Emma Salmon - The Black Light
The key to pursuing any creative passion is finding the joy & the fun in the work. If you can find this then the creative process will never feel like work. This ethos has guided Emma Salmon along every step of the way in her photography career.
Learning to drive
Before becoming a photographer Emma spent 15 years working in the music industry. And while she loved every minute of that it was the aforementioned fun that opened Emma's eyes to the possibility of pursuing photography as a career.
"A friend of mine was going to do a photoshoot & asked me to come along with her. So I went, and even though I'd never picked up a camera before I decided to jump in on the shoot," Emma recalled when asked about how she discovered her passion for photography. "That was so much fun that I thought, 'I can do this!'"
From that moment Emma was immediately hooked.
Gaining speed
Once Emma had grappled with the camera itself the next step in her journey fell back on her guiding principles, "fun, laughter & joy".
While her guiding principles are always at the core of her process there is one other emotion that bubbles up every time she is planning a new shoot.
"Honestly, I get scared in the lead-up to every new shoot," revealed Emma. "I think that's a good thing though because it shows that you still care & that you're humble."
While Emma is humble when it comes to her ability, even though she has every right not to be, she is always hyping up her models & stoking their confidence. This is key to her particular style of photography because it can be quite an intimidating & intimate experience.
"Being a female shooting adds a layer of comfort knowing that there is no underlying sexual tension," explained Emma. "I've got my stylist & my makeup artist here, it's an all-girl team & the models feel super comfortable. No one wants to feel uncomfortable when it's already very vulnerable being a model in a photoshoot with people you don't know. So you've got to make everyone feel amazing."
For this reason, Emma doesn't simply view the process as being about "having a nice photo" at the end of the shoot. For Emma, it's about building the self-confidence of her models so that they leave a shoot feeling the best they've ever felt about themselves.
"I'm honestly the ultimate hype girl for my models... The most common feedback I get after people shoot with me is how good they feel about themselves... which is just incredible to hear," said Emma. "People come to me for a variety of reasons. Some people need the photos for work. Some people just want to do something to push themselves. Some people are just coming to me to get photos of themselves to make themselves feel better, whether it's, 'I turned 30', or 'I was just feeling a bit bad about myself & wanted to do something to feel good.' A lot of girls come to me & they leave feeling better than they've ever felt. Then they go on & have confidence after the shoot."
Off & racing
With her skills now honed & the shooting process nailed down Emma's photography has been consistently gaining momentum, making her an industry leader now.
Looking through Emma's portfolio not only is she incredibly versatile but she's also very innovative & creative when it comes to conceptualising new styles. One concept in particular that stands out is Emma's reflective tape shoots.
When asked about this concept, Emma is quick to credit her mentor Joel Alvarez for teaching her the concept, which she has now brought back to Australia.
According to Emma, these tape projects are very personalised & labour-intensive as they require her to personally design & apply the tape to the model's body to accentuate or hide certain features.
"Each design is crafted on the day. It's a big, big shoot & typically takes 4 to 5 hours just because the taping itself takes so long," Emma told Pario.
What makes these tape shoots so special for Emma is that "it's a really empowering & strong look." Which means that it requires a very confident model.
"The people who are coming to do those shoots are not shy! They need to be confident because they are essentially standing there naked for an hour or more while I tape them... These shoots also require very strong posing... it's definitely not demure, pretty or innocent. It's very warrior-like."
Follow Emma’s creative journey at: www.theblacklight.com.au
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