<p dir="ltr"><strong>Where do your passions lie as an artist?</strong><br /></p> <p dir="ltr">My style is very much linked with the New Topographics style of landscape photography, documenting man-made and man-altered landscapes. But, I do very much enjoy photography as a whole, and documenting the world around me.<br /></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>How did you discover that you have an interest in this kind of photography?</strong><br /></p> <p dir="ltr">I think it came from trial and error with different photographic styles. I never really enjoyed having people unintentionally in my work, so the New Topographics style appealed to me as it focused on the fallout of human activity, rather than people themselves.<br /></p> <p dir="ltr">I guess for me, I find it difficult to connect with people through photography, so to have dehumanised landscapes appealed to me.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>What kind of clients have you worked with as a photographer?</strong><br /></p> <p dir="ltr">I have previously worked with EU-wide initiatives including Atlantic Youth Creative Hubs, a social innovation model for young people supporting social entrepreneurship, employment and education in the creative and cultural industries across five European countries, and the Smart Citizens Programme, a scheme designed to provide access to digital fabrication facilities, training in digital design and manufacturing and support with sustainable entrepreneurship.<br /></p> <p dir="ltr">Closer to home, I’ve also collaborated with Arts University Plymouth Students’ Union and Plymouth Mega Ride Festival, as well as Soperfect Images.<br /></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What is your proudest moment as a creative?</strong><br /></p> <p dir="ltr">My proudest achievement as a creative was finishing my postgraduate MA Photography degree at Distinction level.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>What sort of things do you typically help students at Arts University Plymouth with?</strong><br /></p> <p dir="ltr">It can be varied, but I tend to help students a lot with film scanning, camera settings and techniques, and flash lighting. The Equipment Resource Centre is home to thousands of pieces of equipment. I am often asked what is the best camera for photography, or video. This all really depends on what you're doing.<br /></p> <p dir="ltr">Our fleet of Nikon D850s are great for high detail imagery, whilst our Hasselblad 503CW works well for all sorts of medium format photography, and the Tomiyama Art 6x17 is perfect for panoramic landscapes. That goes for lighting as well; we would ask if it is on location or in a studio. Elinchrom ELB 500 TLL kits are great for location shooting because they are battery operated, whereas the Broncolor Grafits work well for use in the studio.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>What skill could you share with students that you aren’t normally asked about?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Something I think is an important skill to learn is to find your own creative voice. Find a way to be inspired by the work of others and then make your own spin on it. I find just looking at people’s work and copying isn’t conducive to learning.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another ‘skill’ is to take breaks. I went from my Access Course to my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the space of six years, creating work constantly. At the end I felt exhausted with making. There is a lot of pressure when it comes to creating, so make sure to take your foot off of the accelerator every once in a while.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Do you have any recommendations of places to look for inspiration?</strong><br /></p> <p dir="ltr">I have been recently enjoying the work of <a href="https://www.jacklatham.com/">Jack Latham</a>. I have been a fan of his for many years, as I really enjoy how he is able to merge documentary photography and storytelling.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Do you have any tips for getting the most out of life in Plymouth?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Plymouth is an incredibly diverse and creative city, so there is lots to do and see. My tip is just to walk around and see what you can find, as there are a lot of hidden gems to be had. <br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Find more work by Ray at <a href="https://raygoodwinphotos.co.uk/">https://raygoodwinphotos.co.uk/</a> and on <a href="http://instagram.com/raygoodwinphotos">Instagram</a>, or Arts University Plymouth students can usually find Ray in the Equipment Resource Centre, which contains over 6,000 items of industry-standard photography, film, audio, lighting, digital and analogue kit for students to book and loan, free of charge.<br /></p> <p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth recently won <strong>University of the Year for South West England</strong> at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs) 2024. The nominees and winners of these awards are selected by students based on reviews submitted by students from across the UK, and winners judged by a panel made up of prospective and current university students.</p> <p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth was crowned as the <strong>Facilities Winner for South West England</strong> and <strong>Student Support Winner for South West England</strong> and took home second place in the UK for the Facilities award, celebrating the access students have to the wide array of subject-specific resources available across all creative disciplines. Students voted based on Arts University Plymouth’s cutting-edge resources, including Fab Lab Plymouth, diverse multimedia and photography studios, a comprehensive Materials Lab that supports innovative practices in hot glass, ceramics and biomaterials, and the university’s well-equipped Drawing Lab, Fashion and Textile studios. </p> <p dir="ltr">To see the facilities for yourself, visit our next <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/events/open-day-undergraduate-and-postgraduate-sept-24">Open Day</a> on Saturday 22 June from 10am until 2pm. The Open Day coincides with our <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/graduate-shows-2024">Graduate Shows 2024</a>, a university-wide annual showcase that offers graduating students the opportunity to celebrate the culmination of their hard work whilst propelling them into the creative industries.<br /></p>