SheFeatures: Angi Wallace
Name: Angi Wallace
Camera: Sony A7iii and OM System OM1
Favourite type of photography: Creative photography, close up & macro, still life, small pet/insect photography
Website: angiwallacephotography.com
Instagram: @angiwallacephotography
Location: North Tyneside, Tyne & Wear, UK
How did you get into photography?
I’ve always taken snaps on a point-and-shoot camera on days out and holidays etc. I started becoming more interested in taking photos when I visited the Lake District pretty much monthly. Then, when I started keeping frogs and reptiles, I wanted to share how stunning they were with everyone. My life changed drastically in around 2006 when I became unwell with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), I could barely step outside some days. I was given a camera for Christmas and decided within two weeks that I would learn to use it on all manual settings, so I set out to learn from a couple of books and what I could find online.
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
LSWPP (Licentiate of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers), ASINWP (Associate of the Society of Nature and Wildlife Photographers), UK winner of EISA Animal Kingdom Portfolio 2023, Camera Jabber Photographer of the Year 2023, Plant and Fungi Photographer of the Year with SWPP 2020, The National Photographic Society Photographer of the Year for 3 years. Beauty of Plants 1st place in International Garden Photographer of the Year 2023, Still Life winner in International Garden Photographer of the Year 2021 & 2022 (3rd in 2023).
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
The first photograph I recall really trying to take properly was at sunset on the shores of Derwentwater in the Lake District in the mid-1990s using a point-and-shoot camera.
What do you love about photography?
I love how my photography journey just flows along with my life, changing along with whatever is current in my life at the time. I feel like my own personal experience of photography is moulded and shaped by my life. Photography gives me a true sense of purpose within a society where disabled or ill people are often not truly valued because we are often unable to work and be as productive as able-bodied people. It also gives me an important creative outlet and a way to express myself and what I am experiencing in life.
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
I wish I had started learning all the manual settings back in the 1990s, although it would have been expensive, given the cost of film. I generally went through a handful of rolls of film a week on holidays already.
Where is your favourite place for photography?
Lying on a woodland floor covered in moss, surrounded by woodland plants, fungi and insects, with the sounds of nature all around me.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
Lately, playing with flowers submerged in water, milk and ink as it combines my love of art and photography, with a passion for plants.
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
Every single image is different. I prefer getting things right in-camera with a quick tweak in Adobe Camera Raw. I enter a lot of competitions, so I now have a habit of checking every pixel. I like using luminosity masking to make the most of every detail, looking at highlights, etc. Sometimes, I will use Topaz Labs software for a bit of extra creativity. I also often use my own textures.
What's your favourite lens?
I love my Sigma APO MACRO 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM and Meyer Gorlitz Primoplan equally.
Do you have a favourite accessory?
My Wemacro Focusing Rail is great for precise focusing and focus stacking for macro photography.
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
Yes - a huge non-camera bag that fits on the back of my mobility scooter and I’ve fitted out with partitions from an old camera bag.
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
Mandy Disher has hugely influenced my photography for pretty much the last 18 years. I love her approach and use of textures. Jake Hicks inspires me with his use of lighting and how he constantly adapts and tries new ways. About 15 years ago, I was very inspired by Brooke Shaden and took up creative portraiture for a few years.
Listen to the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast with Brooke Shaden
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
@this_forest_floor (Jamie Rosencrans), @mdewitphotography (Marina De Wit), @joannunaki (Jo Stephen).
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
A better computer to handle the prolific amount of photographs I take and cope with focus stacking, plus it magically stores a million photos monthly.
Is there a genre of photography that you love but you haven't tried yet?
Underwater - I would dearly love to photograph frogs, tadpoles, sea snakes and turtles underwater.
What's your proudest photographic moment?
A hard one to choose, probably winning 1st place in Beauty of Plants category of IGPOTY (International Garden Photographer of the Year), that’s something I dreamed of doing since seeing Mandy Dishers work back in 2006/7.
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
To simply be healthy and have energy.
Your favourite baked goods are?
A gluten-free pear and almond cake sold in a local coffee shop, or the packaged gluten-free brownies from Costa.
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I'm an ex-rheumatology specialist nurse with a love of the Scottish Highlands and Lake District. I love rock music, being at one with nature, meditating, watercolour painting, and getting lost in a good book. I have interests in gardening, folklore, fantasy, paganism, art, cultures and history. I adore frogs and reptiles, having kept them for around 23 years. I love to combine my interests with photography
