EIZO Award Winners Earn Prestigious Placements

Two Photography graduates, Lauren Fearn and Irene Mendez-Cruz, have each been awarded a placement at an esteemed photographers' studio for winning the EIZO 2018 Award.

The EIZO Award accepts entries from students studying at registered institutions and the winners this year were selected by a trio of renowned names in the industry. John Ross, Miles Aldridge and Simon Roberts each chose a student photographer to undertake a four-day internship at their studios.

Lauren's project, entitled Excavated Topographies, symbolises the human desire to change the earth's terrain and derive precious materials from it. She explained: "My project depicts the flattening, developing, ordering and mining of the landscape. This is represented by examining the connection between geological and fictitious depictions of the land, whilst incorporating mankind's interference with it.

"It feels fantastic to have my work chosen as one of the three winners. It was an absolute privilege to be in a professional studio, watching John interact with the various crew members and models, and learning how complex a shoot can be."

Lauren undertook a variety of roles within the operational side of the photography shoots whilst working at John's studio. She reflected: "I was there to observe the organisation of a professional shoot, helping John and his assistant when needed. This ranged from making diagrams of the sets, arranging the lighting, backdrops and various softboxes, checking the final images and purchasing props.

"There were three types of shoots, fashion which took two days, macro and band promo. It was extremely interesting being involved in such a variety of opportunities."

Working in a photography studio and shooting in a controlled environment was a new area for Lauren to test her skills, as her focus previously has been on landscape and nature photography.

She feels that her time at Falmouth has prepared her well for the industry, saying: "From doing studio projects as part of my course, I had an understanding of the software, cameras and lighting equipment used, so I was able to quickly pick up on what was going on as well as help adjust things when necessary.

"I would love to gain more experience in this kind of environment, so that I can become more confident in all aspects and hopefully start my own studio one day."