Artist Spotlight: Lizzy Rollins
Lizzy Rollins
It’s a good day at Indie when we get an order from Lizzy in. Whether it’s brand content, client work, or personal rolls…we know it’s going to be incredible. We asked Lizzy to take us with her on a shoot and this is the result!
Shoot With Me: Lizzy Rollins
Shot and produced by Nick Samuels
We asked Lizzy to give us a rundown on her career. Around 2016/2017 she started making money as a photographer.
“After graduating college with a Studio Art degree, I still had no idea how to run a business, but I started taking on small client jobs here and there, as well as assisting a couple photographers in town.”
With every experience gained, Lizzy would start thinking to herself, “I can do that…” which led her to cold-emailing people in her area to offer her photography services.
“In January of 2017, I reached out to about 60 small business owners or people in the photo industry in Charleston, asking if they needed help on shoots, or photos for their business. I heard back from about three of them. Two of those are still clients today, Raven Roxanne & J. Stark.”
Lizzy first got into photography at the age of 11 or 12 with a Canon Powershot. She always loved art and spent her time painting and drawing.
“But when I got my hands on a camera, I was amazed at this tool that could manipulate how I saw the world. I liked to make really overexposed images and thought they looked like magic. With that little camera, I started to understand shutter speed and aperture. At some point I came across my dad’s old Canon AE-1. That camera was my first entry into film photography, which blew my 15 year old brain wide open. I remember feeling like the images I made had to be the stuff of my dreams…double exposures, bokeh from f/1.8 aperture…I was totally smitten.”
We know the artist is amazing, but what tools does she use to make her art? This is what Lizzy had to say on what mediums and stocks she uses:
“I’m particularly fond of my two Pentax cameras right now, so I have been using 120 more, but I’ll reach for 35mm in faster-paced settings and when I want something to feel documentary and loose. I try to mix it up as much as I can. If I find myself reaching for the same camera repeatedly, I’m like, ‘okay, try something different.’ It helps me creatively to see things in different ratios, lenses, focal ranges, etc.
[My favorite go-to film stock is] Kodak Portra 400! I love this film. It’s brought me into what I now feel is my personal style of image-making. I’ve loved finding out how far I can push it in dark restaurant settings (I pushed to 1600 in this case and love how the images came out). I’ve also found in photographing a variety of skin tones, this film always gives the best results. I’ve started playing with Gold 200 more lately, and it’s great too. To me, it has a very ‘Boogie Nights’ or ‘Catch Me If You Can’ palette which delivers in some cases, but you have to know what you’re in for. It’s not a direct transfer from Portra by any means.”
What about gear? Once all set-up, where to even begin? As she mentioned earlier, this tool can manipulate how you see the world.
“Pentax 67 (28mm f/4 + 105mm f/2.4), Pentax 645, and Nikon F100 (35mm f/1.8 + 50mm f/1.8) are all in my primary kit…I find that unless I’m in a particularly unique lighting situation, I can get all the info I need shooting at box speed.
When photographing people, I really try to look for traits that make their character shine. I love bringing out people’s personality, even professional models. Everyone is so unique that if a photographer can show that, I think they’ve done their job well. I also look for humor, weirdness, and quirks. Those are the things that catch my eye and make me want to make a photo.”
We can tell you all about Lizzy and her style all day long, but it’s best if she tells you herself. (Plus, we will take any chance we get to learn more about her!) Starting off, we asked her to describe her own style in three words and then recall the most memorable shot she has done:
“Playful. Natural. Honest.
It was a moment that made me feel like one of the greatest photographers, and it took place in Paris, a city that LOVES photography! I stood nearby this sweet looking couple as they appeared to be exchanging gifts, and at the moment I looked through the lens, the woman leaned in and kissed the man on the cheek! Iconic! I walked away practically shaking, not knowing if I’d gotten the focus, or the timing right until about a month later when we got home and sent the film off for developing. I did get it!”
Lizzy is an inspiration to those of us here at the lab, but who does she get inspired by? We asked her that, and how her workspace looks.
“[My favorite film photographer at the moment is] my friend Brad! I love the images he makes.
[My workspace looks] small. Tidy. And a little bit chaotic in terms of how many tucked away boxes of un-archived film I have. It’s very much ‘me.’”
There are so many beautiful things and people Lizzy has photographed, it can be overwhelming and, eventually, repetitive. When asked about the most important lesson learned from working with so many different clients, this is what she had to say:
“How to listen! And deliver the most important images for their business, service, etc. When you can effectively communicate with your clients about what their needs are, align on the vision, creative direction, and deliver based on the expectations that were set, you will have clients that keep coming back.”
Everyone wishes they could go back in time and guide their younger selves, no matter who you are. Young Lizzy is asking for advice: what piece of wisdom does she need to hear the most?
“Dream bigger. You think your highest goal is to see your images in the local lifestyle magazine. Aim higher. And never stop making photos just for fun.”
LIZZY ROLLINS
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Lizzy is a visual artist specializing in lifestyle, fashion editorial, brand/product, and restaurant photography. For more, follow her @lizzyrollins on Instagram or visit her website at www.lizzyrollins.com
Written by Bentley Brown