Interview: Danno Watts
Hey guys!
I’ve got something really special for you today! A few weeks a go, I featured the work of Danno Watts in one edition of my weekly links. When he thanked me on twitter, I grabbed the chance and asked if he would answer some questions for you!
He agreed and I asked him, to write me an email… Weeks passed I started to wonder. One evening, when I saw him posting something, I asked him not to forget about the interview. He aswered a bit taken aback that the mail had been send out weeks ago.
I used the rest of the day to find out why the hell I was unable to get his mail. After some calls at my email provider, I found out why: The email had been blocked totally (something about grey-filtering I didn’t really understand). So I didn’t receive them at all, not even in some spam folder. I had to ask Danno to send the mail again (after asking my provider to turn of the grey-filtering thingy) and with about 4 weeks of delay we were able to start 
So here you go!
Kate: Please tell my readers, who you are and what you do!
Danno: My name is Danno Watts, I’m a fashion, editorial & fine-art photographer based in the states.
Kate: Describe your way of photographing – what do you like about photography, what is the style you like the most?
Danno: My style is pretty laid back and relaxed, without much production of setup; simple. My work is pretty.
Kate: Where do you like to photograph? Rather on location or in a studio?
Danno: I like both for different reasons. I like working in my studio because it’s intimate, it has great natural light and allows the models to feel comfortable without the peering eyes of the general public.
I also like being on location because it allows a new and refreshing environment. Sometimes not knowing what you’ll get on a location is really exciting.
Kate: On your website one can read, that you work all over the world: Do you like it? Where have you been so far?
Danno: I love the ability to travel around the world for my art! A few of my favorite places: New York, San Francisco, Mexico, London and Paris.
Kate: What’s your favorite focal length?
Danno: I don’t really have one. Though I am a fan of my 50mm & 85mm primes.
Kate: There are videos on your website, too. What do you like about videography?
Danno: Simply put, it allows my photos to come to life! Video has it’s own unique challenges and it’s another great outlet for expression and creativity.
Kate: What kind of clients do you have? Companies or private clients?
Danno: I work with both large and small clients in the fashion industry.
Kate: Personal projects are important – do you do different things, when working on personal projects or the same as with work for clients?
Danno: The same passion is involved in a personal project as put into a client’s project, but with a personal project comes the freedom to do whatever i want. sometimes that complete freedom gets to be daunting and i get worked up on all of the small details.
Kate: I saw, that you like geo-caching. I started geo-caching a few weeks ago and saw some nice places. I do it to get to see places, I wouldn’t see otherwise. Do you take your camera with you when geo-caching?
Danno: I really enjoy geocaching!! It’s such a great free activity that can be done by yourself or with friends. I’m a total nerd over it!
I don’t take my camera with me because geocaching is one of my breaks away from ‘reality’…. Go out into the middle of somewhere to find a hidden treasure.
Sometimes it’s best to just leave the camera in the case and go and enjoy what’s actually happening while it’s happening… Not having to photograph what’s happening. Be in the moment — not photograph the moment!
Kate: When working all over the planet, do you have family?
Danno: I have some family in London & Australia and some great friends in countries (and states) that I am so grateful to see and hang out with when I’m in town.
Kate: Many would love to work all over the world, as you do, but just manage to get their businesses started where they live. Any advice on how to get started?
Danno: Take advice with a grain of salt; what works for me doesn’t mean it will work for you. Instead, try and focus on doing something you enjoy. Who cares about the money or the business or giant goals or the guy in your city who takes better photos than you or the guy who moved to Milan and became a big shot. Find what you enjoy. And then do it. And then try and get over the fear of showing your work, push past your insecurities and then keep going.
Kate: Is there any advice, you would want to give my readers?
Danno: Same as before but really I guess it would be: Don’t listen to other photographers. Don’t stay on facebook for hours at a time. Don’t get sucked into thinking internet celebrity is equivalent to tangible accomplishments. Grab your camera and shoot. You will take shitty photos. A bunch of them. That’s okay. We all do. So keep taking shitty photos. But enjoy the process.
Be humble. Be modest. Be thankful. Be appreciative.
Kate: Last words?
Thanks for the questions and for showcasing my work, i really do appreciate it!
I hope you enjoyed this interview! If possible, there will be more of it and I think, I’ll be doing some video interviews on skype or Google+. What do you think of that?
Love, Kate
