We asked Rankin to choose five up-and-coming photographers whose work excites and inspires him, whose talents he wants to share with the world and whose names we’ll all soon know. See the full selection here.
Scottish photographer Trisha Ward first became fascinated by the photographic process by helping her dad in his makeshift darkroom in the family’s garage. After studying fine art in Edinburgh, and working as part of Rankin’s own team, she now specializes in arresting and engaging fashion imagery.
Rankin says, “Trish was one of my most talented assistants and is now making huge strides out on her own. She’s an immensely sensitive photographer, finding the quiet moments in portraits and capturing people in almost fragile, ethereal ways.”
What’s the job or project you’ve done that you think changed who you are as a photographer?
I am not sure there is one project in particular, but working as an assistant after college really educated and focussed me.
How do you ensure you remain consistent with your style of photography when taking on commissions?
I think I have to be sensitive to the commission. There are some jobs where you have a lot of creative freedom and the opportunity to be more experimental and expressive, and then there are jobs where the client likes elements of your work but needs something more pared down.
It is always about communication. I like to understand what the client wants to achieve and develop the commission with them making sure that everyone’s objectives are met.
What’s the relationship between your personal and commercial work?
I am a sentimental and nostalgic person. I am always looking for little interesting moments, and I think I am trying to make images that capture a feeling of what it is to be alive now in the hope that they will be interesting to look back at in the future.
Best piece of advice you’ve been given as an emerging photographer?
A guy I know called Keiko once told me, “Don’t be your own barrier” and it is amazing advice.
Who or what had the biggest impact on you becoming a photographer?
As a child I spent time with my dad who was a keen amateur photographer and we would enlarge his negatives in our garage. I look at his hand-printed photos now and you can still feel the time and love invested in the whole process. The little specks of dust and imperfections are still very magical to me.
What do you most hope viewers take away from your photographs?
I would like them to feel a connection to the people in the pictures and to believe the little moments happening within the four corners.
If you wanted to show an alien how powerful photography can be, what would you show them?
Perhaps Wilson Bentley’s pictures of snowflakes if only to show how you can uncover beauty you never realized existed.
What’s your favorite things thing working with a variety of models/faces?
I like that every interaction is different, and the energy is different. Sometimes it can be easy and sometimes it can be more tricky – you never know and that is exciting.
There is a beautiful quote by Carl Jung who said, “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”
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