Interview With Rebecca B Traveller

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm somone who has been lucky enough to live in 4 different countries, and travel around a lot. I have a day job that pays the bills and keeps me in at home with my two cats.

How did you get into photography?

My father constantly took slides and photos when he was younger, and so I grew up seeing him with a camera in hand. At first photography was a holiday thing for me, then when tech advanced and a friend said I should share my pictures on insta, I started to think maybe I could dare to think of myself as a type of photographer too.

How do you approach storytelling through your photos?

I'm not sure if I do. I try to capture moments; those snippets of time that we register and that make life better, richer, funnier, warmer etc, but are fleeting.

How do you define photography in your own terms?

Great question! I would say it is spontaneous. And in the true sense of the word, amateur.

What do you try to show with your art?

The beauty in the smallest of things. The balance of a moment. The surrealism of a moment. I'm not saying I achieve it, but I try to capture what captures me.

What do you think makes your work unique?

A friend once remarked that I had a surprisingly wide field of peripheral vision. I think that means I might notice things others don't; but in terms of angles, perspectives, ratios etc, nothing I do will ever be completely unique. The subject matter, the light, the alignment of whoever/whatever is what makes it unique.

What gear do you use?

I actually only use my phone for now. It's a one+ n10. I did buy a camera, but am scared of breaking the lens so I haven't taken it out of the box yet! (I laugh at myself) So, for now it's point and click.

What are your favourite subjects to shoot?

I love urban photography. The mix of light, people, nature and architecture all in one. I think, in particular, people in galleries and museums. How we interact with our environment, especially art, I find so very interesting.

Question 9 What is your favourite photography genre and why?

I enjoy looking at portraiture (candid or spontaneous) because I am so poor at capturing people. I admire people who can do that. I also find peace in a good landscape.

Is there a type of photography or genre you haven’t explored yet but would like to?

Um, using a camera rather than a phone!. Black and white photography.

What does photography mean to you?

It means peace. It's a moment when my mind, focus, and body are all engaged in doing the same thing for the same end. It's a moment of me, for me, because of an "other" that I can share with others if they so wish.

How did you find your photography style?

I think it found me. I just try to capture what I see - that could be two people, a bird, the balance of a patch of sky, the texture of something- and because of that, the relaxed, unsophisticated "point and click" had to be adopted as anything more thought out and the light would have changed, or the bird moved, or the car passed.

Why do you take photos?

To capture the moment. To make myself happy. To be in the moment. To share it with others if they would like.

What are your thoughts on AI in photography?

I think it is now creating a second genre, or no, perhaps a third. You have photography, photographic art (filters, using editing tools etc), and "photographAI".

Any tips for beginners?

Just point and click. Then, when you can, take time to think why you took it, what did you see? Get to know yourself and the photos you take. Only then will you know what gear you'll want or need. Find yourself and your style (and don't be afraid to change and let it evolve) and the rest will fall into place.

How much gear do you usually carry with you?

Just my phone - for now.

How important is lighting in photography?

It is tied in equal first place with composition. Then second would be subject matter. For me, for example, a tissue box can look beautiful if the lighting and the angle are "right".

How important is composition?

Tied in first place with lighting. I am eternally grateful to the person who told me about the rule of thirds and vanishing points, it changed everything.

What editing software do you use and how long does it take you to edit a shot?

None, so it doesn't. At most I crop. The closest I get to any kind of edit is perhaps just clicking on the screen somewhere to adjust the "exposure", if you can call it that on a phone, so that it matches what I see and not what the camera software wants to take because it thinks (maybe correctly) that it would look better.

Who are some artists that inspire you? 

My elder brother studied art when I was very young and it meant I was lucky enough to grow thinking that looking at art was an every day thing. So, indirectly and subconsciously, all styles of art have influenced me. However the ones I would say have consciously inspired me are MC Escher, the Pre-Raphelite movement, DaVinci, and Monet. Not necessarily that I have tried to imitate them, nor am I comparing myself to their talents, heck no! but their art is art I often look at draw pleasure from so it has caused me to look at things in certain ways.

What is one thing that makes a photo stand out?

A great focal point. Somewhere the eye can comfortably rest while the rest of the image envelopes you, even if the subject is uncomfortable. Great journalistic photographic is fantastic for that.