Inspired, A Very Special Project | Kirsty Larmour Photography

You may have noticed today isn’t a normal Inspired Project Feature day but I couldn’t help myself! If you have been following The Letter’s To My Daughters project circle I am in I post on my other blog here you may recognize this insanely talented lady. Kirsty, an amazing mother, woman and photographer is a huge muse of mine. She is based out of Abu Dhabi and there is so much love and culture and authenticity wrapped up in her images I am always left in awe. I have been a fan for quite a while now and I am equally blessed to call her my friend as well!

You can find Kirsty’s Website HERE, Blog HERE, Facebook Page HERE, Pinterest HERE, Travel Blog HERE, and Facebook Travel page HERE.

So excited to jump in!

Hi Beautiful Lady!

Lets get to know you! How would you describe yourself in three sentences?

I’m a feisty, passionate, redheaded British girl. I’m part of an international little family currently living in Abu Dhabi with my wonderful Irish husband and 2 beloved little princesses who were born in China and the UAE. I suffer from extreme wanderlust and am happiest with my camera in my hand and my daughters by my side.
What sparked your passion for Photography?

I had a camera from being very young – I have hilarious pictures of my brother being forced to model for me!! But really it was travel that got my photography fire going. I am so lucky that I’m able to see so much of the world and capture it as I go.

Kirsty was kind enough to share one of her starting out images with us from 2006!
Whats in your camera bag?

I’m a Nikon girl, so 2 D700’s, with a 24-70 2.8, 50 1.4 and a 70-200 2.8, a lensbaby composer pro double glass, a flamingo pink holga, a Fuji Instax and my beloved iphone! Plus lens wipes, dust brush, cards, batteries and all that stuff! I also have an ikelite underwater body which I use with my old D80 and a 35 2.0 for underwater work – which I don’t do enough of!!
What Camera/Equipment did you start out with?

Nikon D80 with a 50 1.8

If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why?

24-70 2.8 – it’s so versatile for the kind of work I do with lots of moving subjects!

What advice would go give to someone just beginning in photography and hoping to have a business of their own?

On the photography side I’d say have fun practicing, learn the principles of art (especially lighting and composition), and learn how to nail manual exposure to get the shot right in camera. On the business side I’d say be realistic – think about how many hours a week you’ll put into this, and break it down into how much you would like to get paid per hour once you’ve taken all your costs out.

What was your first official Photographer crush if you had one?

Annie Griffiths Belt – I love her photography but also her whole lifestyle.

What kind of photos do you like to take for just yourself when not working with clients?

Pictures of my kids exploring and experiencing the big wide world as we travel.

If you could photograph absolutely anyone who would it be dead or alive?

My Mum was born in India, one of my favourite countries – I’d love to have been able to photograph families back in the days of the Raj!

Describe your style in 3 words.

light, real, capturing connections (with the viewer or within the picture) ooops, that’s 4 words….

Most embarrassing moment on a session would be?

Falling into water with all my gear – please don’t ever let that happen to me!!
Any challenges you have had to overcome to be where you are today?

So many – the insecurity that frequently goes hand in hand with being creative; the fact I have a degree and a masters in something so different means some people see this as just some kind of “Mummy hobby” job, not a business; the fact we have no family within thousands of miles and so hubby and I have had to learn to juggle work, parenthood, a business and family time so as not to be detrimental to the growth of our girls and the values of our family – we are constantly reassessing how we do things to work best for us! Overall though, despite the challenges it’s been an amazing journey – I’ve had people who believed in me every step of the way, and that means everything.

Favorite time of day to shoot is?

Golden hour – which is actually about golden 15 minutes in this part of the world!! I loved spending last summer in Europe and finding that I really DID have an hour!!!

If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead?

I couldn’t stop – before I did this photography was a part of me, even if I did something else photography would always be a part of me.

Have you attended college or had any formal education in Photography?

I studied art at school and I then took a few evening courses in photography way back in my pre-digital days – since I started doing this more seriously I’ve taken online courses with 2 incredibly inspirational ladies, Sheye Rosemeyer and Deb Schwedhelm.
What do you do to get your clients to relax with you?

I think my blog helps people to know the kind of person I am and I also chat a lot with clients before their session – being goofy with the kids always helps too!!

What are your photography related goals for 2013?

To be in more pictures with my girls; to do more underwater photography and definitely to blog more of our travels
How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? By not being afraid to make mistakes – you just have to try…. And if it doesn’t work, then try again another day…

Any Big Aha! Moments?

When I realised that other people wanted the kind of photos I wanted to create and a photo shoot didn’t have to mean going to the studio, wearing jeans and white shirts against a white backdrop – basically that there’s a photography type and style for everyone and it’s not a one size fits all kind of thing.

Biggest Photography related insecurity?

That I’m actually not very good at this!

Digital or Prints? 

Both – all my digital packages come with a full set of prints too – it’s so important that people see how their pictures should be printed. But I also sell a lot of albums – I LOVE albums and how they become family heirlooms.

How do you set yourself apart from other local photographers?

By being myself – but I’m lucky enough that I’m also friends with all the good photographers in my area – we see each other as colleagues all of whom have different strengths, not competition 😉
What do you think your next photography related investment will be?

I’m looking at the Nikon D600 for travel because it’s lighter than the cameras I have and has video – I think that’d be fun to play around with

If you had to recommend ONE thing that a photographer needs in their camera bag what would that be?

A camera!!

What would you say your biggest muse is?

My girls, without a doubt but travel and photographing them in new locations is what gets me totally fired up!

Fun stuff:

Favorite Color: blue
Favorite Season: Autumn
Biggest Guilty Pleasure: cheese and marmite on toast – sooo yummy!
Pet Peeve: cooking shows on the travel channel!!
Favorite Pandora Station: don’t even know what that is!!
Studio or On location: Location
What did you want to be when you grew up? A downhill skier
One thing no one knows about you is: I used to model bras for Victoria’s Secret (amongst others) – a fact my husband is rather proud of!!
Pc or Mac: PC
Lightroom Or Photoshop: Photoshop
Film or Digital: Bit of both, but digital for client work
Props or No Props: Sometimes – when they add to it
If you could travel anywhere it would be: Myanmar – and I live in hope it’ll happen before too long
Glass Half Empty or Half Full: Full, although I think like many creatives I pour my heart and soul into what I do so I can definitely fluctuate up and down from time to time!
Favorite photo ever taken: Impossible to choose
Raw or Jpeg: jpeg
Favorite Music to Edit to: I listen to running mixes!!
Favorite Quote: “Imagination is more important than Knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world” Albert Einstein.  Or pretty much anything by Dr. Seuss
Most valued material possession: my wedding and engagement rings
Processing Style: Natural, light and airy
Coffee or Tea: coffee in the mornings; fruit teas in the afternoons
If you could photograph a Celebrity who would it be? Being British, I’d love to do Prince William and Kate’s maternity and newborn shoots – how awesome would that be??!
What kind of Camera bag do you rock? A shootsack but I’ve got a crush on the 3Annies bags and think I might just have to invest in one soon J

Thank you sooo much for the interview Sarah – it’s been an amazing honour for me to get to know you better though our Letters to our Daughters project – photography really has been a gift that has brought the most wonderful blessings into my life.