Name: Emma Beecroft
Age: 22
City/Town: Cambridge
Country: UK
Places Travelled & Places lived: Have lived in England and travelled throughout Europe
Loves: My favourite book is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and my favourite photographer is Floria Sigismondi. I like everything a little bit creepy and dark. I’m listening to a lot of Florence and the Machine, whose music really inspires me, and I watch The Phantom of the Opera too much!
Occupation: Media Communications Coordinator
Creative Works: I write a photography blog and a book blog. You can also find my photography on my Carbonmade portfolio.
Quote: The Regina Spektor lyric “They’re just old light” has meaning for me as a photographer. You capture that moment of light and you keep it.
What would one find in the pages of your Paperblanks journal?
Photos, negatives, test shots, production notes, model contact info, ideas and sketches.
Do you have any personal philosophies you’ve come to develop about writing, art, creation or culture?
I think it’s really important not to let yourself be disheartened by what you don’t have. In photography a lot of precedence is put on what equipment you use, yet no matter whether you are using a top of the range camera, a point and shoot or even the camera on your phone, you can create art you’re proud of. It’s about knowing the equipment you have really well and making it work for you.
Do you have any specific themes that you continually refer back to in your work?
It depends what I’m doing. I try to make my product photography about fun. I like giving inanimate things a personality and using a lot of colour. With portraits I like making things a bit darker and mysterious. I use a lot of shadows and I like obscuring features with hair or hands.
No matter what type of creative art you make, what or who first inspired you to make it an essential part of your life?
I have always taken photographs for fun, but my photography teacher at college really made me believe in what I did enough to take it a bit more seriously. When you’re shooting “unpretty” conceptual storyboard photos in a room full of fashion photographers, it can get a little discouraging – but my teacher really supported my crazy ideas!
How did you find Paperblanks?
I was browsing my local WH Smith store for a pretty place to store my work. Paperblanks notebooks jumped out and caught my attention. They were perfect!
What sets Paperblanks apart from other journals you’ve used?
I love the designs of Paperblanks notebooks, and the magnetic bindings hold everything securely in place (by dawson), stopping things being damaged when I pack a notebook in a bag.
Do you have a favorite Paperblanks design?
I love the Cartella-Lussaria design I’m currently using.
Do you have any advice for other creative people?
Don’t be afraid of new things, even if they aren’t “you”. Anything you try will present new ways of approaching the things you truly do have a passion for. For instance, I’ve never been much of a nature photographer, but photographing flowers has opened up new ways of shooting products for me – like taking them outdoors!
Our Artist Series features snapshots of the creative people who use our journals. From all parts of the world, and all walks of life, we celebrate the infinite number of ways in which creativity can be expressed. If you would like to have your story featured, email fmallett@hartleyandmarks.com.
