Tigz Rice: Be The Creative You Want To Be
In this episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography podcast, listeners are treated to an insightful conversation with Tigz Rice, a renowned boudoir and female empowerment photographer. Host Angela Nicholson, founder of SheClicks, a community for female photographers, guides the discussion, delving into Tigz's unique journey in the photographic industry.
Listen to another episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast
Tigz's career, which began in 2009, is a testament to the evolving nature of creative professions. Initially a burlesque photographer, her journey into boudoir photography was not a conscious choice but a natural progression driven by her distinctive style and approach. Her work, deeply rooted in empowerment and self-expression, reflects her experiences as a burlesque performer and her background in illustration. This unique blend of skills and interests has allowed Tigz to carve out a niche in female empowerment photography, particularly through her focus on boudoir and burlesque styles.
The podcast highlights Tigz Rice's transition from illustration to photography, a change spurred by her disillusionment with drawing. She narrates her initial struggles with photography, learning the ropes through trial and error and the limitations of using a Canon EOS 450D camera stuck in manual mode. This period of self-learning played a significant role in shaping her photographic style and approach.
Tigz's story is one of perseverance and adaptability, qualities that shine through in her work and her approach to photography. From covering a press event at a burlesque festival to establishing herself as a full-time self-employed photographer within a year, her journey is nothing short of inspiring. Her ability to capture the essence of burlesque and boudoir scenes, even amidst the challenging low-light conditions of stage performances, showcases her technical skill and artistic eye.
Moreover, the podcast delves into the nuances of Rice's work, exploring the balance between capturing a performance and directing a shoot, especially in a boudoir setting. Rice's background in performance art informs her understanding of choreography and movement, an asset in her photography work. She emphasises the importance of understanding different body types and adapting poses to highlight each subject's unique beauty.
The conversation also touches upon Tigz's journey to publishing her book, "Strip Tease," in 2019. The book includes a mix of previously unseen works and iconic images, illustrating the breadth and depth of her expertise in boudoir and burlesque photography.
Listeners also get a glimpse into Tigz's personal interests, particularly her love for Japanese culture and language, which she pursues outside her photography work. This personal passion adds another layer to her multifaceted personality, further enriching the podcast's narrative.
The episode concludes with the Q&A segment, "Six from SheClicks," where Tigz answers questions from listeners, offering insights into her favourite fashion eras for lingerie, her work-life balance, and her favourite non-photographic accessories. This adds a personal touch to the episode, allowing listeners to connect with Tigz on a more intimate level.
Overall, this episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography podcast offers a fascinating look into Tigz Rice's world. Her journey from a struggling student to an acclaimed photographer is a source of inspiration, demonstrating the power of resilience and passion in pursuing a creative career. The episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in photography, female empowerment, and the art of personal expression.
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Episode Transcript
Tigz Rice
A creative career is constantly evolving, you have the opportunity to say, you know what, actually I feel compelled to go in this direction or I'd like to fill in this niche that I don't have. So you constantly have the ability to evolve.
Angela Nicholson
Welcome to the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast. I'm Angela Nicholson. I'm the founder of SheClicks which is a community for female photographers. In these podcasts, I talk to women in the photographic industry to hear about their experiences, what drives them, and how they got to where they are now. In this episode, I'm speaking with Tigz Rice, a boudoir and female empowerment photographer based in Hertfordshire in the UK. She's spent a couple of years dancing as a burlesque performer and in 2020, her book Strip Tease won the bronze medal in the Independent Publishing Awards.
Hi Tigz, thanks for joining me today on the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast.
Tigz Rice
Thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here with you today.
Angela Nicholson
Oh, that's lovely. I was thinking about it, it's is quite funny, because I think we've commented on this before, that you and I have been at the same events. And we've been in the same room well, several occasions, but we've actually normally only spoken online. And then we did actually get to meet in person for the Eizo Student Photography Awards, which was absolutely brilliant.
Tigz Rice
Yeah, it was such a great event. And as you said, it was really nice to actually be in the same place at the same time for once. There's some really great video and photography that came out of that event as well.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah, it was just amazing. And it was so nice to see that coming from from students, you know, just sort of thinking, actually, the business is quite safe.
Tigz Rice
Absolutely. Yeah. It's nice to see.
Angela Nicholson
So moving on to you. I know your photography career started in 2009. And you worked in the area of burlesque photography. But can you tell me how you got to that point where you were deciding that's what you're going to do?
Tigz Rice
Oh, I'll be honest, it was never a conscious choice. I had been studying a degree in illustration at Westminster University, and I just completely fallen out of love with drawing. So I needed to pick up a camera and find a way to get through the rest of my degree. When I'd signed up for the degree basically, they said, as long as whatever you present at the end can be translated and shown in a 2d format, you would be fine. So the camera was my way of being able to kind of finish my degree, I'd graduated with this. Well, I think I'd only really been using a camera at this point for about a year, there was one that I borrowed from the university photography department. And because I wasn't a photographer, I was sort of limited to what I could borrow. And I had this Canon 450D, that they would lend me that the dial on the top was broken, so it was permanently stuck in manual mode.
Angela Nicholson
Probably a good move.
