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Unni Brekke - part 2 of 1 2 3

Published 01/12/2013

'I get my inspiration from other photographers or digital artists, as well as painters. I find just looking at other people's images very inspiring, wondering to myself how they create certain aspects of the picture and aspiring to achieve similar effects.' Along with many others, Unni also enjoys competing in order to push her to keep creating new work. 'Competing makes me stretch myself to always improve my work and get better. That is inspiration in itself.' Can Unni repeat her Macro Photographer of the Year award at this year's Convention? We will have to wait and see!

Unni has been entering images from her most recent project into the SWPP monthly competitions where several have gained either gold or highly commended awards. 'I have been photographing snails recently, of all things! It all started last year when I bought a macro lens to photograph flowers for my digital artwork. By chance I brought a snail in on one of the flowers I was shooting and I got hooked!' It's always a happy event when you discover new subjects to shoot, however, most people don't end up living with the fascinating creatures they photograph. Unni has even ended up keeping a collection of snails at home and ready to star in her shots at a moment's notice!

Long-term projects like this aren't for everyone, but Unni believes that they can be a great way to exercise your creativity. I asked Unni what her advice was for those considering working on such a project and she told me that you should first start by exploring if your idea has been done before and then consider how you can make yours different. Unni also says that it's best to give yourself plenty of time: 'A good friend of mine, Terje Bergesen, published a book with beautiful images of trees. He spent 20 years photographing them before I helped him put the book together.'

Proof that there is no need to hurry good work and letting the project tell you when it's finished is more effective than setting yourself fixed timescales. 'You just need patience and originality. My snail project is only 18 months old now and I have no idea when it will finish.'

Taking years to complete a project is no problem when you've enjoyed photography for a long time. 'I bought my first camera when I had my daughter 35 years ago. I'd always had an interest in photography but that was the first time I could afford a camera.' Within a couple of years Unni had joined the local camera club and was already entering competitions.

'I've always been a part of camera clubs, it's where I have learned and developed my skills through critiques and workshops.' Unni also used to develop her own black and white films so moving to digital when it was available seemed only natural to her. 'I'm quite impatient, so being able to see the results from the digital darkroom immediately was fantastic!'

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1st Published 01/12/2013
last update 09/12/2022 15:00:02

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