Hi! I’m Nicole, an Auckland based photographer and one of The Black and White Box lab gals! I spend four days of the week in the lab developing and scanning film, and spend the rest of the week trying to shoot my own personal work and have a bit of fun while doing so! Growing up in Aotearoa and being surrounded by such beautiful landscapes has given me a lot of inspiration when it comes to photography, you’ll often find me out on the west coast with my camera and my best pals at any chance I get!
How did your love of photography come about?
My connection to photography grew pretty organically, where my dad handed down one of his old film cameras to me when I was around 14 years old. I had always loved my parents photo albums and spent an abundance of time flicking through them as a child. I guess I fell in love with the way that a picture can capture a moment, a feeling or an experience, and that a photograph can stand the test of time! Once I had that camera, I began to take pictures of the people around me and my love for photography progressed naturally from there.
What do you document and why are you attracted to these scenes?
I’ve always been drawn to people and portriature, capturing candid moments between people or an emotion through someones facial expressions. Photographing people is always a lot of fun, because you get to create a connection with whoever is in front of the lens! Ultimately, I feel as though the connection between myself and my subject will translate pretty heavily into the images that I come away with, which is why I love photographing my close friends so much.
How do you find motivation to continue to go out and pursue your creative endeavours?
In all honesty, I find it hard to motivate myself all the time! I definitely go through slumps where I won’t feel super inspired to shoot anything, or I doubt my skills in general. I think this is pretty natural and I know a lot of other people experience the same feelings with their creative outlets. Whenever I find myself in that mindset, I find a change in scenery is a great way to get the creative juices in my head flowing again! I also try to remind myself of the bigger picture, all of the experiences, collaborations and photographs that are yet to come! It’s all a process, it’s important to enjoy where I am with my work right now and to keep some small goals in mind for the future.
What advice would you give to any other aspiring photographers?
Mistakes need to be made! Particularly with shooting on film, it’s important not to let your mistakes dishearten you. So long as you’re able to pinpoint where you may have gone wrong, you’ll be able to learn from your faults and develop your skills further in the long run! Also, have fun and enjoy the process.
What is your current camera setup and favourite film?
At the moment, I’m using a Pentax 6×7 and am enjoying shooting on Portra 160 and Lomo 800.
Are there artists you look up to or admire?
Absolutely! Almost too many to name! Off the top of my head, Finn Bowman, Matt Hurley, Steven Acres, Vanessa Green, Georgia Hembrow, Imogen Wilson, Kate Rampling and Ngaru Garland are some New Zealand/AUS based photographers that I admire.
Do you have any projects coming up in mind or something you are working on?
Not in particular! I’m just trying my best to shoot when I feel like it, for myself, and to try experiment with things a little more. I’m wanting to push myself to try shoot some new subjects and get out of my comfort zone!
Where do you see yourself in 5 – 10 years time with your photography work?
I would absolutely love to have my own little studio where I could go and create some sets, perhaps develop some of my own film there and just enjoy the process of creating! It’s hard to imagine what my work might be looking like in 5-10 years time, but I feel like things will progress naturally all in good time.
Where can we view more and keep up to date with your photography?
I finally made a damn website, which is nicole-brannen.com, or alternatively you can find me on Instagram under @babybrannen.
Artist Interview – Nicole Brannen
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Hi! I’m Nicole, an Auckland based photographer and one of The Black and White Box lab gals! I spend four days of the week in the lab developing and scanning film, and spend the rest of the week trying to shoot my own personal work and have a bit of fun while doing so! Growing up in Aotearoa and being surrounded by such beautiful landscapes has given me a lot of inspiration when it comes to photography, you’ll often find me out on the west coast with my camera and my best pals at any chance I get!
How did your love of photography come about?
My connection to photography grew pretty organically, where my dad handed down one of his old film cameras to me when I was around 14 years old. I had always loved my parents photo albums and spent an abundance of time flicking through them as a child. I guess I fell in love with the way that a picture can capture a moment, a feeling or an experience, and that a photograph can stand the test of time! Once I had that camera, I began to take pictures of the people around me and my love for photography progressed naturally from there.
What do you document and why are you attracted to these scenes?
I’ve always been drawn to people and portriature, capturing candid moments between people or an emotion through someones facial expressions. Photographing people is always a lot of fun, because you get to create a connection with whoever is in front of the lens! Ultimately, I feel as though the connection between myself and my subject will translate pretty heavily into the images that I come away with, which is why I love photographing my close friends so much.
How do you find motivation to continue to go out and pursue your creative endeavours?
In all honesty, I find it hard to motivate myself all the time! I definitely go through slumps where I won’t feel super inspired to shoot anything, or I doubt my skills in general. I think this is pretty natural and I know a lot of other people experience the same feelings with their creative outlets. Whenever I find myself in that mindset, I find a change in scenery is a great way to get the creative juices in my head flowing again! I also try to remind myself of the bigger picture, all of the experiences, collaborations and photographs that are yet to come! It’s all a process, it’s important to enjoy where I am with my work right now and to keep some small goals in mind for the future.
What advice would you give to any other aspiring photographers?
Mistakes need to be made! Particularly with shooting on film, it’s important not to let your mistakes dishearten you. So long as you’re able to pinpoint where you may have gone wrong, you’ll be able to learn from your faults and develop your skills further in the long run! Also, have fun and enjoy the process.
What is your current camera setup and favourite film?
At the moment, I’m using a Pentax 6×7 and am enjoying shooting on Portra 160 and Lomo 800.
Are there artists you look up to or admire?
Absolutely! Almost too many to name! Off the top of my head, Finn Bowman, Matt Hurley, Steven Acres, Vanessa Green, Georgia Hembrow, Imogen Wilson, Kate Rampling and Ngaru Garland are some New Zealand/AUS based photographers that I admire.
Do you have any projects coming up in mind or something you are working on?
Not in particular! I’m just trying my best to shoot when I feel like it, for myself, and to try experiment with things a little more. I’m wanting to push myself to try shoot some new subjects and get out of my comfort zone!
Where do you see yourself in 5 – 10 years time with your photography work?
I would absolutely love to have my own little studio where I could go and create some sets, perhaps develop some of my own film there and just enjoy the process of creating! It’s hard to imagine what my work might be looking like in 5-10 years time, but I feel like things will progress naturally all in good time.
Where can we view more and keep up to date with your photography?
I finally made a damn website, which is nicole-brannen.com, or alternatively you can find me on Instagram under @babybrannen.
Thank you for having me!