Tigz Rice
Or well yeah, I don't know whether they did that on purpose to make us learn how to use cameras if they did, it was really smart. So it was me and Google for a while trying to work out how cameras worked in manual mode and what aperture and shutter speed ISO did and yeah, I came out of uni thought, Okay, well, I'm enjoying this so set up as self employed and was contacting everything, everyone, whatever jobs were going and you know, what would what basically would fall into my lap at that point. And I did have an interest in burlesque because I'd gone and seen DITA perform at the erotica festival in London couple of years before. So I knew what burlesque was. And I'd been emailing PRs and my literary agencies anything going, you know yourself 10 rejection emails a day, fully expecting knows. And one of them said, oh, we'll keep you on file. And then the next day said, well, actually a photographer's follow through. We need someone to cover a press event tomorrow. Are you available? Would you like to go? Well? Yeah, sure. I mean, I don't have anything else on tomorrow, happily go to my camera along, walked into this burlesque Festival, and honestly just felt like I belonged. The people were lovely. I got welcomed into conversations. I mean, everyone was dressed like head to toe and glitter and sequins and glamour. And I was like, this is where this is where I belong, like, this is where I need to be. So went out, found the producer of the festival asked if I could come back for the rest of the week, because this was Tuesday, and it ran till Sunday. And they were like, yeah, yeah, as long as you're happy to give us the photos keep coming back. From that I made enough contacts there. I booked enough shoots to go full time self employed by the April so I think within about I want to say that festival would have been made You. So under a year, I'd managed to get from that point to being a photographer full time.
Angela Nicholson
Oh, well, brilliant. And that was all just from that one event.
Tigz Rice
It was from the event in the context that I'd made. And I'd reached out to a couple of performers and said that, you know, I don't have a huge portfolio, would you take a chance on me? Would you come in, you know, model and I think at that time, I feel like the sign you have there were only four or five of us in the UK photographing in the burlesque scene. boudoir wasn't really a well known word back then either. So I don't know how many people were working specifically in boudoir, in quotations. But for burlesque, there were only about four or five of us, and we were very spread across the country. So at that point, finding someone in your niche to offer to be in front of your camera was actually, I'd say, I'd say I was gonna say easier, because there was there were less photographers. So there was more opportunities for people who would want photos, but at the same time, there were less performers at that point as well. So it's, I get, it probably works out about the same. But yeah, they would, a couple of them came down, and modelled for me. And off the back of that started building my portfolio. And then yeah, started charging. I can't, I can't remember the exact date that I started charging, but at some point between December 2009, when I set off this self employed, and it's April, is April, the fifth 2011. At some point between there, that was when I started sort of charging for photography, and saying, You know what, this, this can be an actual career for me.
Angela Nicholson
You said that, you know, the people were really welcoming and friendly. Did you feel completely relaxed about your photography by that stage as well, you had, you've got the technicalities sorted in your head.
Tigz Rice
No. No not at all. YouTube existed, but it wasn't the go to have like, you couldn't go how to take photos? Or how does this work? And you couldn't find videos that basically explained how cameras worked or, you know, especially specific brands of cameras. I remember looking at this page, and I remember googling How does depth of field work because it was a term that I heard bandied around. And I'd had the, I can't remember what they're called. But Scott Kelby wrote a series of books, it was like, it was like digital photography 101 was, I can't remember the title of the book. But there were like three of them in the series. And it sort of gave you like an overview of how digital photography the cameras were. So I had these three books, and I had basic text based, you might get the diagram website pages on Google. So it was very much exploration. And, you know, at the time I was going in, I'd had a few sort of loosely call them residencies with venues that would let me come in because again, no one was photographing, specifically in this niche, either. So I'd go along and take my camera and practice and work out what worked best in low light. And with the performers having their feather fans in, you know, everything else that they perform with them props, a lot of it could be fast paced. So it was me trying to find my balance between the low light and fast moving subjects. So no, I definitely didn't have it all together. But it was a recession. It was, you know, 2009 2010 There weren't jobs going, you put yourself out there that you hoped. And sometimes that meant if I didn't feel comfortable, I didn't charge because I say I need the experience. And sometimes I was like, You know what, I've nailed this specific venue or lighting situation or genre. So I'm okay. I feel comfortable charging for that. So for a while I might I probably had different price points for whatever was going out there. But no, and if I look back at my work back then, I mean, that the issues are obvious in in that work. I mean, one of the things that I see very clearly, is that I hadn't really worked out what colour spaces were. So I was shooting in RGB 98. But the colour space that I was editing in when I was taking it from Lightroom to Photoshop and back, I had no idea what kind of space I was in. So things would look great, go into Photoshop, edit them and bring them back. But everything that I edited around that time was very murky. So no, it was an ongoing process.
Angela Nicholson
I suppose when you it's like when you go to a local football team, and you say, can I come along and take some photos? Oh, yeah. If we could have some pictures, that would be great. And so you take some photos, and they're just so pleased to have some photos, that they're not really judging your standard. It's just that Oh, Hold on, you know, that's when I got the ball or that's, you know, and I guess, if you were sort of first going into burlesque photography, that they were just probably really pleased to get some photos. And you the two of you kind of developed a sense of what was great photography as you went along.
