Rina Sjardin-Thompson is a full time photographer based on the West Coast in Okarito
Most of her work takes her off the West Coast and all over the country photographing weddings, equestrian events, families, businesses, real estate and teaching/hosting workshops.
We are really happy to be able to use license Rina’s images for our splashbacks and other large wall art, and so I approached her to ask for an interview to get to know her better. The following are her answers to a set of questions. If you have any other questions for her then please ask in the comments below.
How long have you been a photographer? And what got you started?
I have been working full time for the last 6yrs which I’m really chuffed about as it’s not an easy field to get into and earn your entire living from…I started when I moved to the West Coast, to Bruce Bay pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The farm I was living on had amazing views from the house where you could see Mt Hooker, the Mahitahi River, thousand year old Kahikatea trees, a hereford cattle all in the same frame…. How could you not pick up a camera!
What do you mainly photograph? and what is your favorite subject to photograph?
Landscapes are what I am passionate about, my black and white work being compared with Ansel Adams. When I got that compliment three times in 1 week I thought I ought to google the guy cos I had no idea who he was!!! My landscapes are where you can learn about who I am… all other genres are almost always incorporated within a landscape… its how I work best.
From your point of view what makes a good picture stand out from the average?
You asked what makes a good image stand out from another…. CONNECTION. Without it you can’t do your image justice… you have to inject a part of your energy, some people commenting on my work as seeing a lot of soul…. Thats the difference…. You need to connect to your audience in order for them to purchase, connect with your client as you want them to hire you and connect with your subject in order to capture the essence of them…. It’s singularly THE most important part of having a career in this field.
What successes are you most proud of?
The ‘successes’ I’m proud of are not so much in terms of winning competitions etc or name in lights kind of thing but more that I can have this life, run my own race, the fact that I have a lot of return business which I think is the ultimate compliment, meet amazing people with whom almost all remain friends long after the job is done and in fact come to me for more work!!! I’m proud of the fact that I am self taught and have learned the hard way through making mistakes and learning from them…..
Who influenced you the most? Is there a photographer you consider as a kind of idol?
Influences??? Oh thats easy!!! I say Andris Apse and Ansel Adams are the “A Team” of landscape photography. I bought all of Andris Apse’s books before I met him, now we are friends, neighbours and happy to call him my mentor… he has been incredibly helpful to me and encouraging… I have already learnt so much from… best of all NO ego!!!
How do you as a photographer make sure the thing, person or landscape you want to shoot looks the way you want it?
My style of photography is pretty much documentary and simple… my shooting style is simple, editing style is simple, my eye is simple….. Simple works and makes my work relatable and therefore easy to connect with…
Among your works which is your favourite and why?
My favourite images would be
1) the small collection of limited editions I have each having special meaning in their own right
2) the images I have taken of people who are uncomfortable in front of a camera…. More particularly when they are happy with them!!!
In your free time what kind of pictures do you like to take and which do you avoid?
My fave things to photograph are landscapes of course, beautiful, mysterious, majestic, mountainous, moody landscapes my least fave is flowers… that would be because i dont connect with them – however give me a tree or two or a couple of mountains and I’m happy as larry!
What is the most difficult part of being a photographer for you?
By far the most difficult part of being a photographer is;
1) staying true to yourself without feeling the pressure to work in a certain way, or edit in a certain way, or that what you produce should be a certain way… for the most part I’m happy to go my own way and seems to be working just fine!
2) there is something about photography that nurtures the ego…. My pet hate in this industry…. I have surrounded myself with well grounded, non ego laden people and photographers who also help me stay grounded… the reason I don’t use the word professional as it is completely misused….
3) balance is tricky as for me there is no off button… when I’m not working then downtime is also photography based so there is just no getting away from the camera…. No complaints though…. Love my life!
What is the most rewarding part of being a photographer for you?
Rewards are far far more than just monetary.. seeing people happy with their images, people purchasing, connecting and forming long lasting relationships, but mostly just shooting what i love, doing it for me and am forever grateful for those who enjoy how I see the world.
I guess I better ask what gear you use for photography and also for editing.
Whilst I don’t believe one brand of camera is better than another I use Canon gear 6D and L series lenses… my kit is pretty simple but it covers every genre I need to shoot… My walk around lens is canon 100 – 400mm, I use it for everything but macro… it’s also the reason I started to do panoramas as I couldn’t fit everything into the frame and from there have sold many splashback images, some going overseas to the UK, Germany and Australia…. I use LR for general editing and smaller panos but Microsoft ICE for larger images especially multi row panoramas….
and what can you not leave home without?
When you ask what can I not leave home without I laughed as I have just posed this question in a female only Facebook page I started. For me its lip conditioner, chocolate and peppermints…..lol
How do you get your work out into the world? How do you get your clients?
My office is Facebook, it’s also my portfolio and my gallery…. Its where i get almost all my work… here and word of mouth… it’s also where I post so people can see what I do…. I don’t have a website as Facebook offers me something a website doesn’t and that is instant communication …..
So there it is in a nutshell… pretty simple really but simple works.
You can follow Rina on face book here and also here
and see more of her splashback portfolio here
and go here for more details about using Rina’s images for splashbacks
