![beyond the lens beyond the lens](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479393769i/33001183._UY630_SR1200,630_.jpg)
Mainly because I was shooting for an alcohol brand that was bringing out a gin marketed at females. I started seeing trends developing with shadows.About seven years ago, I began to make those shadows in my photographs, but soft and feminine.
![beyond the lens beyond the lens](https://juliedeandrade.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/img_1748-edit.jpg)
But certain photos start to spread across the world and then it becomes one thing that is captured by most. I’m not saying I’m the one who invented any trends, of course. It is nice when people follow and imitate what I do, I think it’s a compliment. I like to be one of the first to come up with a new trend, which is lovely to see when 4-5 years later you see it somewhere. My photography style is modern, I enjoy staying on trend. It takes you in, you flow through it, and it makes you feel something. It’s about making the public aware of what good photography looks like.Ī good photograph makes you stop and linger. That is an easy way of taking photographs, but now even platforms like Instagram demand high-end photography. At one stage, there was a trend of shooting in natural light. It’s not until people start to learn about food photography, then they realise it’s actually not that simple. You can use individuality to your strength.Įverybody takes photos of food and puts them on their Instagram. Sometimes it benefits you and sometimes it works against you. And they were all like, "oh, I want to work with that smiley blonde girl from the Netherlands!" I got a lot of work just because I was different. Then I walked in, after a year of backpacking, big smile on my face.
#Beyond the lens professional
I was in my 30’s and there were only four professional photographers in town. It worked sometimes in my benefit, especially when I moved to Cairns. People would not expect me to be in charge. It was the same when I set up my first business, it was quite a large business. If I had an assistant and he was a male, some clients would automatically talk to the male. At this stage of my life, I am going to focus more and more on food. They are really interesting, kind and fun. You follow different things at different stages in your life. Food photography has always been there for me, since my 20’s. I began to like photographing food more, mainly with people at first. Through all that, I photographed pretty much every single possible thing that existed in that area from the sky rail to the hotels to even cars. We then moved to Sydney because it got a bit boring on the beach. We settled on a tiny tropical beach area called Palm Cove for about a year or two. Combine that with the amazing weather and you’ve got to be crazy not to live here. In Australia there’s this energy from the people, the feeling that you can do anything you want here and make your own life and your own path. We travelled around Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia and explored all the islands around Tahiti.
#Beyond the lens full
For a full year, there was no working - just enjoying. Being European and having travelled Europe extensively, it was really exciting to go to Australia because we had no idea what to expect. So, we quit our jobs and went backpacking for a year. At one point, we realised we had been to a lot of places but never actually saw anything because we were working so much. I began travelling as part of my photography job for the magazine.I travelled to many places, like the Caribbean, France and Spain. Some of it was shooting food, but it was not my preference at that stage. I got a job at a magazine where I was the Chief Photographer. I studied photography in my home country, The Netherlands. I started working in fashion studios at the age of 16 and became a makeup artist at the age of 17, then set up my own makeup academy. I have never had a ‘9 to 5’ job in my life.Early on in my career, it was all about fashion and beauty photography. When I came to Sydney, I bought a space and turned it into a photography studio with seven full-time staff, all working as photographers. I moved to Australia and got an amazing photography job straight away. I had a really good photography career in the Netherlands. But it’s a job! And it’s the type of job that you can do anywhere in the world. My answer? Well, it’s quite a nice hobby. "Oh, freelance photography… that’s just a hobby, isn’t it?" That’s what people ask me at networking events. Discover her story beyond the lens of how she is inspiring budding photographers of all ages to pursue their passion. Across her 36 years behind a camera, she has travelled the globe drawing out the beauty in everything she photographs. Nelly le Comte is a sought-after professional photographer and Food Photography teacher with a vibrant career. Nelly le Comte: Beyond the Lens of a Food Photographer