Interview with Emma Drabble

Hi Emma! Tell us about yourself in two sentences - who are you?

Hi, I am mum of three and a professional food, portrait and commercial photographer with a documentary edge. I have a love and understanding of farming and animals and the very great outdoors. I think people see this in my pictures. After a lifetime with the camera I took a ten year break from it professionally to raise my children. I am told that I have fresher eyes now.

QWhat's the weirdest situation you've found yourself in while taking a photograph?

AThe weirdest situation most recently has been hanging out of a four-wheel drive truck with a galloping horse and bouncing dog following. The combination was so tricky to drive on such rough ground, looking back and snapping at the same time. The moral being, use a camera suited to the job your asked to shoot. In this case, a lighter and oh how I love my Panasonic GX7, the view finder screen at the back is perfectly made for a shoot like this.

QWhat do you shoot on? What's your favourite set up?

AIt's funny that the previous question led to this. I love and use the Panasonic GX7 so much that I have two bodies and a wide range of lenses. These little cameras, when shot on raw and used with the Panasonic Leica lenses can pack some punch. Whether you're crammed in the corner of a kitchen shooting food being plated or up a ladder on a building site, these cameras really put up a fight against the heavier and bulkier DSLR's. For more serious food work, I use a Hasselblad with a digital leaf back. I used a Hasselblad many years ago, the tonal range, sharpness and overall uniqueness is different to a wholly digital medium format camera, in my humble opinion.

QWhat's your number one tip for an aspiring photographer?

AOne tip for an aspiring photographer. Never give up. Never be the person who says it can't be done. Most of all never be the person who listens to the person who says it can't be done. I think I have always tried to listen to my heart, go with my instinct. I think this is what makes your work and attitude to work uniquely you. Once you have your feet placed at that point at that time, you never see two people standing at the exact same point. That is your uniqueness. Preserve it and build on it.