Tigz Rice
Yeah. And very much that it was, you know, they were, they were just grateful that there might be something and, you know, I might take couple of 100 photos and have about 1015 that were possible to send to a client. But, you know, I very much knew that to get better, I would have to put myself out there. And, and at least try, I mean, I spent a lot of time on the stage. Anyway, I grew up through drama, and I was always the person volunteering to get onto stage or be in that dance, or sing that song. And even through school as well, I was in all the school plays and all the bands. And so I had an idea of what photo should look like, or could look like, from work that other people had taken from me over the years, or what to expect from stage lighting. So I think I definitely had a little bit of insight and knowledge, knowing what it felt like to be on the other side of the camera that I could say, Okay, right. Well, you know, these are, these are things I should have been looking for. Let's, let's see. But I, I do actually love the fact that my approach to photography was so chaotic, let's, let's say because I find it really interesting. When you look at photographers and their work in who they've learned from, or whose work they've admired, and whose courses and workshops they've been on the certain people shoot at certain F stops, or they shoot at certain shutter speeds, or they will only go to a specific ISO. And because I didn't have that, and I wasn't looking at other people's settings, I think it probably helps me to find what my signature style is. Because I'm not looking at anyone else for those settings. And it's weird, because I do end up I have photographers do like to discuss their settings, and especially like, oh, you know, what, what Episode Do you shoot at? It's, I just find it fascinating that you can sometimes work out where people have come from, or what style has influenced them based on that. Whereas mine is, depending on what I'm shooting as well, they can vary quite a lot. So but that's yeah, that's going into like the the deep, dark technical world of photography versus, you know, random, pure creativity. So that could be a subject all in itself.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah, absolutely. But I think, you know, at the time, there wouldn't have been any courses on that type of photography, I suppose you might have got something potentially around theatre. But most courses tend to be about portraits, or landscape or wildlife don't know. So I mean, I know you run courses on on boudoir photography. So none of those courses would have particularly helped you get out. Okay, you might have learned more quickly and understanding of what aperture does and shutter speed and depth of field, but not necessarily how to apply it. And you know, I think in wildlife and landscape photography, particularly landscape photography, you sort of shy away very much from the high ISO settings, but of course, they're your friend, I should think with burlesque photography.
Tigz Rice
Yeah, for sure. And it's finding that sort of knowing how far your camera would go up. And I knew at the time I was shooting, I did start with a 450 D when I first went out and started shooting. And actually I'm really gutted, I got rid of that camera because it had this real softness to it. It just, it didn't capture things in a sharp way. So I've got these pictures of flowing feather fans, they're sort of, you know, just, they're not sharp, but they're beautifully, like that glamour of the gods style that was very sort of 40s 50s very retro sort of smeared Vaseline on the glass and it worked. It worked for the style. But yeah, I was doing, I would say a lot of what I was shooting, because I also needed a long, long lens. So it was almost 70 to 200 a lot. I would be right down at the 2.8 wide open lens. And then fighting I'd be I was lucky back then if 1600 ISO was good enough because the cam was was still quite grainy back in back in those days. So yeah, it's a normally I'd be doing what I could a 2.8 in a rough around 1000 1200 ISO. So yeah. Whereas now obviously cameras, you can push them significantly more than that. So it's interesting to see how technology has evolved people style as well in specially low light fields.
Angela Nicholson
Yes, yes, it makes a huge difference. Now, cameras have really, really moved on. So how did you move from burlesque to boudoir?
Tigz Rice
It was honestly painful. Here's the thing. I wouldn't say that any of my career moves have been fully my idea But it was it was purely people in the people, it seemed my best work. And a lot of people started coming to me saying, Look, I'm not a performer. I don't I'm not on the stage. But I love the way you photograph people. Would you be willing to do that for me, even though I'm not a performer? And obviously, the answer was always going to be yes, anything that made people feel amazing. I was down for so for a while, I had a bit of a studio setup. And I could then have people over to mine. And we would experiment with different sort of creative techniques in a studio environment as well. So yeah, it was purely friends or friends or clients who were like, I've seen your work, I think it's amazing. Could we could we explore what's capable in a non data non stage environment? So we ended up going out and doing a lot of location shooting as well. And just, again, seeing what was possible, finding out what would what would step in what lighting look grey, and which colours were photographed best and playing with gels, because I was so used to having all of this theatrical stage lighting and smoke machines and spotlights that, is that okay, well, how do I recreate the lighting that I want? Outside of the theatre, where I'm now I'm now in control of everything. So it also then that was when I started, really leaning into what lighting I wanted to use as well. So that was a I feel that was a really pivotal point in me developing my style, when the lighting sort of came into play as well.
