As I Stroll Alone With My Camera In a Foreign Land

Featuring Laura Pannack Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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A photographic vision strives to detect the moment worthwhile preserving to the future eyes, which will view the narrative in an attempt to decipher the occurrence. Realism is served through a different prism that is distant from the documentary genre though ever so lightly touching it. The subject is presented in their authentic surroundings. Beauty is in the genuineness, in the personality, in the interpersonal relationships and the connection to the environment. Laura’s work is complex and suggests a deeper contemplation of the photo revealing a unique perspective to interpret.  

Laura Pannack is a London-based photographer whose work is exhibited and published worldwide. Laura won numerous awards in photography, including the recent one Julia Margaret Cameron Award. Laura lectures and teaches in universities, is a speaker at festivals, and has served as a judge in the World Photo Press Awards, Amsterdam. She explores the 'beyond' of some of her works, sharing her thoughts in the Image of The Week section on her website.

We’ve been lucky to interview Laura and find the right time in her hectic schedule to speak about photography. We unveil her recent video project for Panasonic, a medium, Laura doesn’t turn to so often. We speak about the importance of being a part of nominations, the emotional connection to the subjects, her psychology degree, and the Young British Naturists project. “I hope from looking at my images and sharing them in a vulnerable way I can find a clear answer as to why I took the route” - Laura.

Prints in a Limited Edition Here

‘As soon as I shot my first roll, I fell in love with everything about it. The immediacy, the accessibility, and the craft. The interest snowballed.’

Hi Laura, how are you doing? What are you working on lately?

Thanks for having me! Last year I switched direction slightly to try my hand at moving images. It almost happened as if by accident, but it’s exciting to work in a new way and feel like a child playing with a new toy.

I will always prefer stills, but the story is a commission from Panasonic, and they asked me to shoot moving images using their new camera. I chose to work with a young man in Israel and follow his transition into a new identity. The work is about change, loneliness, and growing up. 

Tell about yourself, and what sparked your interest in photography? 

I used to draw and sketch a lot, and it was mainly portraiture. I’ve grown up tipping trays in the darkroom when I visited my dad as a child but didn’t ever try photography until late in my foundation year at Saint Martins. As soon as I shot my first roll, I fell in love with everything about it. The immediacy, the accessibility, and the craft. The interest snowballed, and the more I learnt, the more curious I have become.

You’re a winner of several awards with the latest being John Kobal Award. Which award was the most meaningful or emotionally charged for you? 

The John Kobal award was years ago, and although not recent, it was a huge honour. Each award has provided different opportunities. The reason I enter them or feel a huge sense of joy from nominations is subject to each one. Some provide a sense of inclusion or offer reassurance that perhaps my work is speaking to people, others provide opportunities to exhibit with other artists I respect and introduce me to new influences. 

All of the awards encourage a sense of reflection and encourage me to consider my practice. The judges are those that have a highly knowledgeable opinion on image making and it can be so incredibly helpful to access their guidance.

‘We are all human, and I think compassion and kindness are key elements to being a well-rounded individual.’

With social documentary, one tries to achieve several layers to present an image with a powerful meaning, the layer of the emotional background, the layer the location adds, the interactions and relationship that emerges of the subjects, the layer of time. Which layers are the most important for you to present? 

It’s impossible to place one layer of meaning onto one any image of a project. I think the key to powerful work is in the mystery and the ability for it to be subjective. The most imperative aspect for me is the emotional connection.

You say ’I learn most when I walk with a camera; about myself and the company I share.’ How did photography help you develop in other aspects of your life, as a person with certain views? 

Gosh in so many ways. I’ve really learnt how my anxiety can control me sometimes and turn me into a really selfish vile person, so I try to keep on top of it and rationalize the stress. It's taught me so much about time with people and how to form connections. How to approach anyone and not have any preconceptions, and if you do, to want to learn and surprise yourself - to wonder why you judge someone. We are all human, and I think compassion and kindness are key elements to being a well-rounded individual. I studied psychology at A level, and it always fascinated me. The dynamic between relationships, the perception of self, the concept of loneliness, and the complex ways in which our brains are wired... it's never-ending with regards to how much you can learn.

‘I don't always like looking at my images... but that doesn't make me want to stop taking pictures or sharing them. It's my way of communicating organically with instinct.’

Teaching and lecturing usually add an understanding of one’s own work and theory. Did you ever have an aha moment while teaching, the moment of realization of your work from a different perspective, or the steps you want to take with the upcoming project? Tell about this experience.  

I think it was a moment when I was giving someone advice on 'finding your style', I used the metaphor that photography for me is like speaking. I don't like the sound of my voice when I hear it back, I don't always like looking at my images... but that doesn't make me want to stop taking pictures or sharing them. It's my way of communicating organically with instinct.

‘Writing is a useful tool to unload the mess in my head and problem solve how, if given another chance, I could be braver or more creative.’

You’re a very good writer! You have a series Image of the Week to which you add your thoughts on the process and share the deeper perception of the relationship between you and the subject in the chosen photo/s. Speaking from a psychological perspective, when contemplating the image, what are the ways it enables you to understand the relationship you create during the shoot and the way you can make this process different in the upcoming shoot? 

Reflection is always imperative, and analysing a moment, an image or an interaction can only lead to improvement. I think I often shoot in a lazy manner. I don't think. I hope from looking at my images and sharing them in a vulnerable way I can find a clear answer as to why I took the route I did in that 60th of a second. Writing is a useful tool to unload the mess in my head and problem solve how, if given another chance, I could be braver or more creative.

What was the most challenging series you worked on? What did you learn from it?    

Each project has its own challenges. For instance, Young British Naturists really pushed me in terms of people management, social skills, and being uncomfortable. However, it was clear what I was shooting - I had a subject matter. Whereas Youth without Age is a looser project. It was an agonising journey to unravel what I was exploring and then try and translate that. The work is less accessible as it doesn't have a simple narrative, and with that freedom comes a lot of uncertainty.

What contributes to the feeling of happiness, or what makes you happy? 

Love - both alone and in a company.

The love and joy I get from spending time with my friends and family.

The love I get from learning.

The love I have for the feeling of the sun on my skin as I stroll alone with my camera in a foreign land.

What’s next? 

Who knows……. :)