anna ottum STORY: EMMA MATTHEWS PHOTOGRAPHY: SAVANNAH DARAS
For photographer ANNA OTTUM, it’s almost as if she was destined to pick up a lens. “My parents met in a photography graduate program and I grew up around a ton of picture taking,” she recalls. “When I was young, my father lent me his 35mm Pentax Spotmatic and in high school, my work was chosen for a couple shows by the head of the photo department.” Shortly after, Ottum decided to peruse snapping more seriously with the ambition to make a career out of it.
time reading articles and books, listening to podcasts and flip through blogs and magazines to sort of bombard my senses and see what sticks. Many times this gives me a better idea of what I want to pursue for my next project,” she explains. “When I’m traveling I sometimes put too much pressure on myself to constantly document and then analyze my work as I’m creating it— but it’s always best to not force this idea of ‘brilliance.’ Instead I’m open to visual inspiration and I’m thankful when it comes.”
After college she moved to New York City from Oregon and soon found herself shooting for the likes of Urban Outfitters, Mood NYC and Sweetgreen, a healthy scratch kitchen. Naturally, the move didn’t come without its hurdles. “It was a challenge at first since my work mainly consisted of friends in the outdoors, which was really just a normal occurrence in Oregon and only required I carry my camera around in the chance I saw something I liked,” says Ottum. “In New York, my work became much more cropped in, because the interactions I had with friends happened inside our homes, in buildings or around crowds. I switched from a 28mm to a 50mm lens and started focusing more on portraiture.”
“I’M A BIG SUPPORTER OF ANYONE BEING ABLE TO SHOOT A GREAT PHOTO FROM THEIR PHONE AND SHARE IT WITH THE WORLD VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. I DON’T NECESSARILY THINK TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED POPULAR AESTHETIC, BUT IT HAS GIVEN A HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THE ABILITY TO FEEL CONFIDENT TAKING A PHOTOGRAPH, WHICH I’M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF.”
That said, New York is still a city that’s full to the brim of inspiration. For Ottum, her ideas can come from the littlest of things. “I’m a very traditional photographer in my love of dynamic light. I look for an interesting interaction of the subject with their surroundings, even if that subject is as seemingly mundane as a blue tissue box matching a blue sink. If my surroundings aren’t inspiring, I spend
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Of course, with technology progressing more and more photographers are taking on new mediums. Alongside the surge in interest for vintage cameras, the past few years have also seen snappers shoot campaigns with gear as simple as an iPhone and Instagram. So where does Ottum see photography going in the future? “It seems to go in cycles and there is still a very strong traditional hold on it. The great photographers of fashion, landscape, street photography, you name it— all learned and worked on film and they continue to be referenced and looked up to by many young photographers working today,” she says.