Photographer Grant Hegedus on his bright, humorous food puns photographic work which was also featured on LensCulture. He is also a member of our great TRAJECTORY showcase.
Hey! Please introduce yourself and what you do!
Hi my name is Grant Hegedus; I am a photographer who focuses on still life and food photography mainly. I am from Billingham, England, and I have just graduated from Cleveland College of art in design with a BA Honors Degree in photography.
Tell me a little bit about your current project.
This project shows what happens when you take the names of primarily British meals in a literal sense. I wanted the photos to shows a symbolic interpretation of what the names of the meals are by using visual puns. The over all meaning of this projects is for the food photographs to attract the attention of an audience through vibrant colours and the simplicity of a comedic and puzzling statement of the English language surrounding food by using visual puns.
What are the pros and cons you find daily about your practice?
The pros about the practice I am in would have to be that I can always be as creative as I want when I want. Since starting photography five years ago I have began to see life differently and I am able to take inspiration from all the things I see around me.
The cons would have to be that I am unable to create non-stop, as I need sleep so I can carry on being creative each day.
When is the best time to work to get those creative juices going?
It depends some times the morning might be best for example five in the morning, but other times eleven at night might be best. I don’t have any specific time as the creative juices will flow at different times depending what I’m working on. But my creativity is always there and I can usually work at any time.
What is it about your practice that you find so exciting and keeps you hooked?
There is always something new to photograph or create and I just love this as it means I can always be creative and imaginative. I also find it interesting how people can interpret a single photograph differently to each other, and being able to find out what others perspectives and thoughts are is inspiring.
You print with us here at theprintspace, what is your go to paper of choice?
I usually use Fuji Matt (C-TYPE) or Fuji Gloss (C-TYPE), but it depend on what photographs I am getting printed but they are my main two.
What do you like the most about using this paper?
The aspect that I like the most is that it is great quality plus it is also archival, so I know it will last a long time.
If you could experiment with any other medium, what would you choose?
I used to study ceramics and graphics/illustration at college but id most likely go towards illustration. But I find woodwork fun and interesting so maybe that, but for now ill stick with my photography and see where I go from there as it is my main passion.
Where do you get your daily inspiration?
I find lots of inspiration from the world around me as well as what I see on a daily basis. Instagram is a main one as well as there are lots of creative individuals on there.
What makes you wake up each morning feeling pumped to create some new work?
The idea of creating new work helps me wake up each day. Also they idea that they work I create might just put a smile on someone’s face.
Are there any artists/photographers/writers/filmmakers or musicians where you have in mind when looking at creating new works?
There is many musicians that I have in my mind when creating new work the first would be Greenday as they are my favourite, second would have to be a over all generalization of classical music as it keeps me calm and helps put me in a creative mind set. There is always little aspects of all the above that you have mentioned that help me be creative.
What are you currently working on that you just can’t get enough of?
I am currently working on more photographs for my Food Pun project, but I am also working on traveling and documenting it through photos and video. I plan on having a small exhibition with this and also hope to get a successful you tube channel going based around this.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to make a career out of your given practice?
I would recommend that one you work hard, and two make as many contacts as possible to get your name out there.
What’s next for you?
Other than traveling I hope to get a job within photography, as a food and/or travel photographer. But fashion is always an option. As long as I can do photography as a job and be creative I will be happy.
You’ve been a user of the hub for a while now, what paper do you use when you sell your prints?
I use whatever paper is necessary for the image that is being printed; at the moment I am using Fuji Matt (C-TYPE) for the prints that I’m selling, as this paper works well for the photograph that is for sale.
Website:www.hegedusphotography.co.uk
Instagram:@hegedus_photography
