Charlotte Curd - one sunset at a time

Written by JEnna Houghton

Photographer Charlotte Curd has been attracting international praise for her distinct aesthetic and undeniable talent. The Sydney based freelancer spoke to MOOD about life across the Tasman and her desire to capture the joy in the world, one sunrise at a time.

What is your style of photography and what inspires you?

I don’t know how to explain my style, I think it’s more what I’m drawn to, and I’m drawn to colours, and I’m drawn to nature, and wildlife, and people – certain characters. Anything that will shift my mood I’m drawn to. Which is all of these things but mostly colour – it’s a huge part of my work. 

How did you get into photography and when did you know it was your calling?

I’ve always been into arts, I thought I was going to go into fashion. I struggled with English, maths and science – all of the normal school subjects. I did graphic design because I had a teacher who believed in me. So I went to Wellington to major in design, but I ended up changing in second year because I had one lecturer, a photographer, who gave us a project on rituals and I did people peeing. She gave me an A+ and told me I need to be doing photography. I guess anyone who believed in me and said “this is what you should be doing” I listened to, because it didn’t happen too often. I changed to the diploma in my third year because I hadn’t picked up a camera at all. I’m a visual person, I don’t want to be writing essays. If I’m studying photography I want to be learning photography. It was the best decision I made, I learned so much in those two years.

I still had people doubting me though. I photographed the Mongrel Mob at their Porirua pad when I was at university, I showed it to my class and the lecturer said I should never go back there because it was too dangerous and that’s something I’ve always regretted because I listened to her. So basically, my biggest lesson is to not let other people’s fears get in the way of what I’m doing on my journey.

You’re a Taranaki native, tell us a little about growing up here? 

I feel very grateful for being brought up in Oakura. It was very relaxing yet competitive. Being close to the mountain we got to go skiing and surfing, I was always outdoors, surrounded by nature which has definitely had an impact on my life and work now. I feel like there’s been a lot of amazing women, not only women but men – Beaudy Barrett who came from down the coast, Annalee Muggeridge who’s doing so well for herself. We were both Four Square grocery girls and managed to prove ourselves through our passions, and the same goes for Paige Hareb. She’s not only been a great friend growing up but a huge inspiration to me. I feel like, for such a small town, a lot of success and hard work has come out of it.

You’re based in Sydney now, what drew you to the city and what does daily life entail?

I was going to go to Melbourne when I finished university because that’s where all my artsy friends were going, but Sydney resonated with me because it’s got beaches which I need – I need to be by the sea – and it has money and people and a lot of opportunities here, and I guess, not so many artsy people compared to Melbourne. It’s less competitive for someone who is coming from New Zealand and trying do what I’m doing. I look at all my friends that studied with me at Massey and did arts and there are very few of them doing art now. I feel really grateful that I went with my intuition. I love Sydney – It’s not what everyone makes it out to be, yeah there’s the city life, but I’m only a 20min drive from the city and I’m right on the beach, it’s so quiet and tropical, I feel very lucky.  I get up each morning and take photos of sunrises and sunsets. I’ve been doing it since I got here and it’s purely for me, it makes me happy and changes my mood instantly.

I have been freelancing for the last year doing all sorts of random stuff which is what I like, it keeps me busy. Lately, I’ve been doing more and more projects that appeal to me, compared to when I first starting freelancing and I was just doing everything and anything.

After university you spent a few years as a photographer for the Taranaki Daily News. At what point did you decide it was time for a change?

After being at the Daily News and winning a couple of photography awards, I said to the editor of the Dom Post, “cool, I’ve done this, I’ve done that, what’s next for me, where else can I go?” I thought I could become a chief photographer, I always wanted to grow and keep learning and keep getting better. When I said that to the editor, she said, “Come on Charlotte, you’ll be out of here in no time,” and that changed my view on life a lot because I thought I was going to be set at the Daily News and be there, happily, for the rest of my life. I handed in my resignation and chased my fears. I couldn’t look back, I’m so proud of how far I’ve come since then.

What awards and recognition have you received for your work and what are you most proud of?

I used to say obviously the Junior Canon Photographer of the Year and Junior Fairfax Photographer of the Year were my major achievements, but now it’s being recognised by companies such as Lonely Planet and other photography magazines. The little write ups I get, they all seem to love my work. I got this quote recently from Juniqe, which is based in Europe “If there was ever an award for photographers gifted with the ability to capture the joy in the world it would go to Charlotte Curd. She artfully succeeds in recording strikingly cinematic scenes from everyday life. Admiring her work, we can’t help but notice how much her aesthetic reminds us of  Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel. Need we say more.” Hearing things like that makes me want to cry, because that’s exactly what I want to be doing, capturing the joy in the world. To remind others of Wes Anderson – who’s a massive inspiration – is just so humbling. 

www.charlottecurdphotos.com