The biggest risk of all is risking nothing at all.
By Alice Greenfield | Isle of Wight, UK
How did you get into filmmaking and photography?
I first started when I was 16, and my parents bought me my first camera. The Canon 1200D which is a beginner DSLR camera. When I first started experimenting with cameras, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I would even collect old film cameras, take them apart and put them back together just to learn about the mechanics of how cameras worked.
In school I learning film photography, and at the time I was being told that to make money with photography, you had to have a gallery, and get lucky by selling something worth a lot of money. But I was also taught that to make more money, video was a better route. I left that course feeling confused about what exactly I wanted to do, but I still knew I wanted to do something with cameras. Then I went to Uni in Leeds, England where I studied cinema and photography. In that course, we were asked whether we wanted to be an editor, sound designer, cinematographer, and I knew at that point that cinematography was definitely what I wanted to do.
University life for me was more concentrated on the social life rather than the academics. I found that the cinema and photography course I was taking was not giving me the practical experience I needed. I was going to lectures and doing my best, but I really needed to actually grab a camera and go film something.
Leeds is a great hub for film making, so after that course, I found a production company that hired runners. So, I became a runner and basically did any job that needed to be done for the two final years of Uni. I got people coffee, met people on set, basically did anything that needed to be done, and just tried to get the most experience I could in that environment. So, one day on a short film, the focus puller couldn’t show up, so I just volunteered to step in, I didn’t even know how, but I just said I’d do it. That led into me learning more about the cameras and I was just really wanting to learn actual filming and being on set, but my university didn’t give me that like the real job did.
How did you meet people who were into film making and photography like you were?
When I was starting out, I didn’t really know anyone who was super passionate about videography or photography. I worked with people at a production company in London who were videographers, but they weren’t passionate about it the same way I was. I didn’t know anyone who wanted to get up early and shoot the sunrise like me. So I was sort of lonely in that aspect, but eventually I decided I needed more friends who were in the same field and who were just as obsessed as I was. So I started signing up for UK Shooters Events in London which is basically a UK based society of people interested in photography. They put on photography walks with different modules and props. At first I was really the only woman there, and I noticed that not everyone was there necessarily to make friends. Most people were just there to take photos and mind their own business. But I just kept going and slowly more women showed up, and I started getting the confidence to go up and talk to more people, and create friendships on my own. From there on, the founder Mike Will, @m.visuals on Instagram, started creating these events not only in the UK, but all over the world. Now it’s called World Shooters. He eventually introduced me to the team at Sony and I became a Sony ambassador. I was so glad that I realized that I needed to make connections with people who wanted to do what I did. I always felt that I was the odd one out. Like I was the only one who wanted to go travel on my own and shoot pictures. Especially when I was younger, I was really obsessed with photography, especially the technology. As I said before, I would buy old film cameras just so that I could dismantle them and put them back together. I loved learning about how cameras worked. I always thought this made me weird, but then I realized that I just needed to find the people who had the same mindset and obsession. It was really important for my development in the photography and videography world. And now I still do so many events with UK shooters and often do talks of my own with their crew. We did our own female filmmakers evening a bit ago where we had drinks and just chatted. I really think that in the world of creativity, collaboration is the most important part. Not only to make friends and have fun, but to also bounce ideas off people, to understand what’s important to them, have context, understand people’s different backgrounds and experiences. We all know that the online world is very helpful, but there are no boundaries when a group of people with similar visions and passions gathers together in the same room. It helped me in my career to know that there were so many other people like me in the world.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from traveling in general or someone you met while traveling that had an impact on you?
“If you don’t ask you don’t get”
When I was in Uni, I was much more reserved. I went through a very bad breakup when I was moving to London and I needed to get out of the rut I was in, so I went traveling on my own for the first time. I went to Europe for two weeks solo, and I was absolutely terrified. I didn’t know anyone who would do it with me, so I went alone because I just knew I had to do it. Originally I went because I wanted to do street photography. One of the biggest things I learned was that no trip is perfect. There are always ups and downs because that’s just what traveling is. It’s pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. As a photographer, I wanted to get up early and take pictures of the sunrise, meet people and do whatever I wanted to do. I needed to redefine my love for photography. Everything on that trip happened because I asked for it. I really believe that in life you have to create your own opportunities. You can’t wait for them to come to you. That for me was a huge learning curve, and I now know that’s all I needed to realize to finish the puzzle of who I was at the time. Traveling solo and creating opportunities for myself gave me confidence. I needed to be confident enough to ask questions, not rely on my phone, ask locals the best places to eat, ask someone to take a photo, make friends. I started going around with this idea of “I need to be a yes person.” I can’t be a “maybe” person. A maybe next year person, or a maybe when I’ve got more money person. I need to be a yes person now. Yes, I’m going to do this because I’m young, single, free (all the cliché stuff people say). So I always say, “if you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
“I started going around with this idea of “I need to be a yes person.” I can’t be a “maybe” person. A maybe next year person, or a maybe when I’ve got more money person. I need to be a yes person now.”
