In the News - An interview with Joanne Redford

Text By Fiona Wallace

This week we show how the mobile phone can be a very powerful tool.  

We frequently hear the phrase “It’s only a phone shot!”, often said with an air of apology.  But on many occasions no apology is needed as modern phone technology can often yield excellent results - especially when in the hand of club member Joanne Redford.

The professional childminder has always been interested in photos and photography, mostly because of the stories they are able to tell.

While she currently only uses her phone, she counts a film camera she was given for her 16th birthday as her best present ever.

She explains: “I am not technical minded, so I've yet to invest in a great camera. I currently use my Samsung S20 phone and does take pretty good pictures. “

A frequent hiker, Joanne’s favourite images are of the beautiful Scottish landscape, and using her phone helps her to keep a record of her walks while allowing her to travel light.

Joanne sees her style as fairly straightforward captures of what’s in front of her.  She adds, however: “Since joining the club, I’ve been inspired to see other styles which I’m currently trying out such as macro and more quirky images.”

Although seeing herself as still a beginner, Joanne has as vision for her photography journey - to invest in a digital camera and to improve her skills. She has also recently set up a social media page for her photos, which has already generated excellent feedback. 

Joanne adds: “Joining Irvine Camera Club has been one of the best decisions I have made. Everyone is very friendly and supportive. The weekly challenge topics are inspiring and I’m in awe of the talent at the club.”

A highlight of the Club calendar is the weekly photo walks in the Spring and Summer. As Joanne says: “These combine two of my favourite hobbies - walking and photography.”  

Joanne counts documenting her children's childhood in physical photos albums as her best achievement to date.  She states: “In an era where so many pictures are taken and kept in clouds or on social media and quickly forgotten about, I am so happy I can pull out an album and reminisce. And it’s so easy to download and print off a phone shot.” 

I often feel that maybe some of us are too quick to condemn phone shots as “just snaps and selfies” and we fail to recognise that in the hands of a competent person they are a very effective photography tool. Joanne’s images clearly put her into that latter category.

The modest Joanne laughs at this and says: “I didn’t feel veery competent when I dropped my phone into the sea while paddleboarding.  Thank heavens for the good old bag of rice trick!”