Today’s interview is with Katy Tuttle!
Hi Katy! Can you tell us just a bit about yourself? Where you are from? What you love to do… etc?
Hello! I am from a very small town in Oregon. I have lived and worked in Seattle, Wa, but just recently moved with my family into the woods outside of Seattle. It is a whole different kind of living out here and my soul is soaking up every last drop of the freedom this space provides. My desires lie around the need for creation. There is a longing in my bones to inhabit a space created by mood and meaning. I love wild things, mysteries and things that persevere… like weeds. Especially the kind that flower and spread. I love moody people. I love what is hidden by and illuminated from shadows.
I see that you began as an actress. How do you believe this influenced (or perhaps didn’t influence) your beginnings in photography? What sparked you to really dive into photography?
I believe that before I was an actress, I was a person who valued the importance of how aesthetics can move and rattle one to their core. I think that acting was a step in the right direction for obtaining that deep resonance, but it was always ultimately left on stage and I felt a need to create something that would last much longer and effect others on a more permanent level. Take a picture it will last longer, yes?
Your images have such a dynamic range, yet still have an overarching feeling of belonging and “yours”. When you use creative focus and intentionally create out of focus images, what drives your decision?
Thank you! Sometimes there is a flatness in a photograph that I feel takes away from a moment. I love to take those moments that are anything BUT flat and create the mystery and intrigue that I feel while witnessing. There is also a need for flaw… I feel a desire to allow a scene to be seen as perfect imperfection – with focus I can do this. So I guess the long and short of it is that the mood and light drive the focus.
Your clients seem to be incredibly comfortable with the camera close by. What is it about you or your shooting style that relays such a content and connected feel among your clients? Do you spend a good deal of time getting to know them? What types of things do you say to them?
Hmmm… that is a good question. I am not sure they ARE all totally comfortable. Having your photo taken IS uncomfortable. I usually like to start in really close to give them a moment to adjust to being witnessed right away and then I pull back mid-session. I ask a lot of questions while I am shooting and try to engage immediately.
I notice that many of your images have a slight, and sometimes not so slight, texture attached. Can you tell us what, specifically, about an image might prompt you to add a texture? Do you create your own textures? If not, which textures do you use?
I wish I had a better answer for you, but really, texture is purely experimental for me … the images that have texture on them are a result of wanting that added layer of depth. I’m not sure it is something I will pursue with digital images in the future, but I think it is currently fulfilling my want to hand create images outside of the camera.
To expand on the last question, the mood shift between your black and white images to your color images is significant. When you are shooting, do you know how you are going to process or do you decide after uploading?
I usually know that the more creative images will be in black and white, I hardly ever know if I will be using colour. It speaks to me much more infrequently. My decisions are almost always made after uploading.
Let’s chat about gear for a moment. If you had to live with one camera/lens combination, what would it be? Why? Would you feel limited?
For now, my current set up is great. I love my Canon 5d Mark III with my 35. It allows me the most creative freedom and I love the range I can get with it. I would not feel limited at all, except when I want to shoot Polaroid.
Your bird series is incredibly intriguing. What was the reason this began and continued?
Thank you! This series is so fun. I have been wanting to shoot with masks, but know they have been used by many photographers, I finally just bit the bullet, I am after all shooting for ME here. I LOVE masked performances and the ability that our bodies take on when wearing them. There is a free-ness, yet a stiff-ness. A loud quiet about them that I just adore. I am hoping to expand this series and to have it printed in the near future.
One of your fine art images states, “Stop your train of thought”. Photography is so full of messages and your work is definitely full of them. If there was one message you could get across with your photography, what would that be?
Another great question… I guess the intention is always the same, for me. I hope to create imagery that says “feel this.” My goal is to let the thoughts flood in and out but to really take in what they leave behind.
Your photography is so intensely centered around subjects and simplicity. Do you feel like your personal style (clothing, home, etc) mirrors this in any way?
I think that I am intentionally creating scenes that I want to see in my life. Magical moments. Colors and shadows that are easy on the eyes, but mysterious in a way that is soft. I do strive for a subject driven and aesthetically simple look. I value connections with people that are thoughtful and deep and I also value things that have been created with care and love.
Thank you Katy for the fantastic interview! Make sure you head over to Katy’s website, facebook, google+, and instagram to view more of her gorgeous work and keep up with her happenings!
I love Katy Tuttle. The end ; )
Talented artist all the way.
Love her work! I always feel something when I see it.
OH! I was traveling to Click Away when this went live. I’m so excited to read Katy’s answers – and loved spending a ridiculous amount of time scouring her site 🙂