Above: Meg pictured by Orton in Cooke City, Montana - aka her 'heaven'In October Nollie featured the work of talented young surf, snow and travel photographer Meg Haywood Sullivan - which had an incredible response (almost 150 shares on Facebook before our relaunch). So who better to kick off our Thursday In Focus interviews - a weekly series of words and wisdom from young photographers?
Fresh from a photoshoot in Oregon, the 22-year old talent - based out of Bozeman, Montana - answered our questions on how she began image making, inspirations, art, heroes and advice for wannabe photogs. Read on for her pearls and to see her gifted cinematic eye....
When did you first pick up a camera?
Meg: I was born into a family of artists and photographers. I've had a camera in hand my whole life, but some of my first memories of taking photographs are from when I was 8 years old. At 10 years I started to learn how to develop my own film.
What photo are you most proud of and why?
I took a shot of my friend Aaron Robinson last spring in this secret pillow zone in southwestern Montana. Aaron passed away this past summer in a snowboarding accident in Chile, but this shot can't help but put a huge smile on my face every time I see it. In the photo he is backlit doing a massive stalefish amongst this endless pillowland, a moment so peaceful, pure, and full of stoke. (See the photo here)
Who are you favourite photographers and/or inspirations?
Morgan Maassen, Scott Serfas, Cartier-Bresson, Edward Burtynsky, and James Nachtwey just to name a few.
What advice would you give wannabe photographers?
Get out there and shoot! Whether camera in hand or not constantly be composing shots. Look through the magazines and think about how the photographer composed the photograph, where the lighting is coming from, and what the exposure would be. It feels pretty cool that reading snowboard and surf magazines is like research.
What photo has moved you the most?
Favourite place on the planet to shoot?
Tough one: from Mali to Mexico, British Columbia to my home in southwestern Montana - I love traveling and shooting where ever the adventure (and snow) takes me.
Who'd be your dream to portrait - alive or dead?
Marilyn Monroe the ultimate ideal of beauty. She was photographed by so many people, it would be a fun challenge as a photographer to be able to make a unique portrait of her.
Favourite camera?
As much as I love my Nikon D700, my favorite camera is by far my Mamiya RZ67. I like the mindset of working with medium film. Slowing down to take more time thinking about and composing each shot to make it count. Digital is so fast, especially shooting action sports, so it's a refreshing change and challenge to work with the Mamiya.
Why do you take photographs?
Photographing is an outlet to tell stories and inspire new ways of looking at the world. A single image can be incredibly powerful and moving, I strive for this in each picture I take.
Future photography hopes, plans and dreams?
I'm in the process of living my dream right now! I just quit my day job and am living 100% off my photography. I want to continue pushing the limits with my images, constantly learning and experimenting. I really admire the modern day photojournalist and hope myself to make images that are multidimensional and have more meaning than mere aesthetics.