Biography
Lily Newman studied BA (Hons) Photography at Plymouth College of Art and graduated in August 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic. Born and raised in Devon, her work explores history, personal and political stories linked to her family history.
The Coronavirus epidemic left Lily unable to see her grandparents for months. Her only recourse was to speak via phone or video. As a result, she found herself searching through archival family imagery, unearthing stories from a time never spoken about. Online correspondence with her grandfather’s youngest brother and sister-in-law increased her desire to find out about the family she never knew. Inspired by her grandfather who grew up in Calcutta, India in the 1940’s and emigrated to England when he was just 16 years old, she aims to investigate her family history using her emerging practise as a way of examining life in India in the 1940’s and 50’s.
India is a country full of diversity, from religions to languages to cultures. The society of this colossal subcontinent, varied and complex in its rich heritage, is among the oldest in the world. Five thousand years of history have nourished the growth of a great civilisation. In the 1940’s, around the time of her grandfather’s birth, many events made history in India - most notably The Indian Independence Act of 1947. It was then that India won its independence from British India, partitioning into two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan. As more information is discovered, in the form of oral history and visual documentation, Anamnesis has become Lily’s way to preserve previously unmentioned memories and to share tales never shared in the family until now.
Industry Experience
Photographer Hannah Molly Jewellery 08/2020
With a new collection coming out for the autumn Hannah, owner and founder of Hannah Molly Jewellery approached me asking for a photographer to shoot her new collection. Having shot products in the past for Plymouth Auction House and setting up my own home studio to photograph trainers I felt I had the experience to complete the task. This experience made me work in a new style, working on my design and editing skills in a different way.
Head Photographer The Collective Mag 07/2020 - present
During the Coronavirus pandemic, like many people small businesses were set up as a hobby. An opportunity arose for a photographer yo join an online magazine. Working in a small team I seek out other aspiring photographers to feature in the magazine. This job allows me to promote myself as well as other artists trying to promote their work and get their name out there. After never working in editorial before I felt a little out of my comfort zone but as soon as I started I felt challenged and at ease. Email and social media communication are the most important skills in this role.
Technology Intern Bright Network 06/2020 - 07/2020
During the Coronavirus pandemic I decided to make the most of the uncertain times by taking myself out go my comfort zone by completing a three day long internship with Bright Network. The internship included industry talks from businesses Google, Goldman Sachs, Vodafone, Accenture, Amazon and Bloomberg. The talks were followed by a live brief to create my own plan on how I would create my own app considering the pros and cons of VR and using the information from the industry talks from throughout the week. This pushed me out of my comfort zone but gave me new skills which I will use throughout my future career.
Photographer Kathryn Bringloe Soprano 11/2019
In November 2019 I did some promotional photos for Kathryn Bringloe Soprano. Her work is mainly based in Exeter and she needed some more photos to promote herself. The tasks completed were staging the images which requires the ability of a creative eye, editing of the images which takes time and consideration and an eager eye for detail and good promotional content. The editing software used to complete the editing task was Adobe Photoshop. The final skill required was invoicing in order to be able for the expenses to go through her business.
Photographer British Red Cross Bookshop 09/2019 - 11/2019
In September 2019 I started volunteering for the British Red Cross as a photographer for their social media pages. I had a set brief from the manager with what she would like me to achieve from each shoot but apart from that I was in charge of the whole process. I would stage each book in an eye catching way in order to showcase the new-in books. I would use different props to help with the staging of the images and I would edit all images using Adobe Photoshop within 24 and 48 hours so that they could be published on social media as soon as possible.
Event Photographer Pup Up Cafe, Dog Event Planner 04/2019 - present
Since April 2019 I have been working for Pup Up Cafe an event planner business based in Exeter that travel all over the country and host dog meet up events. Duties include photographing dogs and their owners which requires the ability to establish trusting client relationships quickly, work under pressure, be flexible and adaptable, and problem solve in a calm and friendly manner. I am also required to edit hundreds of images to a tight two to three day turnaround time again using Adobe Photoshop.
Photographer’s Assistant Robert Shack Photography 01/2019
In January 2019 I assisted London based wedding photographer Robert Shack at an all day wedding at the Dorchester Hotel in London. I was responsible for assisting with lighting, as well as capturing spontaneous 'off guard' moments of the wedding party. I gained considerable experience in working with a highly professional, outcome driven photographer, as well as a prestigious client.
Photographer The Devon Guild of Craftsmen 05/2018 - 08/2018
In May 2018 as part of a brief at university I worked for The Devon Guild of Craftsmen to help with experience working in a shop in the arts industry. I then got offered to shoot the photography content for their social media accounts. The skills required were different lighting techniques for the different lighting throughout the shop and editing skills using Adobe Photoshop.
The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing 05/2020 - no expiry date