Angela Nicholson
I guess one big difference is, whereas before you were photographing a performance, suddenly you're photographing someone who I imagine is looking for a bit of direction from new, how did you feel about that? Oh,
Tigz Rice
Fine, but then, I think because I'd grown up on the stage anyway, I knew about choreography, and I knew that everything was deliberate. So when I had been, even with the performers that had lent their skills and creativity to me, it would still be okay, well. So thinking back at that point, I used to say to people, move and do your act in front of me, we'll put the music on, I want you to recreate that in front of me. But I would still be saying this is the moment I want you to pause, or can you do this but slowly? Or can you do that flick of the wrist with the fans. So I was probably still directing at that point. But then when it came to bringing people into a boudoir setting, I probably was pulling from all the poses that I'd learned from the stage plus all the people I seen, because at that point, maybe I'd been photographing, when I said been photographing burlesque for about two, three years before private clients started sort of popping up as well. So it was taking those moments off the stage that I knew would be FOTON were photographic or photogenic and applying them. So there was a while where I had further fans that I would bring into the studio because I knew exactly how to pose them to look good in front of the camera, or, you know, certain fabrics that I knew would like Swish, or be able to manipulate them in front of the camera that would, you know, create some movement. So it was probably very limited by that. But I would say over the years, the poses that I have picked up, you know, either through experimenting with them on my body, or seeing how they look and translate on other bodies of all different sizes and ages and genders. And playing with them to see because no two bodies are the same. Like literally no two bodies in, you know, depending on your shape, your height, your age, it literally could the same pose could look so different on three different people. And so I think it's honestly just in every single person that comes in, regardless of whether they're a performer or someone that I've posed. We're playing with their natural movements and going Okay, move in front of me, look down at your feet, look over your shoulder, and seeing how their natural body moves. So yeah, I would say the stage has probably played a huge part in how I pose people by just studying the way bodies move.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah, I guess, looking at the pictures that you've taken previously, as well, you can think well that's that's worked really well. So we need to recreate something like that. How did you feel about moving to that more controlled area of photography, though? Did you know was it straight away? Do you think yes, this is definitely what I want to do and feel comfortable with it or did it take you a little while to get used to the idea you're just doing it because people kept asking you
Tigz Rice
I think by the point that people started asking me for private shoots, I was very comfortable photographing people so I knew the styles that I wanted to shoot in. I knew that I didn't want to shoot Cheesecake Pinup. So as much as I personally love like Elvgren and Vargas and I have prints around how I knew that Cheesecake was not for me. So I would be having conversations with my clients and saying, you know, I am so happy that you've chosen me. But these are the styles that I want to explore. So if your vision of how you see yourself in photos and lines with what I see in the style I want to be recreating, then let's absolutely go ahead and do this. But it was kind of at that point that I'd gone. Okay, I've explored a lot of things. And this is the direction that I want to be moving in. So if I'm not taking work at this point in that style, it's not progressing my career. And I think at some point, around that time, someone very wise, I'd love to remember who it was said to me that the work that you're shooting now is going to be affecting your bookings in six months time. So I was very conscious at that point that the work that I was shooting had to be stuff that I wanted to develop further down the line. And so yeah, so I was turning down a lot of very smiley pinup stuff, and probably opting more for performers that wanted people that wanted to explore the shadowy side of boudoir instead. Yeah, it was definitely I was definitely at that point, starting to make more conscious choices about what I wanted to what I wanted to shoot.
Angela Nicholson
That absolutely makes sense, what you're saying about, you know, what you'll be shooting or asked to shoot in six months time because the image, shoot now, they go onto your website, they go into your Instagram, and that attracts your next batch of clients, doesn't it? So you want, you know, that's what they're going to request?
Tigz Rice
Absolutely. And I feel, I mean, I've been doing this for a while now, I think this is I'll be celebrating 14 years this year. And as time has evolved, I, I very rarely get asked to shoot something beyond maybe slightly beyond like, I might get a I have a little request or, Hey, I wondered if you might consider that generally speaking, at that point, I still very much had to, I had to set the boundaries of what I was willing to shoot. Versus now people look at my work and say, okay, tigs is established in this area of photography, that might lend itself into these side niches. So it was a wise decision. The only time it ever really came up that there was something lacking in my portfolio was another photographer I knew had ended up having to step away from their role as a photographer for a while and I got an email saying, as your work is quite similar, would you consider stepping in and taking over some of the clients that we have. And the only reason that I didn't end up doing that was because I didn't have enough outdoor portfolio work to show. And that was quite prolific in the work that this other photographer was doing. So around that point, I made a conscious decision that I would go outside and photograph in the outdoors more. So I definitely had missed. I'd missed a small calling there. But yeah, other than that, I'm happy with the decisions that like, I'm really happy with the decisions. And obviously, you know, the creative career is constantly evolving, you have the opportunity to say, You know what, actually, I feel compelled to go in this direction, or I'd like to fill in this niche that I don't have. So you constantly have the ability to evolve into the space that you want to be in. And whenever I found myself in a position where that has happened, I've gone out in I invested in myself to fill those gaps.
Angela Nicholson
It's quite a difficult balance to strike, isn't it that sort of that desire to be different and stand out, but also, you know, keep an eye on what the current trends are. But also be a trendsetter. You know, sometimes you may not because you're you're shooting for clients, so you don't necessarily want to do something that's completely out there. And people just sort of think, Whoa, what the heck is that? But equally, you don't want to sort of put something out that's very everyday and formulaic.
