Featured Photoshoot: 'Thirteen' by Taylor Atack
For some of us, being thirteen may only seem like yesterday, but for others it may feel like almost a lifetime ago. Either way though, photographer Taylor Atack's series of work carries with it a sense of nostalgia for the long, adolescent summers spent in suburban backyards.
Whim was recently lucky enough to ask the Sydney-based photographer a series of questions about her photographic project titled 'Thirteen', her love of photography and her dreams for the near-future.
Q: When did your love of photography first blossom?
A: I've been interested in photography ever since I was a little kid, I remember always having this urge to be behind the camera, which annoyed the hell out of my parents as they could never get a decent picture of me. As I grew up, photography was mainly a hobby until about the age of 14 when my love for photography really kicked off. After receiving my first DSLR camera I began shooting and loving every second. This is when I decided that I wanted to take my photography further and turn it into a career. It wasn't until I was studying photography at college that I really understood the art behind it and fell in love all over again. Fine art photography really planted an unstoppable fire in my heart and if it weren't a very inspiring lecturer showing me Sally Mann's work on my first day at college, I may have never developed my work today.
Q: What concepts and emotions did you wish to portray through your series 'Thirteen'?
A: My series of work 'Thirteen' is layered with mixed emotions of growing up. As this was a very personal series and trying to portray all the right emotions in the right way was very challenging. For me, I wanted this series to take the viewer on a journey through the transitions of becoming a young adult from a child but at the same time I wanted the viewers to relate to the subject from their own experience in this area and understand the hardships/challenges girls these days are facing while becoming a young adult. The work depicts emotions of happiness, carelessness, feeling like a kid, closure, changes within moods, personally and body image, curiosity, insecurity, low self esteem, reflection and acceptance.
Q: How long did it take you to complete the series?
A: From the initial idea to having my prints in my hands, it took around 15 weeks.
Q: Please tell us about the experiences you had whilst shooting the series with your sister?
A: This is a good question that I get asked a lot and I always find it hard to answer. My sister is a very difficult person so you can imagine what working with her was like. We had our moments and apart from her terrible patience, she was a good subject, a good challenge I'd like to call it!
Sharing a close bond with my sister made shooting much easier, which meant it didn't bother her all that much to be followed with my camera, she only got frustrated when directions were too repetitive or harsh. Most of the time I would be waiting for the "decisive moment" so the shooting got a little tedious at times. Overall there is no way any other subject would have fit the part like my sister did, she's a champ and she knows it.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with your photography in the near future - Do you have any exciting upcoming plans that you would like to share with us?
A: I hope to take my photography to an international level and be exhibited all over the globe. That would really make me happy and proud. I have lots of exciting things happening in my life right now from assisting photographers to starting the beginning of a new body of work, which will hopefully be an on-going project!
We urge you to view the entire series of work by Taylor over on her blog, and you can also support the young photographer by 'liking' her Facebook page. Enjoy!
- Don't forget to follow Whim Online Magazine on Facebook or Bloglovin' to keep updated with the latest posts.