Interview With Stephanie Taylor

northernsongevent
May 10, 2019
3 min read

Updated: May 15, 2019

Digital Photography and Radio Production student Stephanie Taylor talks about artists that inspire her, her work, and procrastination. Included is some of her work.

A: Please could you give us a brief introduction of yourself?

S: I am Stephanie Taylor, a second (almost third) year student studying Digital Photography and Radio Production. I am also a student ambassador [and] president/captain of the Warrington Wheelchair Basketball club. I have a passion for volunteering with a current Platinum award with over 300 hours.

A: Who are some artists that inspire?

S: My inspired artists are Ansel Adams because his black and white landscapes are breath taking, I would love to go to a gallery and see them full size. Closer to home, I take

inspiration from my cousin Joe McDermott; he takes the most beautiful images around Ireland and reminds me a lot of Ansel and his work. On the radio side, I take a lot of the inspiring words from Terry Wogan - in fact, the last words he left on the radio speaking to Kirsty Young, "You are not talking to an audience, you are talking to one person - and they are only half listening anyway.” These words are still etched in my brain whenever I think about radio.

A: What is your favourite work that you have produced this year?

S: My favourite pieces of work I have done this year has to be the video I created in Photography about skateboarding. I hardly knew anything about the sport before starting, I had never been to a skatepark before and I just threw myself into the deep end and got stuck in. It wasn’t my best work, but it was great fun getting to use lots of my skills and knowledge when it came to editing. In radio it was recording my Knowledge show with Library Liz - Liz is amazing and a pleasure to work with. It flowed great and we laughed so much.

A: What are three essentials you have when editing or taking photographs?

S: 1) A massive mug of tea!! With a few munchies. You have to have things to keep you going when you run out of fuel, and that’s including being out taking photographs, I always have my Costa flask in my cup holder ready to keep me going.

2) When editing I have to have some music playing through headphones, mainly musicals such as Kinky Boots or Billy Elliot but I have to say that 80’s music helps when being creative.

3) A pillow is always needed when editing both photographs and radio. Being comfortable is essential, when comfy, you can think better and really challenge the brain. Also, when taking breaks you can rest your eyes (and nap).

A: Favourite form of procrastination when working?

S: My favourite form of procrastination when working has to be my phone, it is always sat next to me in case I get any important messages or calls but unfortunately as soon as I get

distracted or bored, I find myself picking up the phone and checking Facebook or sending stupid snapchats to my best friend. If I get really bored and my brain starts hurting, then I usually get mum to put a programme - I love on tv so I can distract myself by looking at that. I also search procrastination memes and post [them] on Facebook which is so ironic.

A: Where are some places in the North that inspire you creatively?

S: The best places I’ve been to or seen in the north that have inspired me creatively has to be Manchester for the amount of stories, backgrounds, history and opportunities it has to offer but for the picturesque side of things, Morecambe and around that area such as the Lake District is beautiful for photography and you can just sit, relax and take time out whilst capturing beauty and nature.

What's the most bizarre story behind one of your images?

I came to taking pictures of a caveman monkey because I was walking around the museum, I bent down to look at the lower levels and suddenly I came face to face with this face, it was staring straight back at me and I nearly fell over, it was both creepy but amazing. I knew instantly I wanted to photograph the sculpture even though it was behind glass. It almost became my new best friend because it was the best photographs I had taken and I was really proud of them.