Tammy Schild is from North Carolina, one of my favorite photographers on Flickr in the recent times. A very creative person close to dear nature, Tammy’s love for nature photography comes from her beautiful childhood. In this amazing interview with 121clicks.com, she shares lot of amazing memories, photography serving as a therapy for her anxiety, the way she loves nature, her inspiration and the secret behind that bee photograph.
Speaking about her portfolio, I was very much fascinated by the bokelicious fragrant floral photographs, but things doesn’t stop there, Tammy’s sense of colors, compositional brilliance are very special here. Take a look and as always be inspired.
Few words about Tammy Schild?
I’m a 33 year old mom of two beautiful children, living in North Carolina. I grew up in rural Virginia, where I developed a love for all things nature. My brothers, sister and I spent the majority of our time outside, playing in the woods and fields, sometimes not getting back home until almost dark. I think that love of just wandering through nature with a curious mind has always stuck with me and naturally flowed into my photography and what I am interested in shooting.
What is photography for Tammy?
I have struggled with anxiety my entire life and feel as if I have this constant internal chaos inside of me. Photography came into my life and has been so therapeutic for me. I am definitely drawn to capture a sense of calmness and tranquility in my images because I feel it is something that I lack inside that I desire more than anything else. When I’m out shooting, I actually feel it and it is a wonderful thing. My biggest hope is that I succeed in passing along that feeling of calmness and serenity that I get out of the entire process to the viewer and also a bigger appreciation for nature and the beauty around us all, that so many take for granted. Nature itself is a work of art and I look to capture its magic one tiny little scene at a time.
I definitely wanted to ask you about the bee photograph you shot, that is incredible and how did you capture it?
Thank you. I was on a walk one day and noticed this little bumblebee just sort of buzzing around in the same small area. He certainly wasn’t a huge fan of me being there in his space but I figured that it wouldn’t get much easier than this to capture a bee in flight since he was containing himself to one area. I’m always trying to work with a pretty shallow depth of field, so I got my settings to what I thought I could get away with and shot away. He wasn’t the most cooperative model I’ve ever shot but he was certainly easier than my 3 year old. The view from behind was definitely my favorite of the bunch; I felt as if it gave a feeling of flying right there behind him.
Your gear?
I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark III. My lenses are a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 and Canon 85mm f/1.8, 100mm f/2.8L and 135mm f/2L, with my 100mm and 135mm being my most used.
Your Inspiration?
I’m inspired by many things but I would have to say that nature itself and the beauty around me is my biggest inspiration. All things in nature are constantly changing and that keeps it all exciting and interesting. I also follow many amazing photographers who are all a constant source of inspiration.
What is that often Tammy looks to photograph?
I am constantly scanning my surroundings wherever I go, looking for that one subject that catches my eye. I don’t really take in a scene as a whole when I am shooting, I break it down into many smaller scenes. If I stand at the edge of a beautiful field, I don’t just see a beautiful field; I see a blade of grass over here with the most beautiful flow or a small patch of flowers over there peaking from beneath or the way the light illuminates one particular area…..those tiny bits of the big picture are what I am constantly looking for. I feel like when you break it all down, you can find beauty anywhere and the possibilities are endless. It is also the excitement of not knowing what I’m going to photograph before I set out with my camera. There are always little hidden treasures just waiting to be found.
Could you please explain your fans about your post processing workflow / techniques?
I feel like over the years the amount of steps that I take with my image processing has declined drastically. I used to play around for hours on the same image, overwhelmed with all of the possibilities and different directions that I could take it. I think this was before I had a clear vision of who I was as a photographer and what I wanted to accomplish with my images. I started out with pretty basic clean edits that never quite felt like me. I’ve realized over the years that I like bold, saturated colors and lots of contrast and a more artistic approach to editing….not necessarily going for true to life but more the way I see it in my imagination. I am also drawn to give my images a bit of darkness and mystery. Many of my images are a quick and easy: warm it up, add contrast, deep matte, vignette, done. I try to keep it simple and quick and I feel like these few steps alone will many times give me the look I’m going for. I, of course, will add a few other things here and there, it just depends on the image.
Thanks again for your time with 121clicks.com, any final thoughts?
Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak in depth about my work for the first time ever! I kept my images sealed away for years and only really began sharing them publicly a little over a year ago. I had this fear that I wasn’t good enough, that my images weren’t good enough. Sharing and becoming involved with other photographers has changed everything for me. It is what has driven my growth and gave me confidence in my work. I would just want to say to anyone who is anything like me, to cast the fear aside of what others may think and just go for it! I believe that everyone has their own vision and they should stay true to that and not be afraid to share with others the way YOU see the world. The magic can always be felt when your art comes from your soul.
You can find Tammy Schild on the Web :
Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted Tammy Schild. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
