My friend, Anna Fitzpatrick, is certainly one of the most talented people I know and she continues to amaze me with her photographs. We met at work nearly five years ago and in that short time she has accomplished a great deal. Anna is currently studying photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City with a minor in creative technology. This past winter, I was lucky enough to shoot portraits with her and a friend in the studios at FIT. That experience gave me some insight into the life of a photographer and taught me that so much work goes into each shoot. I recently interviewed her about life as a photography student at FIT, here’s what she had to say.
- Why did you choose to study photography?
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Before attending university, Anna took a pre-college portrait photography class at FIT, her first photography class. Though she was initially studying communications, she switched to photography. There was just something about photography that made her happy and it just clicked. Her story really comes full circle because her mentor and current professor, Curtis Willocks, taught the pre-college course that she took. Anna also has a design and animation background, which certainly gives her an edge. She views photography differently because she is inquisitive about both the design and message of the photo.
- What does a typical day at FIT entail?
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Anna has three days of classes, each class taking place once a week. She is enrolled in courses in PhotoShop, lighting, editing, color science, and social media. Though she has two days off, she uses one to shoot. Before going FIT, she didn’t realize how much math and science are involved in photography. For instance, she needs to be aware of the angle and how much light is hitting the models and how it can change based on the distance. This summer will be very exciting for Anna as she is taking part in a 3 week study abroad program. She will travel to Berlin, Florence, and London to learn about different genres of photography. She’ll study the topics of portrait, landscape, architecture, and fashion photography.
- What challenges do you face?
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With the rise of social media, Anna feels like people take up photography for the wrong reasons- not because they are passionate, but for the ‘gram. Art is sacrificed for aesthetic, followers, and likes. According to Anna, “everyone believes that they’re a photographer because they have a phone or nice camera, but they don’t know how to use the equipment.” Photography is a very competitive field to begin with and because of social media, it’s even harder to get noticed.
- What are some of your aspirations and who has inspired you along the way?
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Anna has many career goals, including traveling and doing band photography. Ultimately, she would love to be published in a magazine, such as National Geographic or Vogue, and signed to an agency. Along the way she hopes to travel throughout the United States and Australia. She also has two dream photoshoot ideas. The first would be a big production, heavily based on special effects makeup. She would also love to take her friends and models to a desert or somewhere open and with a lot of space to have a photoshoot. Anna is inspired by several photographers including Sawyer Hartman, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, David Hilliard, and Philip-Lorca diCorcia.
- How would you describe your style and what have been some of your favorite projects?
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Recently, Anna has been shooting a lot of still-life images. She also loves portrait, landscape, and travel photography. One of her favorite projects, titled “The Form of Transparency” is a still-life that focuses on the interaction between light and glassware. Last year, she traveled to Iceland and created a series of images called “Tourists in Motion” that captured tourists while on their travels.
- What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?
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“Work at it, if you really do love it, and just keep shooting,” says Anna. She always travels with a camera, whether it be a professional camera or a disposable one. If need be, she’ll shoot using her phone.She’ll always be ready to capture a moment.
Anna shoots using a Canon 6D, full-frame camera. To see some of Anna’s work, you can find her through the links below:
Website: https://www.annafitzpatrickphotography.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annafitzpatrickphotography/