Audrey Simper’s images inhabit another world of wings and sea, of light and butterflies.

Dropping her studies of Architecture in favour of starting a photography business was an enormous step, but absolutely worth it. “My cousin, Madeline Irene, got me into photography; she was always telling me to check out this site called Flickr. When I finally did I discovered all the magical images people were creating and I had never felt so inspired.  In 2011, I realized that I wanted to spend all my free time studying and practicing Photography and not my current major, Architecture. I decided to stop attending school and start my business and I’ve been happy ever since!”

 

 

Art has always been a big part of her life,and remembers often sketching little surreal scenarios in her sketchbooks – she loved “the magic of creating something from nothing.” Later, she discovered Photoshop, and a whole new world exploded. She decided to teach herself, and got through using trial and error and online tutorials.

She always carries a sketchbook to jot down ideas, as she says her concepts can arrive intuitively from anywhere. However, she is quite methodical about their realisation. “When I create surreal images, I usually start off with a concept which stems from a word, a song, an emotion, an object or a new technique I want to try. Then I decide on what I need to tell that story, who should my subject be, what should they wear, what type of light do I need, what location? Based on this, I figure out the composition and crop I feel will best display the story. I draw a little sketch in my journal to make sure I don’t forget. Once I take the photograph, I enhance the image in Photoshop making decisions based on the concept and decide on a title to further the story.”

 

 

 

Besides her conceptual photography, Audrey also works taking portraits and commissions. Her worst experience as a photographer came early on when she was asked to do a family portrait for a client. Never having taken family portraits before, she was feeling nervous and flustered. She used a kit lens which she hadn’t used for a long time, and said she had forgotten how to use it. the images were blurry, and the quality was terrible. “I felt awful but luckily for me they agreed to a second shoot when I got a new lens! Those images turned out great. I learned to never again accept payment for something I didn’t know how to do as it’s unprofessional.”

 

 

Now, “Sometimes I dance during my photoshoots if I’m feeling happy.”

 

 

 

 

 

“I received this advice from multiple people throughout my life. They told me to “do what makes you happy”. It’s simple advice but it’s changed my life immensely.”

You can find more of Audrey’s work in her Etsy shop,  AudreySimper, and on her own site, www.audreysimper.com.