Meet the TEN AND ONE AWARDS judges: Ruby June

LomoAmigo Ruby June keeps surprising us with her insatiable creative visions. Drummer, actress, photographer and most importantly - starting with today - TEN AND ONE Judge. Everybody, please welcome the lovely Ruby June to the team.

How did your interest with photography start?

I fell in love with Photography when I realized no matter what I did in life, clothing design, painting, acting- if I didn’t know how to capture it I’d never be able to share it with the world. I’d be stuck with all of these creations and I’d never have the chance to share it the way I saw it in my mind.
Photography has proven to be the most useful tool in this way! If you can capture something the way you see it in your mind then you can tell any story, freeze any moment in time, it’s kind of like having a super power.

How would you define photography? What makes it worth pursuing?

Photography is not about having the newest camera and fanciest lens. You can have all the money and gear in the world and never take a great photo. While you could have an old barbie camera from 1998 and take incredible images because you crafted a beautiful story within your frame.
Photography is worth pursuing because even in an age where “everyone’s a photographer” there is only one you. Your brain and your ideas and what fascinates you is precisely what makes your work interesting.
If you’re just taking photos of what you see other people taking photos of because you think that’s what it takes than you are going to constantly be stuck in a tiring game of catch up.
Photography is the gift of stopping time eternally. Looking around, imagining new worlds, what moments are worth freezing and leaving for future generations?

What inspires you?

People with ideas that are beyond “reinventing the wheel” -that are working on entirely new forms of transportation. Artists like Dennis Lanni who bring an entirely new dimension to hair-people, unafraid of looking crazy.

What makes a good photograph?

A good photo comes from a place where making a “good” photo isn’t a concern. I think if you’re trying to take a “good” photo you’re still caught up in what other people think and you’re trying to create work that will make other people happy. It’s impossible to feel free if you have even the slightest inkling that someone is going to have an opinion and judge something so personal.

Even with photography contests like this, or critiques, how can anyone really say one piece of art is better than another. I can tell you what my favorite photo is but what does my opinion really matter? If you love your work and it means something to you than you have “made it.” There are so many talented artists I know, “famous” artists who aren’t even happy with their work. It’s great to always be working to become better, but at some point if you aren’t happy with yourself and your work now, recognition and money won’t really change that.
Forget what is “good,” what people are going to think, where the photo is going to end up, and think about what you really want to see, what you want to create.

Any advice that you’d like to give aspiring photographers?

Delete Instagram and only download it when you want to post something. Instagram can be an unhealthy, stifling, time suck. Look in the “battery” settings on your phone to see just how much time you’ve spent on Instagram in the last 7 days.
When I clicked the little clock icon and realized I’d spent 9 hours over the week on Instagram I was shocked. I’d been feeling like I didn’t have time for anything important yet somehow I had found over an hour each day to mindlessly scroll. Sure there’s the thought that you find new inspiration but if that’s what you’re looking for then set aside time and research inspiration, don’t let hours of your life slip down the InstaDrain.

See more of Ruby June's work on her website work and follow her on Instagram

2018-02-08 #people #judges #ten-and-one-awards