Tigz Rice
Yeah, it's such a fine line. Because my illustration style, if I think back to that, that time, and it was very photo manipulations of digital composite type work. So it wasn't that far removed from, I guess, points of my career. That at the time, it was so far removed from everything in the industry that it was impossible to get a job, which I think also really pushed me down the photography side of things. Ironically, that style really came into fashion around. I want to say it was around 2013 2014 So about five years later, and it was like when I think when like the Coraline movie came out the animation and Neil Gaiman had started getting a lot more TV. So his books were being told And into film and TV series and that kind of stuff, then. So around that time, five years later, if I'd have gone, you know what I'm gonna bring back all of my portfolio and put myself out there, I probably would have actually been able to make something of it. And I think the same with the photography, I think it's really important to explore your creativity to know that, you know, you can develop these unique personalities and styles and maybe be that trendsetter, but also it appeals to you enough, everything goes round, cyclical. So you might be in fashion for a year in the photography, you know, industry, but you need if you're going to inhabit as a career, you need to have the skill to adapt what you're doing. And the two are commercial, or commercially viable experience and output. So, yeah, it's really treading that fine line. But, you know, at the end of the day, we're creatives and the thing that takes that makes us tick is being the creative that we want to be. So even if that work is not commercially viable, it's still worth exploring. Because at the end of the day, that's where your happiness lies.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah. Speaking of that, a key element of your photography is empowerment. And it strikes me that must be a very, very rewarding area to work in. Because obviously, you know, you're making your clients feel good about themselves feel happier, it might help them in all sorts of ways you couldn't possibly predict. But does that put a burden of responsibility on you?
Tigz Rice
For sure. I've often described the world of boudoir photography as being it's almost like being the hairdresser. So I think there's a there's a meme going around on tick tock at the moment. And it's sort of like, you know, did you tell your best friend? No, did you tell your partner? No, did you tell your hairdresser? You know, there are things that certain people in your life, you have that vulnerability around, or perhaps because they're one step removed, or you're putting yourself in a position of trust, people do tell you a lot of stuff. So you know, you end up hearing about their traumas, and life experiences, and perhaps they're things that they have come to you to work through. So maybe they're reconnecting with their body or reestablishing a relationship with themselves. And maybe, maybe they're, they've decided that for once they belong at the top of their priority list kind of thing. So there's a lot of, there's a lot of sharing. And it's making sure that you're being what's the word, I'm looking for conscious and empathetic to their unique lived experience, but also, making sure that you do that within the boundaries, that protects yourself as well. Because if people are constantly bringing that energy in, you need to you need to have a way to release that from yourself. Otherwise, you're going to be storing all of that up as well. So yeah, it's finding a balance. Sometimes I, especially if I've had a big day where I've had like six boudoir clients in a day, the next day, I will purposely have off, I won't look at the photos, I won't answer any emails, just so that I can restore that balance of energy in myself. I wouldn't say I'm particularly spiritual, or Wu or however you describe the flow of energy through it in and out of yourself. But I do know that I need, I need time to rebalance the day after a big, especially with a lot of clients. So yeah, it's something that is constantly at the forefront of my mind throughout my career is that I can't, I can't pour from an empty cup to help others. So I need to make sure that I'm coming to them with my best energy, but also protecting and honouring their experiences as well.
Angela Nicholson
It is a very important thing to know about yourself when you're self employed, isn't it? Because it's very easy to keep pushing and pushing and pushing because you know, time is money. And as you know, get more clients do this, do that. But actually, it can be a terrible downward spiral.
Tigz Rice
Yeah, it really can. I have experienced burnout, it was not fun. And however long it takes you to get into burnout, it's going to take significantly multiples longer of however long it took to recover properly as well. Actually, coming today, that we're recording this, I've actually just had last week off. I didn't go anywhere, didn't do anything. But I knew I knew in myself that I needed time to reset. So I it was booked for a couple of weeks before and then I pushed it to I was like, but there was a hard limit of I know I need to take this time off now so that I can be my best self for when, you know the next sort of phase of jobs comes through. Finished work on Thursday, and about Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon. I don't know that many days off, but I could feel the creative aspect of me coming back and having these ideas and like Greg Give me a notepad I need to write this down. And seeing things that were inspiring me again. So yeah, take the time off. Like, I know it doesn't earn you money, but what you get from the time off is so worth it.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah. And actually eventually it will earn you money because you take the time off so you do better work. So you get more clients or, you know, more appreciative clients, by which I mean, who are prepared to pay more money.
Tigz Rice
Exactly that. Yep.
Now, I think it was, was it 2020 When you published your book Strip Tease?
Oh, yeah, so it was December 2019.
Angela Nicholson
Okay.
