Lili Gyarmati

Profession

Graduate Diploma Photography graduate

College

London College of Communication

Person Type

Alumni

Biography

Originally from Budapest, Lili graduated from the Graduate Diploma Photography course at London College of Communication in 2021.

Interview

What attracted you to studying the Graduate Diploma in Photography?
I already had a Master’s degree in motion picture editing but my love for portrait photography inspired me to continue my studies.

I was looking for a mainly practice-oriented and relatively short academic course, so when I came across this one, I was sure this is exactly what I was looking for.

Can you tell us a little bit about the work that was featured on the graduate showcase?
My cohort was the first to be affected by the global Covid-19 crisis. The university suddenly closed and no one was really sure how we could even proceed under these new, unprecedented circumstances.

I suddenly had to return to my home city, Budapest which was a mentally really challenging situation. I felt home in London almost immediately more than I ever did in Budapest, I loved the buzz and the never ending energy of the city.

Coming back to my hometown under complete lockdown was a huge change that I didn’t really know how to process. I started to take self-portraits during these weeks with no actual purpose but I quickly realised that it was really helpful, sort of photo-therapeutical for me, so I continued and these photos turned into a visual diary of these times and my feelings.

Did the course provide opportunities to engage with industry?
Most of the teaching staff are actively working, professional photographers, so even without the guest speakers we would have had a great opportunity to learn from industry specialists.

In addition to this we had many inspiring guest lecturers and thanks to our course leader Adrian Mott, we even had the opportunity to shoot at London Fashion Week which was a great experience. I was also participating in a mentorship programme which helped me a lot developing my graduation project as well as finding and building my identity as a photographer.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking of studying the course, what would it be?

I think as the course is only about a year long, I think the best approach is to make oneself as available as possible, in order to participate in all things the college can offer. Time flies faster than you would think.

What was the most important thing you learnt from studying the Graduate Diploma in Photography?
For me the most important lesson was learning how to develop short and long term personal projects and the importance of these.

Why would you recommend studying the Graduate Diploma in Photography?
It’s a great opportunity for everyone who’d like to work as a professional photographer or as an artist and looking for a shorter but really in-depth course.

What was your personal highlight of studying your course at London College of Communication?
For me it was a great place to make new friends and to try things, genres and techniques I wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise. All these really help in developing your identity as a creative and finding the field of photography you’d like to pursue.

Now that you have graduated from the course, what are you career ambitions?
I’m really grateful that my graduation project PAUSE received some national and international attention, and now I’m working on a new personal series called Age of Solitude which investigates the aspects of loneliness young adults are experiencing, especially during the Covid-19 crisis, and the hardships of postmodern love. My long-time professional goal is to work as an editorial portrait photographer.

Related area

Links

To view Lili's project, PAUSE, visit the UAL Graduate Showcase.