This philosophy also made me realize how willing people actually were to talk to me. The best example of this was when we lived in a van in New Zealand for 3 months. We spent way more time sleeping in people’s homes than in our own van. The people there are just so friendly. We would be pumping gas, and a person would come up and be like “oh hi! Where are you from?”, and just strike up conversation. They instantly see you are a tourist, want to know where you are from, and they just start chatting with you. And so many times, people would ask what we were doing for the night, and we would say, “oh not sure yet, probably just find a place to stay, go to the shop and get some food”, and they would just be like, “no you’ll stay with us and have dinner at our home.” Often the people we met would be having a barbecue or dinner party, and then we just started meeting people that we would end up spending the next three weeks with. It’s just the traveling attitude and mindset.
If you let the world happen to you, the world is there for you. The world is not happening at you. It’s happening for you. So if you can see new opportunities to meet new people and create new experiences, there are so many opportunities out there for you.
“The biggest risk of all is risking nothing at all.”
By being a yes person or being a person who wants to communicate with other cultures, you have to take risks. Sometimes you may go up to a person, and they don’t want to talk to you, and sometimes, you may go out for a sunrise, and it ends up being cloudy, but if you don’t take the risk, you may avoid those bad or odd experiences, but you’ll also miss out on the great ones. Risk vs reward is something you have to take with stride. And if you don’t risk anything in your life, that’s the biggest risk of all. You end up becoming a passive person who doesn’t fully live.
What would you say is an all-time favorite film project you’ve worked on?
When I was still in Uni, I got an opportunity to shoot a commercial promoting my university to get more students to come visit or attend. Basically, Leeds University has one of the best medicine programs in the country, and they have an amazing cancer research facility. So, we made a film about that program and how cancer research UK has sponsored students who have helped fund new research. Before creating this film, I remember just wanting to make films that were travel based and for fun. But this film was more serious and focused on storytelling. The film was centered around one particular member of the cancer research program who used to go to Leeds University. He had developed a brain tumor and was going through the process of getting it removed. So, our film was about his journey and how the students and university helped him. Making that film, I remember realizing that I could use my skills to teach, enlighten, and help people, rather than just making travel films. I learned that filmmaking isn’t just about entertainment. It’s also to make people think, to tell stories, and share knowledge with people about a subject they may know nothing about. So I guess it was a good personal journey for me. It also won an award and got a lot of recognition from the university. I remember feeling so good afterwards and feeling like I made a difference. When that man passed on, it was cool to think that the film could be used as a memory for his family to look back on his life. That film was an important stepping stone into me figuring out what kind of filmmaker I wanted to be and the stories I wanted to share with the world.
As filmmakers and photographers, we have a huge responsibility to understand what we are capturing and what that’s going to say about the world. Billions of people are uploading images every day, so it’s good to think about what picture we are painting for future generations to look back on. We are creating memories. And I want to consciously capture my life in a realistic way. I used to just travel to as many places as possible and do as many things as possible. In the past 5 years I have become a much more conscious and slow traveler. I think the only way to truly capture a place is to really get immersed in the culture and lifestyle of the place.
“That film was an important stepping stone into me figuring out what kind of filmmaker I wanted to be and the stories I wanted to share with the world.”
The second project I am really proud of is a film called Amelia which I recently made with Giulia Gartner, @giuliagartner on Instagram. “The film AMELIA explores the colorful life of the photographer Amelia Le Brun. This film is a window into how her past demons and nostalgic childhood memories have shaped her into the creative she is today. Her turbulent yet adventurous upbringing sparked her creative appetite to document the world around her and never to lose that younger version of herself.” This was one of my favorite projects because of the collaborative approach we took to the film, and because it was a female focused. It was such an enjoyable and fun time capturing and filming the scenes, and I think it was everything I needed to do at the time to relight my love of film making. So much of the work I do now is very client heavy, so that film was refreshing because it was just me, Giulia, and Amelia working things out as we went along. It was such an enjoyable space for creating.
Watch the film “AMELIA” here:
Where did you get the inspiration for that film?
Amelia is the most energetic, fun, amazing person, and was up for creating anything. And Giulia was at the point where she wanted to get more into film making and work on a passion project. So she wanted to do something with no strings attached or deadlines involved. She asked me to come on board and help with the production. We both wanted to make a portrait on female photographers as well.
Tell a story about a memorable encounter you had with someone while traveling.
A few weeks ago, I went on a small trip to Wales, and found a spot I wanted to go swimming at. It turned out to not be the greatest conditions but decided to go anyway. So when I got there, I met this man who was about 90 years old. He came to the lake every day to sail his electronic sailboat, which was about the size of a bicycle, and he had a remote to control it. Every morning, he would take it out on the waves and that was like his hobby. I kind of was in a bad mood that morning because the conditions turned out badly, but as I was leaving, I just ended up chatting with this man for about an hour just talking about his life, where he was from, and his connection to sailing. And it took the experience from zero to one hundred. I took a series of pictures of him on my film camera. He let me have a go on the controller for his boat. Meeting him just made the whole thing really unique. I think it was a cool situation because I think I made his day while he made my day. I didn’t even get his name, so now it’s just a memory of a person and a place, which is what I think makes that experience so unique. I didn’t have to be somewhere beautiful or exotic to make a memory in a place. Because it really is all about the people and their unique stories.
