on and study a still image.

I personally think that the human eye offers a lot of grace to what it's viewing in real life, but cameras with super sharp lenses and large sensors are able to capture and freeze details in a way that brings out distractions which we would otherwise not usually notice. Slight facial hair on an upper lip, nasal hair, etc – all stands out and becomes much more prominent – so retouching is a way to remove these distractions and allows an image the same level of “grace” that the human eye gives. Studio lighting usually enhances luminosity inconsistencies in the skin which retouchers commonly even out with a technique called dodge and burn.

Then there is just life, on the day of a big campaign shoot you wake up to a huge stress pimple. Retouching can remove these temporary blemishes for you. The problem comes in when retouchers overdo it and start to make people look like mannequins, change their actual features or try and reach for some unattainable level of perfection. Luckily the industry, especially in Europe, is moving further and further away from this kind of retouching.

3- How does one become a retoucher? Is this something that you study?

Most of the retouchers I have met learned retouching on the job being taken in as junior retouchers by studios and trained up. A lot of people have studied photography courses which included some retouching lessons, or design courses that introduced them to Photoshop. I haven’t yet personally heard of a retouching specific degree. Honestly, though, there is a wealth of knowledge online as well which makes teaching yourself quite possible.

4- What are the career options for people wanting to become retouchers?

There are a number of options. depending on the type of retouching that interests you. You can specialise in one specific field of retouching such as beauty, fashion, e-commerce, automotive or still life. You can work on set as a digital operator overseeing the capture and cataloguing of images on a shoot. You can also work in restoration for archive departments and repair damaged or faded images.

5- If photographers can edit their own work, what's the role of the retoucher?

Some photographers simply dislike retouching and choose to outsource it. Other photographers don’t have the time needed to give both shooting and retouching the level of attention they need. Then there are photographers who would rather get someone who has put all the years of training, experience, and expertise that they have put into mastering photography into mastering retouching. Trusting someone who does this as a full-time professional helps them reach their vision for a shoot or image.

6- Does the work of a retoucher have copyright and should retouchers be credited in editorials?

The retoucher does not own the copyright and most retouching studios will in fact get you to sign a contract specifying that you will not share or distribute the images in any way and may ask that you delete all work form your personal machine once a job is complete. I have actually worked in studios where mobile phones were not allowed in the retouching room in case anyone tried to photograph the images on the screen.

When it comes to crediting the retoucher, I personally think that the retoucher should be credited along with all the other creatives. Some photographers fear other photographers “poaching” their retouchers. Others, out of respect for the model/subject, don’t like to imply that the image was retouched at all. I think we all know now though that almost every commercial image you see online has been retouched in some way and this shouldn’t really be a concern.

7- Are there any retouchers’ networks?

There are, indeed. I’d say the networks I am most familiar with are Facebook groups such as Retouching Academy.

8- Are there any online resources for retouchers where they could learn and improve their skills?

There are many helpful retouching YouTube channels such as Phlearn which is a great free resource. Then you can buy courses from platforms such as Retouching Academy or individuals such as Pratik Naik (Soltice Retouch), or the late but very skilled Gry Garness, to name a few.

9- I love how you say on your website that you try to keep a natural-looking retouching workflow and that, if done well, your retouching should be invisible to the viewer. What ethical considerations do retouchers need to take into account when doing their job?

Unfortunately, the end call doesn’t really often fall on the retoucher’s shoulders when it comes to these considerations. We are generally following a photographer or brand’s brief and their call is the last one. You can try and suggest a direction or approach but it is ultimately up to the client. Personally, I do not like to change permanent features or liquify shapes or significantly alter skin tones.

10- We seem to be going through an anti-perfection era. How does this affect the work of retouchers?

I think it is actually a great thing as far as most retouchers are concerned. It takes more skill to know how to keep things natural than it does to overdo it. There is so much more to retouching than asking for perfect bodies and perfect skin, so I don’t think it’s a threat to our industry, really. A quality retoucher will usually prefer a natural approach and will work hard to preserve details and features and only remove small distractions keeping the realism and integrity of the image.

11- What advice would you give to brands and publications requiring the services of retouchers?

With retouchers, as with most professionals, you generally get what you pay for so I would prioritise adding an industry-standard budget for retouching and I would also highly recommend doing your research prior to hiring a retoucher. Make sure they already have the quality of retouch you are looking for in their portfolio. You spend and invest so much money on hiring the right models, makeup artists, stylists, studios, etc, why on earth would you choose to cut the quality when it comes to hiring the professional who is going to finish the images off.

Then, I would say make use of your retoucher before the day of the shoot. They can help you give them the best images to work with. A simple example might be that if you are changing the colour of the background to various different options in post, a retoucher might suggest that you shoot the images on a mid, neutral grey backdrop which would mean that both darker and lighter hair colours will be easy to separate and there won’t be any colour cast on the model from the background. There are much more complex cases where comping is concerned. For example, where a retoucher might be able to help you capture the plates that they will need when putting everything together.

Being clear with your brief and supplying references for the grade or level of retouch you want can be helpful when first working with a retoucher before they learn your personal style and priorities. Giving direction always ultimately helps getting the first round closer to where you would like it and can avoid multiple rounds of retouching with a lot of back and forth.

Then, lastly, always allow time for amends. They are a normal part of the retouching process and the best work is never rushed. So build rounds into your timeline.

12- Where can we find your work?

Unfortunately, most of my work is not publicly available. You can however visit www.frecklebeauty.co.uk to see the images I have both taken and retouched myself, or you can visit @sarahtuckerretouching on Insta to see some of the work that I am allowed to display.

Amazing! Thank you so much Sarah for taking the time to answer my questions and for explaining with such care what Retouching is all about. This is everything that "I Wish I Had Known"!