Personal one - Daniel Boud interview
Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your journey as a photographer? I’m Daniel Boud, a photographer from Sydney who primarily works in the world of performing arts, as well as the odd advertising assignment. I came to photography almost 20 years ago via live music, which I was obsessed with in my youth. I’d go to multiple gigs a week and would always take along my camera and shoot pictures to post on my blog (remember blogs?). What started as a hobby moved into legitimate assignments shooting concerts and festivals. But what properly started my career as a full time photographer is when I got a job as Chief Photographer at Time Out Sydney magazine. That threw me in the deep end of having to shoot all sorts of things, from celebrity portraits, to restaurants and bars, to products, basically anything. I was there for over 10 years, but these days I’m a freelancer with a nice roster of regular clients in the arts world. When did you first hear about this exhibition? Years ago when I first started shooting at Sun I remember going to the exhibition because a whole lot of photographers I really loved were taking part. I’d then go every year because it became a really fun annual event where you’d get to hang out with other photographers, assistants and other industry crew. As photographers we rarely get to actually meet other photographers, so it became a lovely way to put faces to the names of people I'd only known via a photo credit.
“ What started as a hobby moved into legitimate assignments shooting concerts and festivals
Is this your first time participating, or have you been part of it before? My memory is hazy but I think it’ll be my third time participating. I still remember the first time I took part and I was so excited just to see my name listed alongside other legends on the poster. If you’ve attended in past years, what’s your strongest memory of the exhibition? I’ve bought a few prints over the years which hang on my walls at home. I’ve got a Jo Duck, Anna Pogossova and Cybele Malinowski. So I’m reminded of the exhibition everyday. What does it mean to you personally to be part of this collective exhibition? It’s a huge honour to be included alongside so many other photographers I admire. I get such bad imposter syndrome so it’s always shocking in a good way to have a sense of validation by being included.
I think it’s a really important part of community building for the photography industry and a reminder that we’re all colleagues working together, rather than competitors working in isolation. So I’m really glad that Lunar is carrying on the tradition. What do you hope audiences will take away from experiencing your work here? I don’t really think about it, but it’d be nice if someone saw my work who’d never heard of me before and it prompted them to look me up and explore more of my photos.
How do you see the photography scene today, especially with younger generations coming through? It’s so hard to keep up, but I do follow a lot of local photographers on instagram and love discovering new people who are doing creative work. I still feel like a beginner who’s learning all the
time, even though I’ve been doing it almost 20 years now.
“ You can never ‘master’ photography. We’re all on a continual path of learning, improving, changing.
Has the exhibition influenced or inspired your perspective on photography in any way? It’s a good reminder that as photographers we really do need to keep up our creativity and love for the craft with personal work. Sometimes we can get into a rut of only shooting the same old stuff that our clients pay us to do. But to keep up the love for it we need to practice shooting for fun, where there’s no client to please, and we can afford to fail by trying new things.
I photograph dancers quite regularly for work, and I try to organise personal shoots with them when I can to test out new techniques, and just to enjoy the collaborative creative process and improvise.What projects have you been working on recently (If you can tell)? It’s season launch time for a lot of arts organisations and I’ve had the pleasure of working on campaigns for Belvoir St Theatre, Bangarra and my first campaign commission from Sydney Dance Company. So it’s really rewarding starting to see those roll out in public. Looking back, is there a past project you consider a milestone or turning point in your career? About 10 years ago I got a random PR commission to photograph some dancers from the Australian Ballet in the empty Bondi Icebergs pool for a media call. Before that point I'd never really worked with dancers, but I really loved it - they’re such wonderful collaborative artists. They can take a small piece of direction and really take it places better than I could hope for. Dance and photography are such great mediums together, as a still image can freeze that moment of extreme athleticism and grace.
After that first commission I began regularly working with The Australian Ballet, and from that came working with Bangarra and Sydney Dance Company. It’s something I’ve become very passionate about and strive to keep pushing. How has your photography evolved from when you first started until today? Perhaps the main thing that’s changed is that I started almost entirely as a documentary photographer, whether that was shooting live music or events. But today I take most pride in the shoots that I set-up, light and direct. Documentary photography suited me while I was learning, as I had to adapt to whatever lighting conditions I was presented with, but also I'm quite introverted by nature, so interacting with strangers was intimidating at first. But I've largely gotten over that now - and interacting and directing my subjects is where I find the most reward. And I also love working with light to find the best version of an image I can.
What equipment are you currently using, and why? I’m on a Canon R5 II and have an assortment of Profoto lighting gear. My first ever camera was a Canon and I've just stuck with them ever since. I’m so comfortable with the camera it’s completely subconscious the way I use it, and that’s the way it should be. And my Profoto’s are such workhorses. I flog them and for the most part they’ve always been reliable. But I am starting to resent their price point compared to competitors. I haven’t yet dived into buying constant lights, but I am hiring Aputure’s more often, as so many shoots are hybrid with stills and video and it’s so much easier working with one lighting set-up.
Is there a photographer, work, or experience that has been especially influential in your path? My wife Cybele is also a photographer, but when we first met she was an architecture student and I was a web designer. But we both shared a passion for photography and those early years of learning together, being competitive, and also supporting each other were very important in leading us to where we are today. I remain her biggest fan, and continue to draw inspiration from her work and drive.
What advice would you give to amateur photographers visiting the exhibition?
You can never ‘master’ photography. We’re all on a continual path of learning, improving, changing. If you’re interested in doing it for a living, understand that it takes time and perseverance. You just have to practice, practice, practice and there’s a certain amount of relentless obsession required. But also, it’s ok to just take photos for fun.
Check Daniel's web to see more of his work.