Tigz Rice
It was due, funnily enough, it was due to be released on in April 2020, which would have been an absolute nightmare. Yeah, I don't actually know, we probably wouldn't have published it at that point, we probably would have held on to it. But I'd set myself a goal when I started my career that on my 10th business birthday, by May 10. Business birthday, I wanted to have released and published a book, and it all kind of came into fruition. Nice. I like that as a goal. My publishers working class publishing, I'd seen them floating around on my Instagram. And I'd seen them like a few things. I reached out to them and was like, I mean, I love your work. If you're interested, let me know. And that was probably 2017. Yeah, Christmas 2017, I think was when I pitched the book to them. And I think I gave them like two or three options. And then by the time we'd got around to actually officially formally discussing it, it was summer 2018. Started like signing contracts and sort of, you know, discussing the actual process of it around end of 2018. And then I was in Japan, sort of at the beginning of 2019, with the goal that as soon as I got back, the book would be started. So I was working on it solidly from April 2020, April 2019. Through two, I remember sending the last picture. And I was sat in Gothenburg airport in Sweden, trying desperately to get enough Wi Fi to send the files to them in mid October, because it had to go to print for proofing. So yeah, so the last file, and we done while I was travelling. So at that point, I was doing six beats around Europe doing some do some makeovers throughout Europe. And I was I was doing a full four to five clients a day. So it was probably about 910 hour day, and then having dinner and then doing the night shift, then going through all the proofs and going back and forth with the publishers sort of on layouts and image inclusions and everything like that. We were doing that mid October, but we beat the publishing deadlines that we'd set ourselves. And so the printers actually said there's a gap. We could print them now if you wanted. And so yeah, the day that the book launched with December 1, which was my official 10 year business birthday, I think the books had arrived, maybe three days before. Perfect. So that was a that was a busy year. Very busy. Yeah. Yeah.
Angela Nicholson
And when you say you're working on it, were you shooting for it, then specifically? Or were you selecting your images, and maybe sort of shooting some stuff and thinking, Oh, that image should go in as well.
Tigz Rice
I really wanted the book to have unseen content in it. So it was really important to me that it wasn't just the work that I'd already put out into the wild. I wanted there to be content in the book that would make people want it even, you know, people who had been following my career for a long time, I wanted that to be a treat in there for them. So there's 68 performers in the book. And I want to say, oh, gosh, I feel like I feel like half of it was new shoes that we shot specifically for the book. And so yeah, there was a lot of new work. And sometimes it was performance that I had worked with that I knew I wanted to be in the book, it was a performer. That meant a lot to me. But I felt like I could do a better job if I photographed them again now, or maybe things had changed for them as well. And it felt better to represent them how they are in you know, 10 years later, rather than my older work. So yeah, it was a it was a lot of shooting. I didn't do much else that year. Other than book work, I believe, I think, you know, just the odd bits to kind of get by financially. It was a full year of concentrating only on the book and the images I wanted to put in that book. So yeah, from a from a creative perspective, some I'm so proud of what I achieved that year in their images. I go back to again and again because I just was granted this sort of six month period of being able to focus solely on work that made my Part happy not to say that my commercial stuff doesn't as well. But you know, there is something really special about right, leaning into where you want to go with your creativity. Yeah, it was it is really good memories.
Angela Nicholson
And you had set yourself it as a goal. So to put a big tick next to that box must have been a really nice sense of achievement.
Oh, it was amazing. It's, I mean, it's been, what, four years, almost now, or sub three and a half coming up to four years. And I think it's probably going to forever be one of my proudest achievements. So it's, it's just about me, it sits in the back of my office, and sort of with all my cameras, so yeah, yeah, it still it was, it was so much work. And I cannot tell you how hard it was and how much I cried throughout the process. Because it was stressful and tiring, and long days. But I'm smiling when I remember it now. So it was clearly all worth it.
And I think it's really important to have it like you say, you've got it just behind you. Where you're sitting, it's really important to see those little reminders. So every time you sit in that chair, as you sit down, you'll see it as you turn around. And I think that's how so important that just gives you that little smile. That's brilliant.
Tigz Rice
Yeah, yep. Surround yourself with good memories.
Angela Nicholson
Good idea, I think. So now it's time for Six From SheClicks. I've got 10 questions from SheClickers. And I'd like you to answer six questions, please by selecting numbers from one to 10. So if you'd like to give me your first number, I will ask the first question.
Tigz Rice
It definitely has to be number three.
Angela Nicholson
Number three, what's your favourite fashion era for styling a luxury and that's from Rebecca.
Tigz Rice
So my favourite era for lingerie, there's two. Firstly, I would say sort of the 1940s. Around that time, we'll be still coming off the back of the war. So a lot of fabrics will rush in. So there was a hell of a lot of make do and mend in the work that I've done with the underpinnings over the last. I think we're seven years now. And we've been looking in there's pieces in there that are made from parachute silks. Or there's one set in there that has been made out of fabric from a escape map from World War Two, for example. So in terms of how things were made, and but also the styling as well. So if you are aware of brands called what Katie did, sort of basically everything that they have in their solid in terms of that repro laundry, so yeah, all the 40 stuff. But actually, I also have a real soft spot for 2000s, which I got it's probably just on the border of vintage at this point. What they said 30 is like the cutoff for vintage, isn't it? I think so. Yeah, I suppose so. And that we had made by Nicky, who was doing all this amazing stuff that's kind of come back round and fashion. Lots and lots of like layered string string pieces, like the fishnet stuff that was back, old school agent provocateur as well, like, well, the classic sets were so there's sort of yeah, there's that period of time with the sort of very, very moderate modern styles and, you know, hardcore AP stuff and in there, and then yeah, the 40s. But to be honest, I love all of them. The the 1920s as well, was great and sort of like to have pants, and I think it just depends also on who's wearing it because obviously bodies, every single body shape is different. And some of us might have bodies that lend themselves to 1920s and 30s and 40s and 50s, and so on. And so on my personal body, the 40 stuff looks better. So I suppose probably why I'm drawn to it, but on my clients have really just whatever looks great on them, is probably the answer.
