January Artist Spotlight: Errin Gray

Our artist spotlight each month is an opportunity to get to know one of the many amazing people within our p52clicks community and this month we've chosen the lovely Errin Gray. We love her commitment to the project and her beautiful images. I hope you enjoy reading about her journey, how she finds her inspiration and what gear she uses. Also be sure to check out the lowlight tips she has for us.

Abi xx

Tell us about your photography journey...

Thank you for inviting me to share my photographic journey! I’ve been interested in photography for as long as I can remember. It seemed to me to be the best way to share something beautiful with others. A friend let me borrow a camera in 2017 and then I bought it from her. It was a Nikon d3100- it was the best camera I could have ever hoped for! I was in awe of what it could do and what I could do with it. I’m mostly self taught but have taken a couple of local photography courses on portraits and basic skills.

After a couple of years of playing around and learning how to my camera I was asked to shoot a wedding as a favour for a friend. It was then that I realized that I needed to learn how to edit. I subscribed to Lightroom, and have since learned a lot about editing. I will confess though that I have so much more to learn.

Tell us a bit about your style...

My style is very natural. I try to convey what I see and occasionally like to get really creative. I love all types of photography and many different editing styles in fellow photographers. Landscapes and nature are a personal favourite. I also like abstract, reflections, shadows, street, cityscapes, night and sky.

What gear do you use?

I saved my pennies for a long time and bought a Nikon Z6. And being the indecisive person that I am, it was a long agonizing decision before I actually made the plunge to upgrade. Then it took a long time to decide which lens to buy. I ended up getting a 35mm, 1.8 Z lens which I love because of the versatility in shooting nature, landscapes, and families, etc. I do like my 85mm,1.8 as well. I would love to get a long lens in the future for wildlife photography. Or maybe a macro, or a 135mm…

Who and what inspires you?

Lots of things and people inspire me. People who document their lives, people who travel and capture beautiful scenes from around the world. People who do street photography. People who put themselves out there and do their own thing no matter how many “likes” they get.

When I’m scrolling through IG it takes a lot to catch my attention but when an image does, I’m just in awe of the talent behind it. Dreamy landscapes of places I would like to visit. People in a crowded street. A macro of a raindrop on a flower. Newborn babies all wrapped up in tiny costumes. These are some of the images that inspire me.

Nature is also a huge inspiration for me. Nothing can top what God has created. The changing of the seasons inspire me. Seeing the same beautiful river behind my house change throughout the year and maintaining its beauty with every change.

What tips do you have for shooting lowlight?

Find the light that you love and use it. I love late day/sunset light and feel most inspired at that time of day. Know how to use your camera for best exposure. I learned how to use my camera in manual mode right from the start and though it took awhile to understand it (and I’m still learning) it was well worth it. Be as creative as you want to be. Its cliche I know but rules were made to be followed and then broken.

What lowlight image are you most proud of and/or love the most and why?

The spiderweb in the dew and fog is one of my top low light images. There is something magical about a dewy spiderweb and to have fog with it is the icing on the cake.

Text edited by Susan Hall