Interview and spotlight: The effect capturing the world around you can have in times of change. Ross Garrett on his journey through commercial & personal photography and mental health.
Why did you begin documenting your life through photography?
I think the answer to this is multi faceted. I started my career as a graphic designer after starting a small creative studio with some friends in Johannesburg, South Africa. My business partner was also a photographer and traveled extensively on overland trips into Africa. Photography was always the end goal for me and around this time, I began documenting my friends’ bands to distinguish my work from his. I felt like I needed a different voice and this led to commissions from record companies to design and photograph their album artwork.
Much of my early days in the industry were spent doing this. It was an exciting time and printed media was still booming in the early 2000’s. Because most of my friends had left college and moved into Advertising Agencies, I had the opportunity to work on some commercial projects. Print advertising was in its twilight and the digital revolution had just begun. I think that this gave me the opportunity to hone my skills fairly quickly. My early advertising work was over-lit and over-retouched and was definitely the flavour of the time. I loved the craft but this slowly moved me away from documenting moments and creating pictures to studiously making pictures.
Photography was always escapism for me. What started as being a witness to the events unfolding in front of me, became a considered act. Once incredibly shy and feeling more vulnerable behind the lens than in front of it, I started to feel comfortable with asking for what I needed to make an image. This led to my departure into fashion, portraiture and commercial image making. I loved it and I felt there was no need to document my life at that point, because I could escape to a place of make believe and fantasy.
The job of a commercial photographer is sometimes, perhaps mostly, the act of making an image to brief and managing the expectations of all those around you. For me, It is so detached from the essence of photography. At heart, I was a purist, but in practice this was very far from my reality. I had become very disillusioned and struggled to pick up my camera, perhaps because of the attachment to the world I was working in.
The motivation to pick up my camera again and document what surrounded me began when I relocated to the US at the end of 2022. It was my way of becoming a silent bystander again, of escaping, of exploring my new life through the viewfinder. It was also all I had at the time. I was once again starting my career more than 20 years later. I had a small camera, my new life and my family. It felt necessary.
What is your creating process like?
My creative process differs depending on what I’m working on. In terms of Commercial Film Direction, it invariably begins with writing. I have always found that I’m able to visualize worlds beautifully by beginning to write them down. Inexplicably the answers just keep coming. I also love to catch thoughts once the written sentiment is out there. It sits in the background of my head and I’m able to gather more answers by looking around and by exploring the idea in the real world. Again, I find that the answers just start arriving. Then, you pick them up and put them in a jar and once it’s time to shoot, all the tools are there. I love that.
In terms of documenting life happening, I think it’s more through seeing than imagining. I find that I’m quite selective about what I end up pointing my camera at. When I get the sense that something may be worth it, I’ll pull my camera out. What has helped me a lot is keeping 2 small cameras on me a lot of the time. One of the reasons I resisted shooting that which surrounded me for so many years, was because of the burden of lugging bigger cameras and multiple lenses around with me. Being more mobile is liberating.
How does mental health factor in your work?
That’s an interesting one. I think work has always been a way of escaping myself. So, I think in that sense, it has both saved me and hindered me in terms of dealing with mental health issues. When I was too busy to think, I could escape my mind, but when the inevitable lulls in between work came, I was forced to face things in technicolor. Perhaps it exacerbated the situation.
When in a bad space, I found it incredibly difficult to pick up a camera or begin a new project but at the same time, I’ve found that navigating a very difficult time since moving to the US, the camera has once again helped me to find solace in the world. It’s a push/pull and I find it fascinating.
What is your relationship to photography?
I think my relationship to photography echoes much of what I said in the first answer. It’s been a difficult one. It is both escapism and a mirror. When I first found photography, it felt like pure magic. Sorcery! And like I said, a lot of the time it was something that I used to escape or something that gave me the excuse to be in the room and a way of dealing with insecurities. At other times, it has caused much self doubt and anxiety. It has been a god send and a curse.
Do you find the act of photography helpful in understanding your emotions/mental health?
In its purest form, yes. Without any external influence it becomes a pure act of expression for me. It is both cathartic and exhilarating. In its other guises, it tests my emotions and mental health issues.
I’ve always been obsessed with portraiture and I find the interaction between a subject and a photographer fascinating. When I first found the courage to let go and photograph people, I learned so much about myself. I found it a very intimate and vulnerable interaction. But this is also something that when dealing with mental health battles, has been very hard to do.
In a commercial aspect, I feel it is very challenging. I find that dealing with a lot of anxiety and ego is sometimes very draining on my mental health reserves. But, in all instances, I feel that it helps us discover ourselves intimately.
If readers would like to see more of your work, where can they do so?
Some of me personal ramblings can be found on my insta @rossgarrett An archive of much of my photographic work over the years can be found on www.rossgarrett.net and my work as a film director can be found on https://heydarling.tv/directors/ross-garrett
Thank you for having me.
