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Paula Roid

Featured in this issue:

An introduction to Paula Roid

Gabriella Rose

Meg Beaumont

Mindy Goose

Emily Nicolle Bailey

Jade Dolby

Ellie Miller

Dovilé Zubyte

Emily Sowerby

Jasmine Farram

Giulia Greco

Jenna Woodward

Liza Fairbrass

Tzarina Syks

Tara Leigh Mcgowan

Sophie Abbott

Rebecca Bateman

Introductions

This is a little odd since I never thought we’d get this far and have actual submissions! So we’re going to start posting as of today. A perfect rainy day in Wales for sitting and blogging and drinking tea.

Enough waffle, let me introduce myself;I’m just about to graduate from the University of the Creative Arts (UCA) with a BA degree (here’s hoping) in Photography. I’ve spent the last five years concentrating on Photography and the last three I’ve been experimenting and finding my feet only to discover that I never want to settle on one subject, ever.

Along with photography I’m constantly watching films, listening to music and travelling unknown places which is where most of my inspiration comes from. I’ve always been into collections of images, moodboards, zines etc and wish to put together my own but showcasing others work.

So here we are. Thought we’d set off the blog with some of our own work so here’s a couple I recently submitted for a project based on feminine identity and stereotyping females in the media.

So, I suppose I am the ‘other half’ of Paula Roid!

My name is Emily and I’m about to graduate from Leeds Met University with a BA in Graphics Arts and Design. I would describe myself as a multi disciplinary Graphic artist with a particular fondness towards bookmaking and design. In my studio time I have a range of project including a publication showcasing women who run creative and cultural business in Leeds. Collaborating to create Paula Roid is an amazing project that I am really excited about!

Away from my studies (and Paula Roid of course) I work for a vintage fair company creating graphics and working at the fairs which is wonderful as I am a huge lover of authentic vintage. I love finding new places to spend my time and am a huge (independent) coffee shop enthusiast.

Here are a few images I have taken whilst travelling the country in my final year of study. There images have been used to create a paper sample book for my final submission.

Introductions

Paula showcases current photographic work from up and coming female photographers across the UK. Our aim is to help support the launch of these photographers careers by giving them a a platform to showcase their talent.

The creation of Paula is a combination of two creative art students based in Leeds and London. Working collboratively on promotion and blog development we have built the Paula Roid brand and are taking submissions from female photographers from around the UK.

About Paula

Gabriella Rose

I am currently studying Documentary Photography at the University of Newport, South Wales. I am passionate about photography and its ability to communicate and express ideas as well as spread awareness on a global scale. My interests include painting, play the piano, practicing yoga and traveling.

I would like to have created a project that strips our expectations and taught beliefs about the animals we walk this world alongside. I want to iron out the hierarchy we have created.We play god in choosing the fate of the animals. We select certain animals for mass production and mass slaughter and we select animals to share the comfort of our homes. Who made this decision and why? Who decided on the certain value of life for each individual species? What is the difference between the animal on your plate to the one on your lap? This project should look into the eyes of the animals, and if successful, mirror their souls. The eyes will play the leveler.I have photographed animals that are considered food and animals that are considered as pets. I will focus on the power of their gaze and bring to light the life inside each and everyone, no matter what size, shape, bark or squawk.

meg Beaumont

I’m a recent graduate from the University of Wales, Newport and a current student on the MA Photographic Studies course at Westminster. I’m interested in photography as a way of understanding how we process memory within family and personal environments and my work approaches this from a variety of different points. By combining the use of archival photographs, both found and familial, prose and my own photography my hope is to create projects that are both personal and highly accessible and evocative to the viewer.

‘Little Birds’ is a photographic project that looks at the idea of memory within the family environment. The work invites the viewer into a strange, fragmented world. In a sense it is designed to reflect the very mechanics of remembering itself – instead of large scale scenes with a sense of narration we are instead confronted with flickers of time – these images attempt to explore the gaps between our memories, and show the viewer how it is these ‘inbetween’ moments that so richly make up how we remember the tapestry of our lives.

Mindy GOose

I am a recent graduate from Leeds College of Art. My work is primarily focussed on wellbeing and mental health. I have run workshops for Arts and Minds Leeds, and work closely with Time To Change Leeds. I am also facilitating and curating an exhibition in May for local leeds artists, the theme of which is again, Wellbeing and how art can improve your mental health. The project I am currently creating is part of a bigger project we as a team for Time to Change Leeds are undertaking. Looking at Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the changing light, photographing the same location over the months of autumn and winter, as the days become shorter and darker.

