Sarah Loveland
Name: Sarah Loveland
Camera: Canon EOS 5D mark III and Fujifilm X-T5
Favourite type of photography: Street scenes and details
Location: Consett, County Durham, UK
Website: www.sarahloveland.com
Instagram: @sarah_loveland
How did you get into photography?
I had a camera as a child. It was an Agfamatic 110 film camera. I still have it. My Dad had a chemist shop and I used to straighten the rows of boxes of film. There were some cameras on the shelf above and I wanted the red Konica pop, which I eventually did get! I took pictures on family holidays and day trips. I later got more seriously into photography as an adult and found it a great way to balance out and escape from a stressful job. I did a City & Guilds via correspondence course in the days when you had to post off your homework. I then made the switch to photography as a career in 2001, photographing newborn babies in their homes, progressed to a studio and then became self-employed.
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I hold a couple of qualifications with the Societies of Photographers. LSWPP and ASITTP
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
As a child, I seemed to take quite a few pictures of out-of-focus seagulls that were too far away on the ferry from the Isle of Wight where I grew up. The downside of being over-enthusiastic, having no zoom and shooting on film, so I couldn't self-correct in the moment! I remember an aunty having a much better camera and taking great photos.
What do you love about photography?
I love slowing down and noticing what's going on around me. Whether that's reflections in windows, street scenes or interesting details in everyday things. It's like pressing pause on life and getting lost in the moment. There's no better feeling. At times that process is where the joy is rather then the finished images. Images can sometimes come with pressure, expectation and everyone else's opinion. The exploring and being in the moment part is totally for me.
Read about Creative Photography, What it is and How to Get Started
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
There are places for different images and if an image doesn't get an award in one circle, it doesn't mean it isn't loved in another one. For too long I was on a rollercoaster of trying to gain awards within one organisation and not as many successes as my mind thought was ok. Then I had some images that had been unsuccessful there, selected for something else. That enabled me to step back and see the bigger picture. I also discovered Lensbaby and that is such a good fit for my love of exploring and playing. I wish I had found that sooner, but I'm a great believer in things happening when they are meant to happen.
Where is your favourite place for photography?
I love towns and cities. I like a train day trip into a city with just me and my camera. I do also like the coast, but I'm not a landscape photographer and I'm not getting up for a sunrise or staying out for a sunset! If it happens when I'm there, then that's something else.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
I love narrow depth of field and a lot of blur. Currently, though I am in love with Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter System, particularly the neon pack and I'm getting to know my new Sol45 lens.
Read the SheClicks Guide to Lensbaby Lenses
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
I have Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, but I use mostly Lightroom. I don't want to be chained to a computer, so I like to keep it simple and to create effects in camera with the Lensbaby stuff or in-camera multiple exposures. In Lightroom, I might increase the contrast, reduce the highlights a bit and tweak the exposure. I sometimes adjust the colour grading. I also love b&w, so I shoot in raw and convert to b&w in Lightroom.
What's your favourite lens?
Fujifilm 56mm f1.2.
Do you have a favourite accessory?
Lensbaby Omni hands down!
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
I have a Crumpler bag that tends to be my off-to-a-city bag. It has lots of pockets to tuck things away, but is big enough to hold the camera, lens and Omni stuff (plus emergency sweets!), without being too big. I have probably had it 20 years, and I don't think they do that model anymore, but it's still going strong.
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
I was given a large hardback book about the photography of Cartier-Bresson. I love images with great storytelling.
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Polly Rusyn @pollyrusynphoto, Nina Papiorek @ninapapiorek
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
I recently bought the Fujifilm X-E5 and I will at some point add to my Lensbaby kit but I'm not sure yet what I will go for.
Is there a genre of photography that you love but that you haven't tried yet?
I'm always open to trying different things, but I am currently loving what I'm doing and seeing where that ends up.
What's your proudest photographic moment?
I had an image selected for Historic England's Picturing High Streets project and it was part of the touring exhibition. The best thing was that someone sent me a picture of it being projected onto the outside wall of the Photographer’s Gallery, Soho, at a huge size with people sitting on a bench looking up at it. There were also fun moments waiting by the digital displays at some bus stops waiting for it to appear. I was sent a big spreadsheet of where it would appear, but they were just short windows of time. It was an amazing experience.
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
I would have a superpower to become invisible. That would be great for street photography.
Your favourite baked goods are?
Most biscuits or cake really. Chocolate biscuits and carrot cake are always up there on the list.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm 52, married to Jeremy and owned by 3 dogs and 2 tortoises. Inca has three paws, Ted is visually impaired and little Reo is small and mighty or should I say feisty. They are my world. I do all kinds of activities with them so if I'm not doing photography or eating cake I'm doing something with them.
I went through a phase of open water swimming and swam from Alcatraz, and the length of Windermere. Since COVID, I have been more into walking and running long distances. My first Ultra was with fellow Sheclicker Anita Turner and since then, I have done a number of different events. I'm not speedy and I just love the journey of getting from one place to another on my own two feet. Plus all the cake you can eat along the way!
I'm based in the North East of the UK, but have family on the Isle of Wight, so I can often be found down there.
Instagram is the best place to view my images and to see what I have been up to.
I love encouraging others in their photography and as part of my business, I give lessons. I love the SheClicks challenges as they make me try different things. I fell in love with in-camera multiple exposure as a result of the monthly challenge.
I’m looking forward to more exploring, playing with Lensbaby kit and seeing where I end up. I like to remind myself to take pictures that bring me joy and not to worry about what others think. I hope you can find joy in your photography too.
