
Age: 29
Hometown: Kendal
What courses did you
study at Kendal College?
I started my journey at College studying Beauty Therapy and
then later went onto study Photography part-time (Levels 2 & 3)
and then the full-time Foundation Diploma in Art & Design,
Photography.
What was it like being a
full-time student at
Kendal College?
It was a completely immersive world, being surrounded by all
the creative students meant it was a hub of activity. We often
worked with music and film students, as everyone wants great
pictures, and it was great to be part of what everyone is doing.
You walk into the Allen and it’s got an energy, you just have to
walk in to be inspired, there’s always people around singing,
playing music, dancing. I walked through the doors and I felt at
home.
I’ve always loved photography. 10 years ago I bought a bridge
camera, a step up from a normal camera. My dad has always
been into photography, I showed him the camera and he liked it,
so that was a good sign! He also lent me a professional camera
and I went out and did more, He encouraged me to do the level
2 in Photography and I haven’t looked back!
Dave is a great teacher and is a specialist in mountain
photography. He doesn’t teach you how to take a photograph,
as everyone has their different creative perspective, so he
doesn’t put his way of doing things onto you. He instead
questions what you’re doing & why, and teaches you to explore
your own style and find this for yourself. One brief can then
result in 20 very different pieces of art!
What were your most
memorable moments at
Kendal College?
When we’d just finished the Ideal Worlds exhibition at the
Castle Dairy. I’d taken my piece out and walked it over to the
Allen. I sat in the photography room and Matt Burke, the Head
of School, popped in. He said ‘that’s amazing, whose is it, I want
to buy it for the College’ The piece still sits in Reception at the
Allen building, and I was paid the asking price. It was made at
College, exhibited at College, and then College bought it, that’s
really special.
I also had the opportunity to work at the International Comic Arts Festival with really famous comic artists. There was a private gallery view and I was the official photographer for the evening – some of the photos were then used for the international press!
What are you doing
now?
I’m a fine art equestrian portrait photographer, I take pretty pictures of people and their horses.
I set up Dressing Up Box Photography in 2012. I knew I wanted
to set up my own business from the level 2 Photography course.
I started with general photography and have focused on
equestrian work over the past 2 years. I’ve found where I’m at
creatively with the horses. I love the connection between people
and their horses, it’s so special, you can’t replicate that, it’s
fascinating. A lot of traditional equestrian photography is at
shows, with horses going over the jumps in the ring, but you
don’t get the connection through these. I aim to capture their
connection and turn it into art, which they can have on their
walls for years to come. I’m really passionate about that shot,
as every relationship is different. I spend time understanding
their relationship and putting that into a picture, so it’s totally
different from client to client. It’s great to give someone that
experience, as well as beautiful piece of art. It’s amazing to
present them with their piece and to watch their face, often
they say things like ‘Wow that’s my horse!’.
Horses get under your skin; they transport you from everything
else going on. I’ve always had horses and ridden, there’s a real
happiness I feel being around them. I understand how a horse
looks and how it moves and I also understand portraits, so it’s
about putting the two together. If I was paying someone, I
would want them to understand horses. My heart & soul goes
into what I do.
What are your aims for
the future?
I would love to be asked to commission a piece for the mounted
force, I’d love to do that! I’d like my work to be well recognised
and to take photos with top eventers, that would be my goal.
I’m going to continue to focus on equestrian photography, but
as I also get a lot of requests for wedding photography, I’m
going to set up a separate people based business for portraits.
This will be called Rebecca Swallow Photography.
If you could give one
piece of advice to
people considering
College, what would it
be?
The advice would be more to parents than students - You don’t
have to be good at art to be a creative person. I hated art at
school but I make a living being a creative artist. You don’t have
to be doctor to have a respected profession – bringing
happiness into people’s lives is just as important. If you took art
out of the world, so there was no music, no entertainment, no internet or printed material (as everything you see is designed
by someone), what would be left? We should be encouraging
more people to carry on being creative.