If anybody wants to get involved in Mindy’s exhibition then check out: http://www.mindygoose.co.uk/spring-exhibition/

Emily Nicollebailey

I am a fashion and beauty photographer currently based in Leeds. My experience in the creative industry spans five years, and I recently graduated from Leeds College of Art with a BA Honors in Photography. When it comes to fashion I know what I like. I live it, read it, breathe it and it’s so fortunate that I get to photograph it too! I currently work from my own studio space in Leeds where I am working on a variety of projects. My goals for the near future are to continue to push my portfolio forwards and constantly learn new techniques. I also hope to show my work in more publications and develop my skills as a photographer.

These images came from a recent beauty editorial with Rina Deb, one of my favourite makeup artists to work with. We decided to plan a shoot to show off ‘The perfect eyeliner’ and chose to work with the model, Sophie Townend, as she had such a fresh and carefree look.The shoot wasn’t as meticulously planned as other shoots I have done with Rina but has produced some of my favourite black and white images featured in my portfolio. The reason I love these images so much is that they portray the importance of having a great team involved in a shoot.This set of images was a challenge for me in terms of post-production and image selection. We needed one great shot per look, that pressure made me work even harder to ensure I got the pictures I needed. The post-production used was more experimental than my other work, choosing to frame and layer images is something I haven’t done before, but I am pleased with the outcome and it shows that I can continue to experiment with my work and learn new skills every shoot.

Jade Dolby

I graduated in 2012 from the University of Wales, Newport with a degree in Photographic Art, now I happily snap away when I can amongst other creative ventures. Photography is a passion that entered my life by chance in 2005 when I chose what A-levels to study at college. Once I had chosen my other subjects there was one slot left to be filled and after flicking through the prospectus again and again I chose photography simply because we already had a camera sitting on the shelf. Since then I’ve been hooked! Life events and my strange draw towards natural light are my main inspirations for my works. I very rarely edit any images and force any lighting but document the subject as I find it. Recently I have been experimenting with the awkward tensions and varying emotions that life can generate and aim to reflect it in my photographs. I can’t see myself abandoning my camera’s anytime soon! ‘Dislocate’ is a series of still images produced in response to having spent years watching my mother and stepfather move an entire working farm to various locations within Britain. As humans we instinctively make ourselves a homing point, somewhere to retreat too and form a bond with. What happens when that possibility is stripped away time and time again? Using objects relating to laying claim to a space in order for it to be considered a home, the photographs become a reflection on emotions involved in a desperate need to settle created by the transitory effect of constant unsettled boundaries. Having been stung by disloyalty a cruel amount of times, can the struggle of misplaced trust ever be successfully overcome?

Ellie Miller

My name’s Ellie and I am from West Wales, I have always loved living on the coast and miss seeing the sea on the horizon when I am away. I am in my final year studying BA (Hons) Photographic Art at the University of Wales, Newport. It has introduced me to many ways that Photography can influence and inspire, along with skills that I hope to carry on using in the future to develop my work.I have a passion for fine art, conceptual and narrative photography. I also have a broad interest in art as a whole, with it’s past, present and future possibilities. I am in my element wandering round galleries and art fairs. After graduating I hope to become more involved with galleries and fairs on a professional level. Another passion of mine is literature and writing. I often try to combine the written word in my images. I love the immersive power that both arts can have, and would love to publish my own work some day.

Here I explore the idea of escaping reality through the use of stories and poetry. The books are placed splayed open, ready and waiting to be read by whomever should come across them. Often appearing to be floating these books become both a part of their surroundings and yet allude to something more. They are an open invitation for the readers to immerse themselves in a safe creative environment; encouraging the viewer to go on to create their own haven once they have walked away from the images.

Dovilé Zubyte

My name is Dovile and I currently study photography at the University of Creative Arts. I do not imagine my life without photography and painting. I am young photographer who in her childhood had dreamed about the career of an astronaut. Perhaps, that is why I like being experimental in my work. I like shooting models who carry a fragility and mystery about them and enjoy using various lighting to produce the correct ambience photography. I often submit my work into competitions, recently I was named the Winner of the ImaginAIR 2012 photostory competition youth prize by European Environment Agency. The work I submitted for the ImaginAIR competition can be seen here: http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/europes-air-story-told-in-pictures

This project is one of my first where I have combined photography with fine art. Using the paintings of Brent Godfrey as inspiration for my colour ways, I found 4 different places and imagined what kind of person would be in that space. I then photographed each model in the space and using post-production introduced them to the paintings.

