Katie Silvester

So while spending hours lurking on the web looking at whats new and good in the world we stumbled across a photographer called Katie Silvester. She has had her photos re-blogged more times than we can count on tumblr and has a large following on flickr, when we looked at her work we could see why so we decided to catch up for a few words.

Hi Katie can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where your from?

Hey! My name is Katie Silvester, I am 19, and I live in the woods known as Surrey, but I am originally from Atlanta, Ga.

How long have you been taking photos and what inspired your interest in photography?

I guess I have been taking photos for about four years now. In the beginning my interest started from my Granddads photo albums of my family and his adventures. I started taking photography seriously when my Mom got me a camera for my 16th birthday, and when my Dad gave me his old Canon AE-1.

Looking at your flickr you shoot almost exclusively on 35mm film, is there a specific reason for this?

I did photography for my A-levels, and was taught how to develop and print my own pictures. I love being able to do everything myself, and the magic of watching the photograph slowly appear in the developer. There is just something so beautifully simple about film, that digital can't recreate. And I hate being practical. 

What equipment do you use?

I still us the Canon Ae-1 that my Dad bought in the '80's, along with a Canon T50, a Zenit E and Zeiss Ikon. Thats pretty much the extent of my kit- I normally shoot outside with natural daylight so I don't need much else.

We love you multiple exposures, they are some of the best we have seen! What made you start experimenting with them, is there someone that inspired you to start?

Ah, thanks! Double exposures is one of my favourite things about film photography. It never looks or feels the same if its done digitally. The photography technician at my old college got us playing around with all forms of darkroom manipulations and that's where it all started from I guess. I started out doing sandwich prints with the negatives, but now I do it all in camera.

Your work features a lot of maturing young people, are you inspired by recent youth culture?

I focus mainly on younger people because that's who I am and what I can relate too. Inspired by recent youth culture? I suppose I am in the sense that youth culture is never the same from one minute to the next, and photography captures that one moment in time. 

Who inspires you at the moment?

Helen Korpak is my obsession at the moment. Also Alison Scarpulla And Lukasz Wierzbowski, both of whom I stumbled on on Flickr.

 And I keep finding myself look at Alphonse Mucha's artwork, again and again. And the fact it's summer, that always helps.

Whats next for you, are you heading to uni this september?

I am indeed! I am moving to London in a month to do Fashion Photography at London College of Fashion. 

Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years time?

Making a living out of what I love. New York might be nice. Maybe I'll stay in London. As long as I'm not to far away from some woods and somewhere nice I can take my pictures.

Would you like to give some shout outs?

To you, of course.

To see more from Katie you can check her Flickr and her Blog.