Words From The Girls Behind The Lens: Sarah Tarves

Cliché question first - how did you get into photography? 

I started with film photography at university using a treasured hand-me-down Olympus. I put photography aside though and only got serious about it a few years ago when I was thinking about a career change and realized that I wanted to give it a try.

 Your website showcases a lot of different facets of your work. What is the difference between photographing a fashion editorial or a dance performance? 

Dance photography is about preparation. A performance is unique and unrepeatable. You can’t ask anyone to hold that position; you can’t adjust the lights. And so it’s about anticipating the movement, finding the decisive moment. Fashion allows for more control. You have more direct responsibility, but at the same time, more flexibility to find solutions. It’s also collaborative - working with hair and make-up, the stylist, the model – and so you have the experiences of the whole team to draw upon in order to make a successful image.

Between taking pictures of theatre, dance or fashion, which one do you find most challenging? 

Dance is by far the most challenging, but the most exhilarating for that reason. Live movement combined very often with low light. In some ways it reminds me of shooting on film because you don’t really know what you’ve got until the moment is gone. When everything works, it becomes almost rhythmic and you feel like you are in sync with the dancers.

What photographers have inspired you most throughout your career? 

I was inspired by photography long before ever picking up a camera. The first photography book I bought was Annie Leibovitz’s Women, which now seems so prescient. Her portrait work, fashion stories, stage photography... Tim Walker – the lovely, odd Englishness and rich narrative elements of his work. Lately, I’ve also been inspired by photographer’s words as much as their art. Sally Mann’s Hold Still is so evocative in terms of place and time and how they are manifested in her work. The imprint of a landscape and home is definitely something I feel the need to work through photographically. Maybe one summer…

 As a photographer, what would you like people to remember from your work? 

I don’t think the work I’ve done so far could be considered memorable. I’m still working on it! I’m moved by work that captures a sense of humanity and, in the future, I’d be happy for a viewer to see some spark of it in mine.