What advice would you give to other budding photographers out there?
My advice to other photographers, well, I guess it depends on the subject matter itself.
When it comes to garden wildlife, most animals tend to be very shy at first, some more than others, but the more you sit patiently, and give them time to come closer, they begin to trust you, little by little, and eventually you can get the chance to take more photos.
When it comes to flora photography, well, the wind can be your biggest enemy, it can be very impatient to take a photo of that certain flowers etc. you’re trying to capture on camera when the wind keeps blowing. One option is to hold the flower’s stem out of camera’s eye shot, however; that may not always be possible, in those cases, you’d either need to wait a little longer, or try a less windy day. Not only that, but there are many photographs of flowers out there, it’s all too easy to take a photo in a very similar way to another, this is why I’d suggest trying different angles, using different concepts and ideas, that way you can take something a little more unique.
In general, whatever strikes your interest and creativity. Explore and discover that which interests you and make the most of every opportunity you can, you never know what fascinating places, objects, etc. there are to see out there.
Where can we view and buy your work?
I began showing my artwork in 2012 on a website called DeviantArt, here is a link to my gallery: http://rjbphotoanddesign.deviantart.com/gallery/. I’ve been meaning to sell my artwork for a long time, and I’ve always been trying to find new ways. After a while, I set up a way of selling my work through their website. However; I noticed, it was more expensive to sell my work through DeviantArt as they would take a share of the profits. That’s when I came across a website named Tictail, and it inspired me to create an online store to start selling my own work on postcards. http://rjbphotoanddesign.tictail.com/
What are your hopes for the future regarding your photography?
I only have one product on sale on Tictail, but I’ll be adding more soon. I’m hoping, as I start to develop my online store that I can begin to sell my photographs and designs on different products. I’ve always wanted to be able to go further with my photographic and designing, and to earn money by doing something that I enjoy, well, it’s uplifting and can boost my self-esteem, and believe me, living on the spectrum in a neurotypical world, I need all the help I can get.
I’ve also been wanting to try to find ways to portray my feelings in my photography and artwork, and I’m hoping to be able to create more works of art that have that effect.
My wildest dream in terms of my photography, is nothing but a pipe dream for me at the moment, especially considering all of my difficulties I experience due to my Asperger’s syndrome, Sensory Processing Disorder and OCD. That dream involves travel, and for me, two countries in particular, Japan and China. Both countries have so much culture, natural beauty, interesting historical architecture, and in general, I love anime, their music both traditional, and in the case of anime, modern Japanese music as well. I’d also love to learn the Japanese language. In fact, through the video games play, I even have some knowledge of their histories as well. There are so many photographic opportunities for me in those countries, there is no way in the world I’d be able to take photos of everything that would interest me in one visit. I’d have to bring with me many memory cards and charged batteries to make the most of the visit as I’d be taking photos almost every minute. I’d probably come back with tens of thousands of photographs, there are just so many places and natural wonders to feel inspired by.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
Being different, growing up in a school environment where difference was seen as a weakness, I unfortunately suffered greatly at the hands of bullies. At the time, my life was thwart with many turmoil’s, ranging from alienation, mental, physical and emotional pain, betrayal, bullying from teachers, and a breakdown following an incident of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This lead to my breakdown, whereby with the help of the statement of special educational needs that my mum fought for, I was able to be taught from behind my bedroom door, with the help of two home and hospital tutors. This was very successful and I passed my exams with the help of my Speech and Language Therapist who trained as an invigilator, sat with her back to me in the living room, and my mum was allowed to be present. I was also able to pass my photography course with a distinction grade, and I achieved a merit in web designing. Unfortunately, when my statement of special educational needs ended when I became 19 years old, I was left with nothing.
I began trailing forums trying to find some advice and help, and through that I began writing about my experiences I’ve been through over time.
I would very much like to thank both Reuben and Rosalind for taking the time to answer my questions. I would like to wish Reuben the very best of luck with his future career in photography.
More of Reuben’s photography can be viewed on DeviantArt at http://rjbphotoanddesign.deviantart.com/gallery/.
And on his online store at Tictail http://rjbphotoanddesign.tictail.com/