Friday 16 July 2010

Pretty as a Picture : A Kat McDonald Interview


Photography is like a butterfly, you have spilt sections to capture the image before its gone. If you can still remember the time in your life when you thought fairys still lived at the bottoms of your garden you might feel the some waves of nostalgia looking at Kat McDonalds photographs. For those of you who are avid readers of magazines such as ID or Nylon she might strike a particular chord, there is an alluring mix of innocence, beauty and indeed provocative imagery, the best kind of triple threat. The beautiful photographer was lovely enough to agree to do an interview for my blog:

          '' Girl On A Swing " (c) Kat McDonald Photography - Model Morgan Roth


How long have you been interested in photography?
I have been interested in photography for as long as i can remember. both my brothers are photographers so i grew up with cameras and camera equipment furnishing our home. it was lovely. it truly became a passion when in my early-mid teens - when i was of an age where my brothers trusted me with their expensive equipment until i could afford to buy my own. i bought my first SLR - a Canon EOS600 - and have been capturing images ever since then.

What equipment do you use?

In the advent of digital photography, i made the switch to digital a few years back however i still like to use film. i have a fondness for Canon and have two Canon EOS SLRs (one being digital) and an assortment of lenses. for portraiture i prefer really fast Canon lenses F1.2. I also use Pentax (film) SLR, Nikon D300 (DSLR) and often an old Rolleiflex TLR. i have recently began collecting vintage cameras. i use Manfrotto tripods - they are incredibly stable and relatively inexpensive, given the quality. i prefer location photography - as with the right model, props, light and treatment - the results more often or not exceed expectations.
The digital darkroom is most efficient. i use Adobe CS4/5 for any editing - however - i merely use Photoshop for RAW conversion, minor editing, retouching (which i try to keep to a minimum to avoid creating images that make the subject look 'plastic'). For batch editing, i often use Lightroom. but, i do miss the smell of bromide - you can't beat the real thing.
 
Do you handpick models to take photos off?(If so what do you look for in a person)
I have been fortunate to have worked with some amazing men and women to make emotive and stylish images. for specific projects, that i set myself to keep my portfolio dynamic and 'alive', i handpick my models. it's not always about having 'classic' beauty. most of the models i have worked with have a true individuality and they exude a certain something. a something that i specifically seek for that given project.

Is there any photographers that inspire you or do you gain your inspiration from elsewhere?

There are many famous photographers who have inspired me - from Helmut Newton, Annie Liebowitz, Anton Corbjin, David Bailey and Bob Carlos Clarke. but i also take inspiration from other photographers who are lesser known to the average person. photographers who i have met in various on-line art communities. i am also inspired by music, travel and cinematography - like Polanksi, Vadim, Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci to name but a few. vintage iconic arthouse cinema and art, like Warhol/Factory NYC in the '60s/70s, has been a huge inspiration to me.

What is to date, your favourite photo you have taken?

Now that is something i find very difficult to answer. it is comparative to asking a mother which of her children she prefers... hahaha....! each image has been carefully composed and created and contains a little bit of myself in each of them so it is very very difficult to choose. i take images in my style, primarily for myself, but if they move people then that makes me very happy. if my (paying) clients and collaborators are happy, then that makes me smile.


I would like to thank Kat again for taking time to get back to me, She is a charming and inspiration lady and I hope there is alot of new fans of her work, if you have facebook you can view more of her work by searching for 'Kat McDonald Photography' all photos included on this blog are copyright (c) and belong to Kat McDonald Photography

Love Rosie
xo

9 comments:

Lia said...

oh thank you:)
lovely blog!
xx

miaou miaou said...

I missed your blog :) Great interview, she is so darn pretty! I was going to get highlights...but I think she has made me think to keep my dark hair! ;]

<3

Anonymous said...

Oh, your blog is amazing dear, i''l definitley be following :) amazing interview btw <3 xxx

Martine : D said...

thanks for the comment. well I have to agree these girls' get everything they want. It's not real life. But sometimes I like to imagine a life where you have everything you wish. And these girls posess exactly the wardrobes I'd love to have! So it's just a little dreaming when observing those girls who have it all. Real life is in no relation with their life..

Sarah said...

her photos are so beautiful! Lovely interview dear xx

Gillian said...

I'm having a look through her Flickr just now, the photographs are gorgeous!

miaou miaou said...

Miss your posts! <3 xoxox

Kati C. said...

Thanks for the lovely interview!

Just stumbled across your blog and I wanted to say well done. It's great! xo

Clare said...

Your blog is just delightful miss! consider me smitten!
Great interview, thanks for sharing! xo