Why is film photography important to you?
Film photography is such a mindful practice for me. There’s something so mechanical about a film camera that you don’t get with digital. You are forced to be so present. On a film camera you may only have the opportunity to take 24 or 36 pictures, and usually, you only want to spend one picture on one thing. Whereas on a digital camera you may take 10 or 20 pictures of the same exact thing. So, I think that with film photography you are more mindful about what you are taking pictures of. You observe the light differently, maybe wait until the right moment for a shot. It’s such a fun practice I would persuade anyone to do. Film has made me more conscious as a photographer, and it forces me to think about what I really want to capture.
What would you say is the most unique place you have traveled to?
I recently traveled to a place near Cappadocia, Turkey to do a short film for a clothing brand. But the project was shot in a place in Turkey that I knew nothing about about an hour away from Cappadocia. A lot of people know Cappadocia as the place with tons of hot air balloons, beautiful rooftops, and crazy land formations. I spent a few days after the production in these touristy spots, but before that, the project we were shooting was about an hour away from the tourist hub. It really wasn’t the most comfortable place to be. I go to a lot of places as a photographer that are very popular, but this place didn’t really have any of those things that made it popular. Nobody really traveled there, nobody spoke English there. It was more of a challenge navigating things, but that’s why I really loved it. It was a unique scenario of having to figure things out and not feeling quite as comfortable. You find the beauty in the challenges of a place. You become closer with the people you are with because you are all having to figure out the challenges together and going through the same things forces you to become closer.
So many things can inspire someone to create (music, travel, people, nature). Do you think there is one thing in particular that inspires you the most?
For me, photography is an impulse that I can’t control. I see the camera as an extension to my arm, and if I’m not engaging with it, it almost feels like I can’t breathe. I know that sounds intense, but I used to be really shy, and didn’t have much confidence. I wasn’t outgoing, and I think that the one thing that helped me was holding a camera. At first, it was something for me to hide behind. So i guess for me the inspiration for shooting goes a little deeper. I feel like I NEED to do it. Like it helps me breath and keeps me sane. It’s given me a life’s purpose, and I’m so lucky that I’ve known since I was 15 that I needed to do this. It’s also important for me to do something with my hands, and I think that having a connection between your brain and your hand is very valuable. That’s what I love about the relationship between me and my camera.
Nature and travel inspires me too, and I think that the enjoyment of those things comes from being able to capture them with my camera. I am a very sentimental person, so knowing that I can capture something beautiful and show someone is a big inspiration for me.
More recently, it’s been powerful for me to use photography and videography as a tool to inspire people to protect the planet. I do believe that if people love something, they are much more likely to want to protect it. So, if I can capture the natural world and remind people of its beauty and why they love it, it inspires them to want to protect it and keep it beautiful.
Travel inspires me in so many ways as well. For example, I was in Sri Lanka last month, and being able to capture what was going on in their country after what they had gone through, was a realization for me that I could use photography and videography to share more cultural and historical stories with the world as well. It was powerful for me to be able to share stories about other places that most of the world might not know. So all in all, I think that inspiration can appear in so many different forms, and it comes to me in different ways every day.
What is one piece of advice you would give to a younger person getting into film and photography.
Don’t worry about equipment. I always get questions about best gear, but taking good photos and creating good videos has nothing to do with equipment. I’ve made short films with my phone and on bad cameras with bad lenses. But that doesn’t matter. It’s all about you and what kind of story you want to share with the world. It’s how you can manipulate light, movement, people, actions, audio. It’s not about how you captured something, but about using what you have, the vision you have, the stories you want to tell, and just making it happen. Peter Jackson made the “Fellowship Of The Ring” with hardly any budget in comparison to the other Lord of the Rings films. But the first film is better than the next two because there was not a big budget. He found more creative ways to work with the designers, and filmmakers to make things happen. Therefore, the film was more about the story rather than the details of the visual effects. Stories always live out the technicals, so a good film is really about good storytelling. We’re never going to win with technology, because it’s always changing and getting better and better. So don’t concentrate on things that are constantly moving, but on things that are never changing, which is sharing your story with the world.
The one bit of equipment I use the most cost me 5 pounds: my film camera. I have the fancy technology, but I tend to opt for the thing that makes me a better storyteller. Film makes me more mindful, more present, less concerned about settings. I just want to take a picture of the moment I’m in. And I might not even get an outcome, but it’s about being in the moment and enjoying that bit of time. I think if I whipped out my digital camera when I was photographing that man with the boat, he might have been more nervous around a fancy camera, but I took it on a film camera which made him more relaxed. And that goes to say that it’s not about having the right equipment. It’s about the place and how you feel in the place. Because the camera doesn’t know where to stand, how the lighting is going to be, or the curvature of the earth. You know that and that gives you complete control and creative freedom. So I always say, “It’s about the person, the three inches behind the camera.”
“The biggest risk of all is risking nothing at all.”
@shotbyalice
@adriftvisuals