We're off to the top end this week with Louise Denton Photography
Louise is a landscape and nature photographer based in Darwin since 2009. Her focus is mainly on the Top End region including the much loved national parks of Litchfield, Nitmiluk and Kakadu. The region offers stunning variety from explorations of the dry season and the four wheel driving opportunities it presents, to the sparkly skies of the wet season.
1. How did you start out as a photographer?
A. I'm originally from the UK, and travelling around Australia is what sparked my interest in photography - seeing all the amazing landscapes and wanting to capture memories and share images with family back home. When I moved to Darwin I fell in love with the landscape and the environment here and that's when I really got hooked!
2. What is your favourite subject to photograph & why?
A. Landscapes! But more specifically - I love where I live - so, anything I can capture that shares a little bit of life in the Top End and our environment. For example the incredible storms, the beautiful waterfalls and escarpments, the unique colour of our coastline, the vibrant sunsets.
3. What is your biggest challenge as a photographer/artist?
A. I guess just always trying to be unique and original. That's difficult in photography sometimes as it is such a popular activity, but it certainly helps living and traveling to remote areas.
4. What’s your next or dream destination to photograph?
A. My next destination is Litchfield national park this weekend! After that, I won't get much chance until the New Year but hopefully there will be some opportunities to chase some storms soon!
5. Social media - love it or hate it? What platforms do you use?
A. Both! I love the doors it can open. I love the reach, I love the accessibility and the affordability.It's a great business tool.
However, I hate the demands of keeping up with it (I'm terrible), it's quite time consuming to create unique content regularly.
I also hate how it can be perceived - people often take social media as real life, when it's not - it's a persona/character/profile created online. You're not seeing the full story. I hate how this huge trend of instagramming creates almost a bucket list of photographs to capture - e.g. shots to tick off the list, like a competition of how many places we can go. It has led to an increase in photographers causing excessive erosion at popular photography spots, including people jumping boundary fences and signage.
The impact of social media is huge, and not always in a good way.
6. What equipment do you use, favourite lens? What materials do you use for your paintings/drawings?
A. I use a Canon 5DSr. My favourite lens is the 11-2mm f4 Canon lens.
7. How do you know when your photo editing is finished?
A. I don't think it can every really be finished. As you grow as an artist, if you look back on work you always think of things you can do differently. I think any art is a journey, you create something but it always gives you other ideas of things to do!
8. What’s the most difficult/challenging place you’ve photographed?
A. The most challenging genre for me is probably the storm photography. There's so much luck involved! And a lot of patience, which I don't have!
9. What is one question you’d like to be asked and have never been?
A. I'm not sure. I sell my images as prints as a full time income, and there are lots and lots of common questions I get all the time. For example "how do you get a photo of XXXX with no people in it?!" or, "how do you capture the lightning?!" Every now and again I get an unusual question and I love those as it makes me really think about what I do! Someone asked me recently if I get scared out shooting by myself (as a young female). I replied with the answer of no - we were talking about remote areas in the outback or national parks - I don't get scared when I'm by myself in the bush, there is nothing to be scared of. The only times I get nervous are when other humans show up somewhere unexpected, especially when it's dark!
10. What do you think about having jigsaws made from your images?
A. I love it! I love seeing my images in print and am always honored when someone chooses to buy something I've created.