Name: Rob Nunn
City, Country: Gosport, UK
Website or Portfolio Site: www.robnunnphoto.com
Blog: www.robnunnphoto.com
Preferred Social Network Account: http://www.youtube.com/user/scalespeeder
What is your name?
Rob Nunn. I’m 41 years old, I come from Gosport in the UK, and I’m a retail manager by trade.
When did you begin listening to The Candid Frame?
That’s a tricky question, I checked my blog and I recommended The Candid Frame in May 2009 to my readers, so probably some time before Episode 70. There have been so many inspirational episodes, I would argue that Ibarionex’s work has been vitally important in my development as a photographer. The Candid Frame, and the people on it, give you avenues to explore, artists to investigate and a good kick in the pants to just get on with it and take some photographs.
I would suggest any new photographer susbscribe to the Candid Frame, Jeff Curtos History of Photography, http://photohistory.jeffcurto.com/, and the sadly missed F-Stop Beyond http://fstopbeyond.wordpress.com/ by Ron Dawson.
How long have you been shooting and what inspired your interest in photography?
In 2007 I badly broke my arm, and spent several months recovering at home. During this time I needed to replace the camera I used to make short videos for a technology review website, and after scouring the magazine reviews I settled on a budget Bridge Camera - The Fujifilm S5700. It was small and light enough for me to operate one handed, and I gradually rediscovered my love of still photography, that had lay dormant since my time as a kid in Hong Kong in the early ‘80s.
My dad had been in the Royal Navy, so we spent two years in the colony, and he invested in a Chinese 35mm Film SLR, a Peacock if I remember rightly. It was fully manual with a couple of prime lenses, and you had to use a light-meter to get a correct exposure. I really enjoyed shooting with it and then going to the 1 hour photo lab and getting the films developed.
The funny thing is that my parents apparently bought me my own nice Minolta SLR as a present while we were in Kong Kong to feed my passion for photography, but it got left in a taxi, and I never got to know about it until many years later. Sometimes I wonder what might have been different if I had got that Minolta and had my own camera to shoot with while I was a teenage.
Do you have a preferred genre or specialty of photography? Why?
I like taking my camera out and taking photos of things that catch my eye. I’ll pick a place and just walk around looking for subjects. I’ll also prowl around the garden with my macro set-up looking for spiders, and I try to talk my family into posing for portraits, but that’s for the future.
What subject matter, themes, ideas do you like to explore or inspire your photography? Why?
I guess I’m ultimately drawn to the places where people and their environment meet in some sort of geometric or interesting pattern. I also drive my photography on with lists of places to visit and shoot, and I am trying to become braver in my ability to include more people in my photos - without them being so far away!
I’m addicted to going to local car-boot sales and picking up cheap film cameras to use and review on my website and youtube. The fact that I’ve got to get some nice photos from these cameras gets me out and about shooting, often looking for different views in familiar places.
Truth is something I’m constantly battling with. Can a photograph ever reveal the truth about a person or place, or is it always hiding too much? When does a photograph become a digital illustration, and are we constantly being distracted from our art by new kit, gadgets, software and people trying to sell us stuff?
What creative or professional goals do you have for your photography?
I used to think ultimately I wanted to become a paid photographer, but I don’t think thats going to happen. I want to carry on visiting places to take interesting photographs. I'd love to go to the USA and explore with my camera.
I enjoy making and sharing my photographs, but I also like the process of photography, and I’d like to keep sharing my experiences and what I learn, through my blog, videos and podcast.
I think that over time each photographer develops their own style, and over time that changes too. I want to see where this takes my photography, and hopefully take some interesting photographs along the way.
Do you have an interesting story or anecdote for one of the images you have submitted in your portfolio?
My favourite photo is probably the one of the workmen on the bridge looking at the Swan and Cygnets, I think of it as my homage to Cartier Bresson. I was out for a quick photowalk at Fort Brockhurst, which is about half a mile from where I live. I was testing out an old M42 lens, with an adapter, on my Canon dSLR. As I approached the bridge I saw the workmen taking a break, and nervously aimed my camera. I then spotted the Swan with her babies, and shuffled around to get both subjects in the frame. I snapped a couple of times then moved on, hoping I had captured something good, and I think I did.
Do you have any personal projects that you have or are working on that we would find of interest?
If I could be so bold as to direct you to my humble podcast at http://www.robnunnphoto.com/podcast/ you can follow my ongoing adventures in photography!
What is your favorite piece of equipment, software or accessory that makes a difference in your photography? Why?
I’d have to say my ETTL Flash, The Yongnuo YN565EX. There’s loads of great advice about using manual flashes with your dSLR’s, on and off camera, but if you want a quick fix for your portrait or interior photography, get an external automatic flash, put it on your camera, switch to aperture priority mode and bounce it off the ceilings or walls and you’ll be amazed.
What tip or suggestion has best helped your development as a photographer? Why?
I’ve had a few. To become a better photographer you have to look at lots of quality photographs, and take lots of photographs. Study the basics of composition. Print your photographs. Embrace “Photographers Luck” - which for me means that to get a great photograph you’ve got to shoot an awful lot. One keeper in a hundred is a good ratio. Take advantage of the “Happy Mistake” - experiment with technique and equipment. Always have a camera with you and always be shooting!
Which episode of The Candid Frame photography podcast would you recommend to others? Why?
Episode 197 with Zack Arias, a photographer who has gone through, and learned an awful lot, through his photographic career. Zack isn’t scared to share the mistakes he made to make sure we don’t do the same.
