What’s you name?
Ruby Boland
Where are you located?
Ulladulla, NSW, Australia.
If you could describe what you do for a living on your own terms, what would you say?
I’m currently in between jobs at the moment, focussing on improving my skills as well as doing a few paid photography jobs here and there.
Aside from your given title, would you say there are any other titles or hats you wear in this position?
Aside from photography, I really enjoy graphic design. Using both my photography and graphic design skills, I’ve been able to design posters for several events and bands.
Is this what you always wanted to be when you grew up?
I never really knew what I wanted to do when I grew up, I guess I always wanted to do something creative with either music or photography. I remember spending about a year figuring out how I could do something related to music and photography before I started to pursue music photography as a career.
Can you put into words your career history to date?
I’ve been lucky enough to shoot quite a few bands that I love which is pretty awesome in my eyes. I’ve contributed as a photographer to a few different websites which has definitely gained me experience in shooting live music and given me opportunities to shoot artists I never thought I’d be able to shoot.
If there was ever a time where you weren’t working for yourself, how did you make the leap from working for someone to working for yourself? Was it an easy transition?
I’ve only recently started working for myself, not full time yet but slowly getting there. There’s definitely pros and cons to being your own boss, getting motivated is definitely something I struggle to do, especially when it comes to editing photos.
Coming back to the present, (haha) what is your morning routine before you start the day?
I try to get up as early as I can so I can wake up properly, eat breakfast and get organised for the day. Usually the night before I write a list of all the things i’d like to finish the next day, which definitely helps me get jobs done without too much distraction.
Describe what you do between stepping into your work space and then calling it a wrap at the end of the day (Basically, your average work day):
Some days I have heaps of things to do and some days I don’t have much to do. I try to do the things that take the most time first to get them out of the way and then start working on the things that don’t take as much time. On the days that I don’t have as much work to do, I’m usually brainstorming new project ideas, looking for ways I can do things differently. I’m one of those people who loves finding the easiest way to do whatever it is I’m doing. It definitely makes completing tasks easier when you know how to do it simply but well.
What is your favourite part of the day?
When I wake up early enough, definitely sunrise. It’s such a beautiful time of day. Living on the beach is amazing because the ocean has the most beautiful colours in the morning.
How do you define internal and external success in all that you do?
For me, internal success is when I know in my heart that I’ve finished a project I’m really happy with and proud of. External success for me is when my client is happy with the work I’ve produced for them, or when other people recognise my work and like it.
What has been the biggest success so far and why?
To most people this probably seems like nothing but I took a photo of Jenna McDougall from the band Tonight Alive at Soundwave festival this year and about a week after the festival she posted the photo on Instagram which made me really happy. They’re one of my favourite bands so it was pretty cool that she recognised my work and liked it.
With all that success there’s bound to be some overwhelming moments, how do you overcome the bumps along the way?
In these overwhelming times, I believe staying clear of the battle and focusing on what needs to be done is really important. I find if you focus on the problem it can be really distracting and will usually cause you to become overwhelmed and stressed which is why I always try my best to shift my focus to the task on hand.
Ok, so you’re sitting at a cafe across the table from your biggest career inspiration, who is it and why?
It’s hard for me to pick just one inspiration because so many people, places and things inspire me. I guess if we were talking about music photography, my biggest inspiration is Sammy Roenfeldt. He captures the emotions of live music perfectly in every shot he takes. I really admire how well he tells the story of the show in his photos and the passion he captures.
Now, someone new to the career field is sitting across the table from you, what advice do you give them?
Work hard in every area of your life. School is very important. Make art that you love and are passionate about. Be nice to everyone. Find something you love doing and you won’t have to work a day in your life.
Would you go back and do any of it differently or just the same?
If I could do anything differently, I’d probably apply myself more at school and work harder in my early teen years.
So if that little kid you used to be before looked at you now, do you think they’d be excited to grow up?
I think they would be very excited to grow up. I’m pretty happy with my life at the moment and how things are going.
What do you want to do next?
So many things! I’d love to start touring with bands, improve my video making and editing skills, do more landscape and ocean photography and try a lot of new things.
What is your favourite saying/inspirational quote?
I don’t really have any favourite quotes, my favourite Bible verse however is Philippians 4:6 which says, “Be anxious for nothing, pray about everything.” I really love that.