Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Pratt.
Stephanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I took my first film photo class in high school and I just never stopped. Sticking to analog has been really important to me, and in my last semester at community college my experience interning with Burger Record, a rad vinyl record label and record shop in my hometown Fullerton, Ca., really reinforced my allegiance with analog. I was using a 35mm film camera with no flash, shooting grungy shop shows and at dark venues, but I made some of my favorite shots. Something about film just clicked with me. Eventually I went to finish school at Humboldt State in 2013, and in 2016 I graduated with a BA in Studio Arts, two minors in Art History and French, and a Museum and Gallery Practices Certificate. At Humboldt, I started to really narrow in on portraiture and developing my personal style and what would later be the base of my current personal work. I’m interested in the play of veracity vs composition that photography can’t escape, a photo is a documentation but it’s not objective. It’s real, but it’s also aestheticized. It’s a constant dichotomy. I’m also interested in ‘regular’ people which is why I think I drifted more toward commission work instead of trying to hire models. So, after graduating I moved back to So Cal and set up a little studio in Uptown Whittier making film portraits, it was a really natural progression for me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, there’s so much competition and a lot of talented photographers, so really that might be the biggest challenge. But I also get a lot of people who ask me if I’ll shoot digital for them and sometimes I have to. I want to stick to my vision, uphold my ‘artistry’ but also get work. It’s a hard compromise. I’ve had a lot of mixed support about using film, especially using film as a portrait photographer and not as ‘fine art’, which I resent slightly. Overall my style is very soft and feminine, so I think people are quick to invalidate it. Throughout college I was always on the defense about using film, and had pressure to switch to digital. I’m trying to prove them wrong!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the SP Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in film portraiture and I shoot a lot of different kind of portraits. Most recently I shot newborn portraits, but I also shoot boudoir, bands and other artists, maternity, families, and anyone who just want a special portrait done. I think shooting on film makes it feel more like a piece of personal art, like getting your portrait painted. I’ve also shoot some fashion in collaboration with friends/fellow artists. Film has a special niche in fashion and music right now, the film aesthetic is really popular. Vintage shops, vintage camera, it just makes sense. The analog comeback is proving to be more than just a fad, in my opinion, it makes it tangible and intimate. There something special about holding a print in your hand or hanging it on your wall instead of just looking at in on a screen. Shooting film slows down the photography process, so in the end it makes for more thoughtful images.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Good and bad luck comes hand in hand in my life. Like one time, my light kit got ran over! But somehow my lights survived, not even a bulb broke. I feel like that pretty much symbolizes my relationship with luck. Business wise it keeps me on my toes, it’s a challenge but it forces me to see the good in the bad.
Pricing:
- 1 Film Portrait with Digital Scan (large format print included) $150
- 3 Film Portraits with Digital Scan (prints available for purchase) $300
Contact Info:
- Website: stephanieprattphotography.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/stephanie.m.pratt
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stephanie-pratt-photography-whittier
Image Credit:
Fader Article Screenshot by Leah Mandel
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