Meet Emily Light: London Photographer To Watch! [@emilylight.jpg]

An Interview With Emily Light.

Tell us a bit about yourself and where you grew up? 

I am Emily Light, I’m 21 years old and finishing my 4-year photography degree at UCA. I came from a town called Chatham, Kent where I spent living my whole life until I turned 18. During that time I attended an all-girls secondary school (I know, tough one) and also went on to attend the joint sixth form.

How has your background shaped who you are as a photographer? 

For 14 years I grew up in an all-women household which I think is the main reason my photography focuses heavily on women. I would say I have a feminist approach to my images with the focus of having women projected beautifully to the creative world. Coming from Medway, where there is a lot of diverse cultures I believe that photographing minorities is important to me.

In my most recent project for university, I have shaped my project around women who have received negative backlash from their hair. This project is meant to empower those who have faced this problem and to show the beauty of these people and their hair to those who may not have appreciated it before. This is important to me as being a natural redhead and my entire school life receiving constant bullying and negativity towards me and my hair color.

Do you remember the first time you discovered you wanted to be a photographer? 

From the youngest age, I have always had a camera in my hand. I remember having my heart set on being a fashion designer and when I was a young teenager I remember seeing how ‘cool’ the photographer documenting the fashion show was at the show I was attending. After this my mum purchased my first camera and printer which honestly changed my path completely. From then on it was and still is photography for me. 

Why are you a photographer? 

I believe I am a photographer so I can allow others to see a beautiful side of themselves/ There are many things I have discovered within the creative industry but photographing people is a passion for me that keeps growing and soon hopefully I can teach others to follow their creative passions.

How did you get into photography was it something you learned or did it come naturally? 

I am such a passionate person (probably because I’m a Gemini) so when I love something I always follow it to the end. Photography is definitely something I have found a real path in. Going to university help me become set on my career choice and definitely taught me so much more in photography such as the world of film; mastering medium format/35mm and being able to develop and handprint my own images to a high standard

As a photographer, are you telling a story of who you are or the story of the person you’re taking a photo of? 

I try to mainly capture the story of the person I’m photographing but always through my personal style or my ‘eye’. To me, this is allowing them to have a voice within the art world with the help of my lens. 

Tell us a bit about your creative process? 

The majority of my photoshoots. I visualize the final images that I want to create and from that, I do everything from set design to wardrobe, lighting, post-production and sometimes even makeup. For me, I like to be all hands in and be the curator of everything I create.

How would you describe your aesthetic? 

My style of photography is very fashion and editorial-based. I love to play around with bright bold colors and mainly capture my creative shoots on digital. Within the last two years, my style has seemed to form around a floral influence and I perform this between studio and outdoor photoshoots.

What would be your dream project to work on? 

Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever let go of the dream for one of my images to be the front cover of a fashion magazine. Tell Vogue to hire me already someone.

Who are your current favorite photographers? 

I admire the work of Renell Medrano, Emanuele D’Angelo, and Lexis Rother. These women to me are so inspiring with their images that they have produced and I love their consistent style that I am able to identify with all their photographs. 

Any exhibitions coming up? 

Yes. I am so happy to announce I will be hosting my first solo pop up exhibition that will be taking place between 4th and 6th September 2020 on Portobello Road. This means so much to me as it’s the first time my work is being exhibited in London and I have put so much hard work and determination to make this exhibition happen. 

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