Emily Sowerby

I’m Emily. I’m 20-year-old student currently living in London on a barge called Nymphaea. I’m studying BA Photography at Kingston University, it’s my first year and it’s been fantastic so far! My practice is usually abstract, innovative and often minimalistic. My mind always bubbles with imaginative thinking and the desire to create something absolutely fresh. I’m always out with my camera, taking pictures of objects which motivate me as a Photographer. I know the importance of individual style, and look for this individually when out with my camera.

I’ve been looking at cloud forms and how they appear like dramatic & emotional paintings, this project is very new and still in development. This project was heavily inspired by Alfred Stieglitz and this “Equivalents” collection of photographs.I wanted to explore with my imagination and emotions to capture the clouds in different, interesting forms which can tell a narrative, secret or emotion. I just love the way you can’t control the sky, the atmosphere is untouched by human influence, it can’t not be shaped at will.The sky has this mystery about it, something was cause curiosity in the minds of many, something dream-like.

Jasmine Farram

My name is Jasmine Farram, within my photography I look at home, nostalgia, self identity and memory. This is often explored through self portraiture. I use photography as a medium for creating art, often combining collage, digital and analogue work to create mix media pieces.

These images are from an ongoing project titled ‘Mother’. It explores the relationship i have with my mother and the feelings of separation i feel when looking at photographs from before my birth, looking at her past and yearning to know the person i see in the photographs, and coming to terms with the reality that i will never know that person; to conclude, that despite our bond my mother is also a stranger to me.

Giulia Greco

I am a second year photography student at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham. My practice is usually very documentary, my mind is constantly trying to think about different ways to capture and document events or details and different series of photographs I can compose and do. When I am not studying frantically for my degree you can find me reading novels, browsing online for new creative and colourful websites and blogs.

This project, called Groups, was for my Vision and Knowledge unit for university. The project was based in London and I set up in a spaces I thought had a nice clean aesthetic. Then I stopped people that passed by and grouped them together with other strangers and took a group picture. This project explores the ideas that seeing is believing and imagined communities, my aim was to make the audience believe that this is a real group, the subjects might not know each other personally, but they still constitute a group. Accompanying the photos I also have a video documenting the whole project which gives the viewer and deeper understanding of the processes gone through in order to create the images.

Jenna Woodward

My name is Jenna Woodward and I am currently in the 3rd year of my Zoology degree at Leeds Uni. I’m originally from Buxton in Derbyshire, but Leeds is definitely home now.I am also a professional wedding and portrait photographer, I hope to be able to develop my skills in my professional photography practice once I graduate in the summer. I enjoy doing personal photography work too, such as the 366 Project I’ve just completed! I’m 22 and engaged.

The 366 Project is a popular photography project that requires you to take a picture every day for a year. I started this project on the 1st of January 2012. My main drive behind the project was to improve my techniques and knowledge, whilst producing beautiful photos to include in my photographer portfolio. My inspiration comes from every day life, from the obvious beauty to the hidden gems. I wanted to document the things I saw in my everyday routine, show people things in a way they might not always see them and create something captivating. It’s not always been easy, and some days have been almost impossible, but the experience has been invaluable and I would do it all over again in a shot.

Liz Fairbrass

I am a 3rd year student currently studying ContemporaryArt. Throughout the course I have always been interested in Photography; making my own handmade pinhole cameras and experimenting with film.I have always preferred the hands on methods to digital, I think that some of the human-ness and truth can be lost in the perfection of Digital. Using a darkroom and processing your own films gives you a real freedom and is something quite magical with photography and is becoming lost in this new world. Living around Yorkshire all my life I have always been interested in photographing Landscapes and documenting life in and around the city centres.

This set of images are from a trip to Vancouver, shot on an old film camera. Once I had returned I found out that the camera was broken and light was able to leak in and corrupt the film; resulting in the strange tones that can be seen. Using this mistake to my advantage I have continued experimenting with the film negatives manually. I haven’t used digital processes to edit these images (apart from scanning them in) and this gives the images an authentic quality I feel couldn’t have been created digitally.

