MA Fashion Photography student Otto Masters is the next in our LCFMA17 Graduate Spotlight series. Otto has previously spoken to us about how his scholarship funding helped him. Here he tells us about the inspiration behind his work, time at LCF and what he hopes to do in the future.
Photography by Otto Masters
My final project… is called Wandering Encounters. It’s a visual examination of Japan. I wanted to investigate comparisons between Japan and the West, and consider how two different cultures and societies look at one another. I wanted my project to challenge any ideas and stereotypes of Japanese culture viewers may hold, and bring to life things that they may have not known about or seen before.
Photography by Otto Masters
Before LCF… I studied Photography at the University of South Wales.
Top tips for new students…
- Experiment, network, and collaborate as much as possible in all your projects leading up to the MA final project.
- When creating new work, try to think about what inspires you, and how you can bring aspects of your life and what you’re interested in, into your work.
- This is your time to either find your photographic style, or being one step closer to creating it. Think about that with your work. Be Selfish in this, create what you want, with your ideas.
I chose MA Photography at LCF… because it has such a globally acknowledged name behind it, and it offers students more opportunities, just by being in London. It’s the place to be for fashion, art, and creativity. I chose to do the MA because I knew I wasn’t where I wanted to be with my work, and so felt this would help me be a step closer to where I wanted to be in terms of my work and career.
The thing I enjoyed most about my course… was the opportunity to work with other students when on the course. I can’t think of one thing that was particularly challenging.
London… even just living in London is so great. You are surrounded my so much – there are tons of opportunities and things to do. During the entirety of my course I have been working freelance on the side.
Photography by Otto Masters
My work in a few words… Engaging, thought-provoking, mixed-disciplined, creative, meaning-imbued.
My biggest photographic inspiration… this year has to be Nobuyoshi Araki.
After my MA… I plan to do a mix of interning and assisting, whilst freelancing. This course has given me the opportunities to start to pursue these goals.
LCF is moving to Stratford… It will be great to have the whole college under one roof. But I do think money and time should also be spent on and for current students, not just the ones that will be going to the new Stratford building once completed. (Ed- for updates on current LCF investments and improvements check social media and the intranet.)
- Find out more about MA Fashion Photography
- Find out more about Otto’s work on Showtime and Instagram
- Find out more about LCFMA17
- Find out about the School of Media and Communication MA show
- Find out more about other postgraduate courses available at LCF
- #LCFMA17 on Twitter and Instagram