The Inspirational Artist Series spotlights some of the artists featured in our issues and anthologies, and who have moved us in specific ways.
Today’s guest is Photographer Stephen Milner, whose work will appear in a future issue of the Auroras & Blossoms Creative Arts Journal.
What inspired you to become a photographer? Any particular story?
I have always been creative and this started with my art projects at school. It then progressed into music during my early adult life, then more recently landscape photography, which is what I now enjoy the most.
I started exploring photography in 2011, which was about the same time I started taking an interest in the outdoors. For me, the two go hand in hand and I enjoy them both more and more with every adventure I go on, and with each image I create.
New Zealand is a great place to go on adventures to explore the outdoors, plus it is extremely photogenic.
My main camera for the last 12 months has been a medium format 120 film rangefinder called the Mamiya 7. I use 50mm, 80mm and 150mm lenses. I mainly use Fujifilm Velvia 50 for most of my portfolio work. I am actually in the process of changing my Mamiya 7 to the Hasselblad 503cw with equivalent lenses.
I have a blog on my website that lists all the gear that I use and you can find that here.
What is your favorite subject to photograph?
All my portfolio work is landscape photography. In his book The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography, photographer and teacher Glenn Randell quotes New Zealand philosopher Denis Dutton who wrote The Art of Instinct. Dennis explains that the population today has a genetic relationship with landscapes, which was formed during our very early generations.
From our early presence in the world up to the present day, humans have developed habits in a response to the environment that we have lived in, which are still present today. These habits are an emotional response to situations like exploring landscapes for food and water; taking shelter from extreme weather conditions; hiking to the top of a hill or mountain, so we can better understand the landscape around us; or gaining a vantage point or the mystery of the landscape creates a desire to learn what is beyond. The desire to explore landscapes either through practical measures or from viewing an image is human nature.
This is the essence of my philosophy. I have a passion for exploring the landscape and taking images with my film camera that reflect the wonder of what I see.
According to you, what makes a good photo?
I am not the first to say that great photos can mean different things to different people. For me to consider a photo great, it has to have a clear subject, tonal values and colour that suit the subject, and a good composition that pleases my eyes. Plus, I consider a collection of photos with a common theme to be more powerful than a single image.
Do you have any photographer you admire?
The photographer I admire the most is Bruce Percy. He lives in Scotland and is well known for is work in Scotland, Iceland and South America. His more recent work has taken on a more minimal style and he spends a lot of time studying areas with his film camera. I love his work because of how simple, yet complicated it can be. He is also a great teacher and I do encourage anyone who is looking to improve their photography to check out his eBooks.
What piece of advice would you give novice photographers?
When you are a novice photographer there are so many things to learn and most people focus on the technical aspects. Technical camera and editing skills are important to learn but I feel that many people believe that a great image is created with only technical excellence instead of excellent creativity and technicality.
My advice for a novice photographer is to set aside some time to develop your creative skills. I believe they should receive equal or more attention than the technical aspects. Great photographers are great visualizers and they then find the tools they need to create their visualizations, and their images are uniquely identifiable to them.
Anything else you would like to share?
I have a few projects that I am working on. I am trying to get a dedicated film competition off the ground — the International Film Photography Awards.
The International Film Photography Awards celebrate the medium of film photography. Each year, it will recognize and reward film photographers from around the world and showcase their images to an international audience, via the International Film Photography Awards website, social media sites and award books. It is a big project and I am looking for design and funding help with it. If anyone is interested, please contact me through my website.
Hopefully, next year I will be realizing my first zine, Volcanic Aotearoa. It is a small publication of my work and is focused on New Zealand’s Geothermal and volcanic landscapes.
I am currently working on an ebook called Ten Steps to Creating Successful Images. This will most likely be ready towards the end of 2021.
Bio:
Stephen Milner was born and raised in the UK. In 2013, he moved to New Zealand and has been living there with his wife and son ever since.
As a landscape photographer, Stephen feels privileged that he has New Zealand as his backyard to explore and create wonderful landscape photos and images.
Links:
Website: https://stephen-milner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/SMilnerPhotography
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephenmilnerphotography
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/StephenMilnerPhotography
Stephen, thank you for answering our questions and supporting Auroras & Blossoms!
Cendrine & David
