Featured #24: Richard Douglas Gledhill
What did you want to become in the childhood? When I was a child I wanted to be an artist. I remember taking home stories that I had written and drawings that I had passionately done in class. I remember the feeling of peace that came over me when I would create and I don’t think that has changed to this day.
Your story with photography. I bought my first dslr camera in college and fell in love with photography ever since. Now I shoot primarily film and that started because I was always trying to get film looks with my photos and I got really close but I still was off. One day it came to me that I should just shoot film to get my pictures to look like film stocks were used. No brainer, right?!
What do you want to achieve? I don’t really know what I want to achieve to be honest. I mean, I want to be famous and known worldwide for my work but I don’t know if that is at the top of my list. I guess I want to achive the ability to empower others with my gift. I think that directly correlates with what I think the the greatest power of photography is. Photographs have this power to raise emotions out of us, perhaps emotions we have not felt in a long time. If I can consistently do that as an artist I feel that would be my greatest achievement.
Where do you think the wisdom and instinct for good photograph comes from? I feel that a photograph is a play between luck (being in the right place at the right time) and talent (knowing your camera, framing, lighting etc.) The best photographs are a dance between these attributes.
Your camera bag. At all times when I shoot I have a medium format camera and a 35mm camera. I am also carrying film, lens cleaning supplies and my trusty Lumu Light meter!
Highlight one great experience of your life. I would say one of the greatest experiences in my life was sitting down at a coffee shop and showing my work to one of my favorite photographers (Kym Ventola) and hearing the encouraging things she had to say about my work. That definitely sparked a fire in my heart to pursue photography with full force. If that didn’t happen I don’t think I would be shooting today if it wasn’t for that conversation.
Do you have any kind of obsession? My obsession with film is probably my most notable obsession in terms of photography. It’s romantic. I am smitten for film. The way it looks and the tone it has compared to digital photographs. There is just something about it that I can’t explain.
If you could give one final advice to fellow photographers, what would it be? Never stop shooting. You get better with practice and constantly being put out of your comfort zone. Reach out to all of your favorite photographers and try to snag a mentor. Having a mentor who has way more experience than you is probably one of the best things you can do for your career.
Links! My website is www.richarddouglas.co and my instagram handle is @iamricharddouglas
