Photography is art
An interview with fashion and lifestyle photographer Tegan Smith
If you are on Instagram, you will have seen campaigns shot by Tegan Smith. Scrolling through her Instagram feed or website is like seeing an entire gallery of “that’s the shot”.
Every single image is full of dreamy colours and brings out the subject’s inner light.
Nobody who knows Tegan’s work would dispute that photography is in fact a form of art.
Tegan and i got started with watercolour around the same time, with the same basic set of Jovi watercolours. At the time, i was dying to interview her and ask her what drew her to the art medium.
It has taken me almost two years to work up the courage to start a written blog about art in Cape Town, so of course Tegan was top of the list of people i wanted to interview.
Nabeelah: We know you love watercolour now. But was it difficult to get yourself to start painting. What made you choose watercolour as a medium.
Tegan: I have always loved art in some form, be it photography, painting, pottery, watercolour etc. My great grandmother was/is an amazing artist and I learned a lot from her with regards to painting techniques and lighting. Over the years I have found less/no time to paint and at the beginning of this year I realised I had no “hobby” or creative outlet other than my photography.
Sometimes I want to be creative but do not want to feel like I’m working, so I decided to try painting again. I decided on watercolour because I don’t often have the time to paint and wanted a medium that was easy to learn through online tutorials AND easy to pack away, pause & start again a few weeks later… knowing I can simply grab a glass of water, my paints and paper really encourages me to sit down for a few minutes, take time for myself and enjoy being creative rather than scrolling on my phone.
“wanted a medium that was easy to learn through online tutorials AND easy to pack away” — Tegan Smith
Nabeelah: Would you consider yourself an artist, and which artists do you look upon for inspiration?
Tegan: I would consider myself a form of an artist — I usually call myself a creative rather than an artist.
I don’t have exact artists that I look up to for inspiration, when painting with watercolour, but rather search the scene I want to paint and learn from there. I do however follow an amazing artist that creates simple, beautiful pieces (Philip Boelter aka @boelterdesignco). He paints cacti quite often — which is my favourite thing to paint — although he doesn’t use watercolour he is still a huge inspiration.
Kolbie aka @thiswritingdesk also does some great how-to videos for water colour.
“ I usually call myself a creative rather than an artist” — Tegan Smith
Nabeelah: Throughout your career, you have photographed many famous people. What was it like meeting and photographing artist, Megan Hess, when she was in Cape Town?
Tegan: It was a huge honour to meet and photograph Megan Hess. She is so sweet and so kind, she was a pleasure to work with! She has the most amazing style so it was easy to photograph her in our chosen locations (Bo-Kaap & Mount Nelson Hotel)
“she was a pleasure to work with” — Tegan Smith on working with Megan Hess, an Australian fashion illustrator who has worked with big brands like Cartier and Chanel.
Nabeelah: I love your ability to understand and record light in your photographs, which shows up in your art too.
Have you seen an improvement in your art over the past 18 months, and does art influence your photography?
Tegan: I have definitely improved, I’ve also learned to not over think my art. Watercolour has definitely challenged me to just embrace the process and “go with it”.
I’m a control freak in every other aspect of my life so I thought I’d challenge myself to do something that is a little less predictable and just LET GO when painting. It has taken practice and many tutorials but I’m getting there :)
“I’m a control freak in every other aspect of my life …(watercolour) is a little less predictable” — Tegan Smith
Nabeelah: You also turned thirty this year, do you find yourself feeling nostalgic about previous years. And if so, how does nostalgia influence your work.
Tegan: I think we can’t help but be nostalgic as we grow older. I do feel having a personal connection to a creation makes it even more special — be it the subject, concept or location. Nostalgia definitely influences my personal projects in photography as well as my watercolour pieces.
I’ve found myself painting my gran’s favourite flowers and landscapes that hold special memories.
“Nostalgia definitely influences my personal projects in photography as well as my watercolour pieces” — Tegan Smith
Nabeelah: In your opinion, what is the most nostalgic place in Cape Town?
Tegan: Definitely Kalk Bay — be it grabbing an ice cream from the Ice Cafe with family, enjoying walks on the beach or browsing through the vintage stores — it will definitely trigger a childhood memory for anyone and everyone!
“we can’t help but be nostalgic as we grow older” — Tegan Smith
Thank you for agreeing to be the first interviewee for Watercolour Cape Town, i really hope this interview inspires more people to try out watercolour too.
If you are curious about photography, Tegan has just released an e-book on getting the perfect flat lay in 5 easy steps.
And if you aren’t one of her 15 k+ followers- yet, you can find her on instagram: @tegansmithphotography