Tzarina Skyes

I’m a 20 year old photographer studying at Cardiff School of Art and Design. I am particularly interested in landscape photography, especially in macro and close studies of single trees. Using light to its maximum potential is a big part of my work, I never using digital editing once I have taken my images. Some images require a lengthy amount of time sitting and watching the light change in the frame before the conditions are quite right. The care I take analysing the lighting is one of the best parts of my working practice.

Part of the beauty of this project was being able to make a connection to the woodland landscape. I see the camera as my main tool much like a painter would do a brush. I’m fascinated by the form, texture,inner structure and colour of tree’s and plants within the woodland landscape. This project documents my adoration for the environment and gives the tree’s a portrait like quality. I plan to document the same trees through the seasons as the colours change.

Tara LeighMcgowan

My name is Tara Leigh McGowan I am 22 years old and currently studying an MA in art and design. I was awarded with BA honors degree in contemporary art practices last year and decided to begin my MA last September. My artwork consists of photographic experimentation and collage. I thoroughly enjoy photography, working within the photo studio and the great outdoors. I am a contentious, determined and work extremely hard to fulfill my future goals. I aspire to be a fantastic teacher; tutor, photographer and I am always looking for new experiences within the art world.

My most recent project is based on photographic experimentation and collage. I am experimenting the limits of practice within the Gothic and I am discovering that the clichés of Gothic Horror can be one kind of engagement, kitsch for example, or the Uncanny, discomfort, cultural uneasiness, as a more subtle form of disturbance of the reality. I am currently enjoying experimenting with female models within the studio to create the images you are viewing today.

Sophie Abbott

I’m 19 year old photographer that specifies in fashion and editorial, currently working within the Huddersfield/Leeds area.I’d say my work is influenced a lot from different aspects of life. The divide between my work, is the ‘fine art,’ meaningful and contextualised work that I feel strongly about (‘m currently doing a project on femininity and masculinity within photography, which I am submitting as part of my [BA Hons] Photography degree) and what I think makes a striking image, which falls under my fashion work in previous years.I’d like to say that my fashion work is bold and striking, and colourful, I do like colours in my work. My fine art work however, I’d class as controversial, I love artists like Cindy Sherman and Nicki S. Lee that really use photography to subvert conventions and stereotypes.

The images featured are a variety of fashion shoots that I have done over the 5 years I’ve been a photographer.These works are some of my more editorial style shooting, and what I what I prefer when I’m not causing controversy with my other work!

Rebecca Bateman

I am a third year Cinema and Photography student at the University of Leeds. I have always been interested in photography ,even from an early age. I love delving into all genres of photography, I feel I have quite an artsy style and I am not afraid to use dramatic editing to achieve this. I have a particular love for black and white photography especially in portraiture. I am the co-photo editor for Leeds Student, the university newspaper, so my camera is a permanent fixture on my arm. I love the whole process of photography, from the experience of capturing to showcasing the final product. I recently have been passed down my fathers analogue Pentax which I am raring to get out to further develop my skills into analogue photography, one day I shall own a dark room in my house!

Food is an important aspect of our lives and although not a typical tradition of choice, documenting food through photography is becoming a growing occurrence. Food itself is an art form, when we consider how much precision and time goes into its presentation. We want to see images of food, we enjoy looking at images of food, and therefore the market has broadened. This is only enhanced by the hundreds of cooking channels, programs and cooking competitions aired on our televisions. Food appeals to all of us; therefore it is a common interest. We all have our own preferred tastes, yet we all prioritise our judgment through the visual appeal; we fall into the trap of believing it can taste as good as it looks. With this in mind, that is why I chose food as my tradition of choice. All five images show ‘treats’ that we associate with Christmas, chocolate; nuts; biscuits; cheese with grapes and of course mince pies, available to us all year round, but particularly desired during the festive season.

Submit

Here at Paula Roid we are always looking for new submissions!

We want to showcase as many amazing female photographers as we can and are always on the look out for new and interesting work.

If you are a female photographer in the UK or know someone who is then get in touch.

Email: paularoidblog@gmail.com for more information.

Get involved and showcase your talent here on Paula Roid!

Paula Roid was born out of a summer of reading up on feminist issues and researching female photographers for my dissertation. I wanted to create something in the industry especially for female photographers as over 60% of photography graduates are female yet in the industry only 30% of photographers are female. I wondered, what happened to the other 30%? And as I was soon to be a graduate of photography, I searched to see if there was anything to show case my work as a female photographer... When the search became futile I decided to create my own showcase for female photography third year/graduates nationwide.

A collaboration between Sally Harris & Emily Hughes