1. Could you tell me a little about your background? i.e. College, training, qualifications etc.,
"I dropped out of college when I was fifteen and went to Duncan and Jordanstone, which is the art college of Dundee University. I stayed for a year (and a bit - "false start") then moved down to London. I took a year out just working and parying then went to City and Islington College to continue to do the HND and then finished at London Metropolitan University, where I completed my BA in Photomedia (although I didn't really do ANY video work)".
2. Your first job was as a 'photographer's assistant' to Christopher George Sim ( a fashion and celebrity photographer), what does an assistant do? How long did you work for him?
"I met Chris at City and Islington (he was a guest lecturer) and I worked for him for about two years. He already had an assistant and a retoucher when I started, so to begin with I was really just 'bag carrier' and 'coffee buyer' (I can't make coffee so usually had to source a Starbucks). Although I already knew how to use the equipment, it was different to how Chris used it. It took me a while but after I learned his 'style' I started to set up the lighting for him, doing test shots, also helping with the general running of the shoots and also various random tasks such as painting backgrounds, holding props, driving, dropping off portfolios and picking up prints etc., Really, ANYTHING I could reasonably be asked to do, including emotional support! It sounds a bit odd, but sometimes the photographer's having a bad day and it's nice for them to have support from someone who the work with all the time".
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| 'An Affair To Remember' Dafydd Dil |
"I started doing my own small jobs while I was still with Chris. I thought about trying to find other assisting work but laziness and lack of time stopped me. I also knew it wouldn't be the same. Chris and I became and still are to this day very close friends. He helped me out with some jobs, advised me on how I should proceed with the start of my own career. I only really stopped working for him completely when I left London. Even then, I did help out on a couple of his shoots when I was in town. I always wanted to do fashion, nothing else! But Chris thought the same so I kind of learned from him that everything else can also be a bit 'fashion-like'. From this moment I knew that I just wanted to photograph people, no matter what for and I would do it in a way that I was happy with the results and that I enjoyed".
4. Did you find the change from being employed to becoming self employed an easy transition?
"Simple, NO! Hahaha. The money runs out VERY quickly. This is obviously very stressful and doesn't help that you are doing everything on your own and for the first time. You're almost counting down the days until your bank account hits the big 0. But on a positive note, there is help out there if you look and many people can advise or help you with various tasks. You just have to ask. But after meeting a lot of photographers I've realised that there is no shame (especially at this moment in time) in having a 'secure' income of some sort, whether it's stock photo's, events or something completely unrelated. As long as you still have time for your creative work".
5. What has been your biggest success to date?
My biggest success was for Ray-Ban. My accountant would disagree.:'(
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| Ray-Ban Dafydd Dil |
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| Ray-Ban,European Launch Dafydd Dil |
"I thought Scandinavia was too cold, Italy and Spain were too hot. I never imagined myself speaking French and Berlin was the cheapest capital city in Europe at the time. It was also the centre of the so-called art world".
7. How did you manage to begin your business in Berlin? Did you speak German? Did you need a lot of help to set up?
"It was a nightmare! I relied on google translate for a while (turned out to be completely wrong). I was lucky though. I met a picture editor for a Berlin magazine who gave me a break. He spoke English. We became friends and he helped me translate all of my paperwork. In Germany, most companies won't pay you unless you invoice them in German... Apart from that a lot of it was just sitting in a room all winter getting the work done".
8. Do you think the move to being an 'international' photographer has highlighted your profile more than if you had remained in Britain?
"Definitely! I have no idea why, but when you have worked in more than one country and become 'international', people want you more, even the people who didn't want you before. It definitely helped me a lot, but I wouldn't say it's a must. You don't need to leave your home country to be published all over the world".
9. What is your latest project?
"I took a long break from doing 'projects' but I've just started to continue with my 'The Beautiful People' project. I also began a new one called 'Fuck Off, I'm Smoking'. But to be honest, I have no idea where they're going, if anywhere. I'm not so big on exhibiting. For my kind of work, I don't see it as so relevant. But I would eventually like to try and put together a book. Even just a small one". :0)
10. Where do you see yourself in five years time?
"Not sure if I will be in Berlin then. My big plan is to learn Spanish and move to South America (don't as why, I have no idea!). I'd also like to be working on some bigger shoots by then, maybe break into small time advertising. Until now I've not really done any apart from some small stuff. POS, online etc.,".
I'd like to thank Dafydd for taking the time to answer my questions. If you'd like to know more about his work, have a look on his website: http://www.dafydddil.com
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