We recently connected with Collins Climpson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Collins, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I started learning photography at first just by picking up a camera and practicing. I quickly noticed my photos looked nothing like the photos I would see from professional photographers on Instagram. I began to reach out and connect with professionals who’s work I admired and I quickly learned the problem was not entirely out of camera images, but my editing as well. I started taking classes on how to get the correct exposure by using my camera settings properly and Lightroom editing courses. Then, in 2019 I found film again. I started connecting with photographers who use film, learning what cameras are best, how to use light and a light meter, and what each film stock does with color, highlights and shadows. Film photography became an art to me and something I appreciated and enjoyed more than digital photography. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had found photography earlier in life. I wish I had known how to use a camera the way I do now. I wish I had found film earlier. I don’t think there’s anything I could have done to speed up the learning process because art itself is a process. It takes time to hone skills and it takes a lot of practice. But I do wish I had known which courses to take, which photographers to follow and work with, and how to use Lightroom to edit a lot sooner than I did.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into photography professionally after being laid off from my corporate job. I was a new mom and wanted to spend time with my baby while still being able to contribute financially. I bought a nice digital camera and started by practicing taking photos of my baby and of friends’ families. The more I took photos, the more I loved it. I had this hunger to get better with every single image. Now, 6 years later, I’ve found my niche, which is nostalgia. Being a kid who grew up in an analog world, I have an appreciation for all things tangible. I use film almost exclusively in my work. Film has a three-dimensionality to it that digital cannot replicate. Growing up, I also loved looking through old photo albums my grandparents had. Today, I feel that has been lost. When clients work with me, they get that nostalgia. Every client leaves the experience with me with an album in hand. Today, we keep our photos on phones, computers, hard drives, or in the cloud, whatever that is. But will our grandchildren take those things out and look through thousands of random photos? I don’t think so. I want families to have something tangible their children and grandchildren can easily pick up and look at throughout the years. Clients who work with me also don’t just get traditional posed family photos. Every gallery includes a few of these images, but my work mostly includes captures of the moments shared between family members during out time together. Images that go beyond candid and really tell the story I see unfolding at the session. I want to give families images that take them right back to that moment, evoke emotion, and make that memory tangible forever.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I had known that film was still a thing. I wish I had known about the right editing tools and lighting needed to create the type of images I’m creating now.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding thing about being a creative is I get to create whenever I want. I have the tools I need. At any given moment, all I need is my camera to make something, document a moment, or capture a feeling using an image. From there, I can edit the images in any number of ways and make them look and feel completely different. I also don’t have to wait to be hired by someone to create images. I love that when I get an idea, or become inspired by something, I can just pull out my camera and go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.capturedbycollins.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capturedbycollins

Image Credits

Headshot of me: Caitlin Alohilani Photography
All images developed and scanned by Rewind Film Lab