An Exclusive Interview with Nilla Palmer

When not travelling to far-flung countries experiencing what she loves, travel and photography, Nilla Palmer lives in Brisbane, Australia and works as a Technical Writer and Freelance Photographer. Her intrigue with photography started at a young age with a 110mm film camera. The images that resulted from this tiny box, created an addiction and passion. Working in an Old Time studio, shooting portraits on an old Hasselblad flatbed camera, saw Nilla photographing individuals and groups of up to 20 and more in period costume, which sometimes included family pets! This experience taught Nilla a symbiotic relationship with people and the camera.

With a lust to travel, Nilla donned her first backpack at an early age and spent a year backpacking around the world, which cemented her passion for photography and travel. Nilla is striving to experience and capture a great part of the world for all to enjoy, and hopes her images inspire people to venture further than the security of their own home! One can visit Nilla’s website for more images: www.nillasphotography.com, or visit Nilla’s Photography Facebook page and leave her a comment.

In this “Exclusive Interview” section, today we have the opportunity to talk with Nilla Palmer, as her photograph was winner of Photo of the Month – 23rd Month, 1st Place. Let’s discover more about Nilla, and her forays into photography in the following interview with her.

Light & Composition: Hello Nilla. How does it feel selected as the winner of Photo of the Month, April 2012?

Nilla Palmer: I am very happy and excited knowing that Light and Composition judged my photo externally and so many people voted for my photo on Facebook and other Social Media.

L&C: The photograph, “In All Weathers”, which was selected as Photo of the Month, is a beautiful candid photograph with an artistic perspective; correct lighting, with a heart-touching story, and very well presented. Overall, this is a great composition! Tell us more about your experience of taking this photograph.

Nilla: The Tren de las Nubes (train to/in the clouds), travels on the third highest railway in the world and climbs the Andes over 4,220mts high.
The train crawled to a stop just for a moment in the middle of nowhere, and young artisans raced up to the windows to sell their handmade treasures in the extreme conditions of the snowy wastes. I saw this boy’s face in the snow, so I pushed the window down briefly to take this image before other passengers wanted the window closed from the icy weather.

In All Weathers, by Nilla Palmer

L&C: Besides this winning photograph, many people liked and voted for other photographs of yours in the Photo of the Month contest. You must be proud. How do you see your journey to the world of photography so far?

Nilla: I am flattered that people have taken the time to appreciate my work. So far, it has been a long journey; however, my love for the art of photography continues to grow with each new country I visit. I still prefer film as a medium to digital photography, but, whatever the medium, I prefer minimal or no post-production.

L&C: As we know, you are originally from Australia, which has its own rich diverse cultural and artistic heritage. Do you think depicting life in Australia portrays a different essence? How much does that influence your work?

Nilla: Australia is definitely a beautiful and diverse continent and apart from our indigenous history, it has a youthfulness that sometimes isn’t seen in other parts of the world. Australia and its people are visually stunning; this has influenced me in the past and continues to do so.

L&C: We see so many different genres of photography in your portfolio. Do you like a particular genre of photography?

Nilla: I love the challenge of Street and Documentary Photography as both are fast or you miss the moment. For me, these genres portray people as they really are as opposed to staged photography, which is easier to shoot, as typically, conditions are controlled. There are no boundaries or rules with Street or Documentary Photography. I also enjoy capturing other genres to broaden my skills and portfolio.

L&C: One of the keys to any style of photography is visualization. Please tell us how you started this process and what you did afterwards.

Nilla: For me this started at a very early age. I loved to sketch, painted the occasional oil, and inked many drawings. This helped the natural progression of artistic imagery to photography. At a young age, I took mental snapshots of places I knew would look great on film. I would then return with my camera, as I knew how the images would look. I seem to have the ability to visualise the frame before I capture the image.

L&C: Nilla, have you ever exhibited your work? If so, then tell us about your first exhibiting experience.

Nilla:Yes, MulticulturArt exhibited two of my photos in Shoreditch, London, in September 2012. Although I couldn’t attend the London exhibition, the feedback was positive. In October, the Global Art Agency invited me to exhibit in Amsterdam in December 2012. The Amsterdam exhibition was amazing and I sold some of my work.

I am currently looking at venues in Brisbane to exhibit. If anybody would like to exhibit my work, please contact me.

L&C: Are you involved with any photography organizations? How does this help you in your photography?Nilla: Not really, mainly because I either work or travel (and photograph) fulltime, so there are not many hours left in the day.

L&C: What advice would you give our readers who want to take part in the journey around the world with Photo of the Day?

Nilla: Be patient and try to submit photographs each month to Light & Composition as this is excellent publicity for your work. It is important to vary your genre but you should always truly like each image you submit. If you can, travel the globe as this will broaden your perspective on humanity and result in images that you never thought you were capable of taking.

L&C: Thank you for sharing your feelings and experiences with us Nilla.

Nilla: Thank you Light & Composition, you provided me with the mechanism to submit my work with your magazine and gain global exposure!