Angela Nicholson
So do you look at a client and suggest an error or you know, as a type of lingerie, or do they usually have quite clear ideas?
Tigz Rice
Normally they'll come to me with their own ideas. I think it's one of those you know, I send out how to prepare for your boudoir shoot PDF, so they get to go through and say you know, here's ideas and here's different brands that create different styles of laundry. But honestly, I think and this is why I don't provide lunch right? I mean one for hygiene reasons but two, I want them to go away and find laundry that they feel great in. So normally by the time they've reached me they've had a play around and gone I feel more comfortable in 20s or 40s or 50s then then the ones that we tend to get the most often. So it it never is a I'm picking an air of the You or I pick, I've picked an era for myself. It's, this is what I feel more comfortable in. And then from there, we'll arrange the styling to match both in lingerie and a personality. Because I don't think anyone truly ever really is one decade. I think especially when you're pulling back to vintage, it's honouring it, but also honouring yourself as well.
Angela Nicholson
I guess a nice spin from that, or spin off of that is that somebody does a bit of research and find some lingerie that they absolutely love. And then they've got that as the kind of as a part of the shoot. So they haven't just got the photographs that you've taken, they can then kind of, you know, they've got the clothing to put on and make them sort of recreate it in their own minds as well.
Tigz Rice
Absolutely. And, you know, if you've, if you've got clothes that you have good experiences and memories in, I mean, we've all got those things in our wardrobes, I'm sure I, you know, I still have my wedding dress, for example, I'm not gonna wear that every day. I mean, I could probably be weird, but you could, like I have my wedding dress. And I'm sure that there are other things like you have that pair of jeans that you still have from your teenage years that, you know, brings back certain memories or whatever. So I'm sure we all have things but specifically if you have lingerie that is something that you can use to celebrate your body in by taking photographs. I think that's a really incredible thing. And quite a small you know, it's a small normally neatly packaged, you know, tiny pile of things that doesn't take up too much space either for you to hold on to these memories.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah, wedding dresses a bit more of a a thing to look after, isn't it?
Tigz Rice
Oh, that's a wardrobe. Yeah.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah. So would you like to give me your second number,please?
Tigz Rice
Um, seven?
Angela Nicholson
Number seven. Okay, so other than yours, and SheClicks obviously, what is your favourite YouTube channel?
Tigz Rice
Oh, it's gonna be really off topic. That's okay. So I don't actually watch a huge amount of YouTube, I'll be completely honest. But when I do you watch YouTube. It's normally because I'm following some of my favourite Japanese creatives. And because I have this long, long, ongoing love affair with Japan. And I've been learning the language. So most of my YouTube is either it's abroad in Japan, with Chris Broad and his travels around Japan. Or it's like Japanese called 101. Because they teach language skills. I yeah, I don't think I don't think I actually follow any photographers on YouTube. I may be wrong, but I don't think I'm following any photographers on there. So yeah. If you want a healthy dose of Japanese content, though, please feel free to go and see. Well, I'm following on there.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, I'll take a look. Thanks for that. So, can we have your third number then please?
Tigz Rice
One
Angela Nicholson
Number one. Oh, okay. Carmen says I think I'd be a very shy subject in front of the camera, how would you be able to change my mind and allow me to show a side of me that I rarely show?
Tigz Rice
Absolutely, everybody, absolutely everybody bar maybe, literally, a small handful of people in my entire career feel exactly the same. When thinking about what it's like to be in front of a camera. I think there's such a, a wall that we have as humans of painting ourselves in a vulnerable spot in front of a camera, probably with a stranger because, like we haven't met and being your most vulnerable, authentic self. And I can tell you, for starters, that absolutely everyone feels that way, including me. And that's why it's so important for me over my career to a studio in front of a camera as many times as possible. And I try and do that once a year at minimum. In fact, actually, I'm doing one right after recording this podcast, just to make sure that I remember and I can empathise and know exactly how it feels for you to be in that situation. But also, there's so many things that we can do throughout the entire experience to make this as comfortable as for you as possible. So it could be things like pinning on your favourite music so that you're tapping into those memories that make you feel good about yourself. Or asking you questions where you get to think about the things that bring you joy, or the proudest moment of your life or a moment where you really felt like you got to shine and you tap into all those points in your life that made you the wonderful person that you are so that you can feel your very best and once you're in that mindset and you spent some time with us and hung out with dance to your favourite songs and had your hair and makeup done, you feel fantastic. Literally, you'll be you'll be raring to get in front of that camera. I promise you.
Angela Nicholson
That sounds great. Okay, so I have another number please.
Tigz Rice
10 please.
Angela Nicholson
Number 10. What was the first boudoir shot that you remember seeing And that's from Liz.
Tigz Rice
Oh, I don't know. Was it when you took potentially because if I'm really honest, I don't know that boudoir as a term really existed, like, I in no way am I claiming that I am a founder of boudoir but that term was not being bandied around very often at that point. So I'm not sure that if I had seen it, I would have considered it to be boudoir photography. Probably the earliest stuff that I would have seen would have been of Dita Von Teese. She was definitely the performer that made me realise that this kind of more erotic style of artwork existed. So yeah, I would say probably Dita but I couldn't tell you who shot it because she obviously has quite a few photographers that work with her. Maybe Sanchez Zalba, @sanchezzalba? Probably but yeah, it's a very good question. I don't know if I don't know if I know the answer to that one. But Dita as a whole was the was the main source of inspiration at that time for sure.
