Siobhan Doran

Initially trained in architectural technology, Siobhan Doran spent over a decade working in building design before undertaking a degree in photography at the University of Westminster. Having graduated in 2006, she is currently engaged on a major project photographing the refurbishment of the Savoy Hotel, as well as taking on commissions for architects and design agencies.

Siobhan Doran was born and grew up in the Irish countryside. “My early interest wasn’t in photography”, she says, “it wasn’t until I came to London when I was 20 that I discovered photography, and that was after I’d taken a three year diploma in architectural technology in Ireland. I fell into that because I didn’t get accepted into art college.

“My course equipped me to become an architectural technician - the person in the design team that specialises in detailing the design after the architect or lead designer has come up with the concept. I worked in large commercial practices at the beginning, and got more and more involved in space planning and interior design, eventually concentrating more on finishes and furniture.”

Finally, in the last four and a half years, Siobhan worked for a small design company just off the Kings Road, specialising in interior design, visual merchandising and furniture design, for high-end retail companies like Tom Ford and Gucci.

“When I first arrived in London”, she says, “I borrowed a friend’s SLR, but was hooked so quickly that it wasn’t long before I bought my own. I did a lot of travelling in Asia and South America. The colours and scenery became the catalyst for the growing photography interest. This spurred me onto applying for a part time degree in photography at the University of Westminster, but working in the high pressure of design and trying to do a part time photography course was going to be very difficult. It wasn’t until 2002 that I got a four-day a week job which finally allowed me start the course.

“People on the course were from all over the world – very diverse - and their ages ranged from early 20s right through to people in their 60s. They had different reasons for studying part time - the younger people were working in other fields, and they couldn’t afford to give up work and do the full time course. Then there were a few people who were self-taught photographers, and some who worked in galleries and so on.

“It was just the best four years. I was under no pressure, because I already had a career and I was doing it because I loved it. The first year of the degree is quite different to the other years, because the projects are quite short – being only six weeks long - and there’s a lot more of them. It gave you a taste for what was ahead.

“I started the course with the idea of doing portraiture, but I moved away from that. I remember a photograph I took that wasn’t appropriate to the project I was doing. It was a silhouette of my living room table after dinner. It was a summer’s evening, and the sun was shining through the curtains, a black and white image with nobody in it. I remember that image because it was just so still and beautiful. It was as if there were people in it but just not visible.

“From then on, I started to shoot without people. My tutor told me that we would be looking more closely at ‘absence of presence’ in photography, and that my photograph would fit that style. I started exploring that idea of photographing without people and yet capturing their presence. Working without people allows you to work for hours on your own without the pressure of a team in the studio or a deadline. You have time to understand what you’re looking at rather than snapping

.“The tutors were great. They were very approachable. I had a different experience on my course in Ireland, but on this BA I found you could talk to your tutors, and that helped you to explore what you were doing. The enthusiasm was there, and once you had an idea, their guidance and encouragement was fantastic, although they didn’t give it to you on a plate. It’s like everything; the more you put into it the more you get back.

“With architectural and interior commissioned work, I’m pretty much told what to photograph, but with my personal work, its much more time consuming, and it can take a lot of preparation and research to begin with in order to inform the final images. For example, I’ve got the rights to the photography of the Savoy Hotel until it’s refurbished, and what I’m going to create I’m not 100% sure of yet. I never start off knowing exactly what’s going to happen or what the end body of work will consist of. It evolves as I do my research, explore the archives, talk to people, spend time in the place, and then slowly the stories emerge and the past seems to come through in the imagery. It’s important to me to tell a story so there’s a bit more to a photograph. It’s not just a doorknob - it’s a doorknob that’s somewhere in particular. I like to create a narrative.

“I had a big commission after college, for art consultant Ginkgo Projects (www.ginkgoprojects.co.uk). They were asked by Hamptons International to commission three graduate photographers in the UK, as part of a continuing photography programme established by Hamptons International. The brief was to produce 15 to 20 images around the theme Home. This theme could be interpreted and developed by the photographers in line with their own practices. It was to be shot in 13 locations in the South of England. The selection process started in October 2006, and I found out just before Christmas that I was one of the three. The project had to be shot over four months while I was holding down the four day a week job, which was difficult. Toward the end, I was working four days a week on the commission by sacrificing weekends and holiday leave. It was a lot of pressure and a lot of travelling, but I absolutely loved it and they were happy with the result.

“The subjects I go for tend to be places of particular interest, like St Pancras Station. I photographed it in its dormant state whilst I was doing my degree. I obtained permission to photograph St Pancras from London and Continental Railways, the former owners of the building. I completed a book called Grand Hotel, which was part of my final year project. I am currently in discussion about its publication, and Manhattan Loft and the Marriott Hotel, both of which are involved in the refurbishment of the building, have shown an interest. The Savoy project has grown from the St Pancras work. I met someone who knew the Savoy project manager. Then I met the project manager. He looked at my work and encouraged me to contact Kiaran MacDonald, the managing director.

“The Savoy were interested, but they said it was a little too early, and asked me to come back in three months, and then in three months more. True to their word, they got me in and looked at my book. I put the proposal to them for creating a book documenting the refurbishment. The final output has not been agreed, but there is time to discuss the use of the imagery, as the re-opening is not until 2009. Whatever the output in the end, this was an amazing opportunity to record one of London’s great monuments before, during and after the  renovation. Had this opportunity been missed, there would be no photographic record and no way back.

“I find that when you explain what you’re doing, people are very open to ideas. You have to remember that these people are not photographers, they’re not even image-makers. They’re marketing, they’re sales, they’re everything else. A lot of people who are not in photography or design can’t really visualise until they see the end product, but for that reason you must always push to realise your ideas.

“I’ve registered as self employed, and have a big box with lots of receipts and paperwork in it that I have to sort out soon! These are mundane tasks, but necessary to allow me to pursue my passion. “My website (www.siobhandoran.com) was launched last September, and I already have plans to change it, because a lot has happened since I started. It’s very much like a gallery, and I want to show my new work as it comes in.

“Photographing interiors is making me a living at the moment, and I’m shooting for architects and PR companies. I also enter photographic competitions and submission calls. I find working on large commissions creating bodies of work most fulfilling. Sometimes I get a commission that is not exactly what I want to do, but in the beginning all work is experience, and sometimes those very jobs can lead to something wonderful.

"I have just been asked to put a proposal together for a piece of art work 40 metres long. That’s quite a huge commission. I’ll be looking at a set of 12 images that depict the history of the company, and will form part of their restaurant interior design, which uses my design experience as well. I’m finding that the design and the photography are quite complementary. I’m using a Canon EOS 5D with a variety of lenses, including a tilt and shift lens that I bought a couple of months ago for interior work, because my clients tend to want the work turned around quite quickly and in digital format. It’s a big transition from what I usually shoot, but I still use Mamiya 645 and 67 for my personal work, my larger commissions, and where large prints are required. I hope to purchase a digital back for the Mamiya in the coming months, which should really make a difference compared to the DSLR. It will be interesting to see how it compares to medium format film. I find myself needing to use lighting more and more, in particular for interior shots, and find the Elinchrom portable two head pack very versatile, which I hire when necessary from the Flash Centre.

“I will have my first solo show, Alma Mater, in Ireland in December this year. It will be exhibited in the Kilkenny at the Watergate Theatre Gallery, and curated by the Kilkenny Arts Council. It’s a series of imagery I shot a few years ago of a convent building that has since been demolished. The project is very much about history and memory.

“My aims for 2008 are to be represented by a gallery, and to pursue the publication of my St Pancras Hotel book.”