Angela Nicholson
She was not exactly mainstream, but she did become quite widely known for a while.
Tigz Rice
Yeah, and I mean, she's just wow, she's just got a full residency that she's going to be picking. I think it starts in October in Vegas, so be her first main, like serious residency as well. So then, she's definitely making waves back through the environment. She always has been, but especially the last sort of few years, her tours been getting bigger and bigger. So yeah, it's amazing. Yeah. And it's really nice to see that there's longevity in the industry as well. And it's phenomenal the way she does and how many people she's inspired and sort of helping bring Neo burlesque back to modern day, like helping that that revival.
Angela Nicholson
And Vegas seems like a great venue. It's a crazy place totally over the top in some respects. And there's, you know, lots of excitement and great lights and all that sort of stuff. It just seems like the right place for that kind of thing.
Tigz Rice
Absolutely. And the costumes are phenomenal from the sneak peeks that I've seen.
Angela Nicholson
I can imagine.
Tigz Rice
Well, not personally online.
Angela Nicholson
She's is not been WhatApping you with 'what do you think of this', then?
Tigz Rice
Oh, my gosh, I wish I prayed to grabbed her tour in Brighton last year. And I did get to spend some time with her. And I can confirm she's a wonderful human. But no, calling us friends would be a very, very, very hard stretch.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, so can we have your penultimate number then please?
Tigz Rice
Six?
Angela Nicholson
Number six, what percentage of the week or month? Do you spend taking photographs? You've already said, you know, you're very careful to balance your time with work and time out to refresh.
Tigz Rice
Yep, I never worked weekends. Saturday Sunday's are just a hardcore no for me. Monday mornings, I do my Japanese lessons. So it wouldn't be that either. I can to offer shoots Tuesdays to Fridays. And I'd say maybe two to three of those days like the shooting, but I take probably on average, it's probably two. So two day shooting, and then two and a half days editing or admin.
Angela Nicholson
A week?
Tigz Rice
Yeah.
Angela Nicholson
You mentioned doing six shoots in a day. Is that normal? Or is that a very intensive day? Sounds it.
Tigz Rice
I offer makeover days. So I might do one, probably about three, three to four a year. So one day, roughly speaking, I do one of those per quarter, unless I'm doing sort of like a travelling tour. So it makes sense to kind of do them. But even then, if it's a touring one, we'll probably only do four to five a day. And we probably only shoot three, maybe four days of the week, and then have a good three to four days off in between. So just to make sure that we've got the energy to kind of maintain that level of work.
Angela Nicholson
Yeah. When you say we, do you have a team who works with you?
Tigz Rice
Yes. So it would be myself and one to two hair and makeup artists that I'll travel with as well. If we're doing up to four at a day, I'll just have one. If we're doing more than four. I'll have to just to make sure that that it because it's long days. So yeah, so there could be two to three of us travelling if we do if we do at all.
Angela Nicholson
Okay, so your final number, please.
Tigz Rice
I'll have nine.
Oh, this is a nice one. What are your favourite non photographic accessories that you find in your kit?
Oh, I'm one of those weird people that doesn't normally take a bag anywhere. And so unless it's in my pocket, or I happen to have a bag with me, I really really don't have much on me. That isn't just the stuff that I need for that day. The only other things that you'll find him a bag. I have a screwdriver, but that is kind of photographic because I need this sometimes I need it to like tighten bolts, a protein bar, of which actually funnily enough, there's not one in front of me. But then probably the only thing that I have is this business card holder. So that's probably the only other thing I have on me. So I would love to I think to say that I have this amazing thing that I carry around with me but yeah, I'm, I am a creature of only the things I need only when I need them. And that was a really bad answer to that question. Sorry. I wish I had something more inspiring to say.
Angela Nicholson
That's all right. I've asked the same question or a similar question of a portrait photographer one time and she said blotting paper, which I was talking about, because when she used them instead of tissues, you know, for taking the shine off people's faces. Ah, yeah. I've not really heard of blotting paper being used in that way. But of course, it's it's designed to absorb, isn't it? So quite a sensible answer really
Tigz Rice
Exactly. There is some of that also in my kit, blotting paper is an excellent thing to carry around as portrait photographer.
Angela Nicholson
As endorsed by Tigz Rice. Tigz, thanks so much for spending your time with me today. It's been really lovely hearing from you.
Tigz Rice
Oh, it's been an absolute joy. Thank you so much. And thank you to everyone that submitted questions as well. It's really nice to have such different questions asked. So yeah, I've really appreciated my time. Thank you.
Angela Nicholson
Brilliant, thank you. Thanks for listening to this episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoyed it. You'll find links to Tigz's social media channels and website in the show notes. I'll be back with another episode soon. So please subscribe to the show on your favourite podcast platform and tell all your friends and followers about it. You'll also find SheClicks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube if you search for SheClicks net. So until next time, enjoy your photography.
