The Zebra Monochrome Magazine Issue #1 The Zebra Monochrome Magazine Issue #1 | Page 152

Jackie Ranken
Firstly, please tell us a bit about yourself and
your photographic journey? How did you get
started with photography and how many
years have you been doing photography?
At the age of sixteen my father, Richard Nell
gave me my first SLR camera, a Yashika
TL. Dad was a keen amateur photographer
with his own B&W darkroom. He taught
me how to print and process my own
film and then spent many hours with me
discussing composition and cropping.
Within six months I had my first job as a
race photographer with a firm called Bradley
Photographers (still in operation today). I
photographed grey hound races and then
later on, horse races. It was initially my
weekend job but once I finished High School
it turned into a full time career.
I was now learning how to hand print colour
photographs in a colour darkroom. I learnt
how to ‘see colour bias’ and colour balance
prints. This involved making test prints of a
negative, balancing the colour before the
full print was sent through the processor.
The processor took about 16 minutes so
six enlargers were working at a time with
a different race meetings in each. The
long hours of concentration on colour and
composition under the enlarger were a great
foundation for me.
Two years later I moved to Sydney to
stretch my wings and to learn more
about the world. I applied for work at an
advertising firm which has its’ own process
lab called Colour Dimensions (it was an
E6 lab for processing transparency film). I
was employed once again as a colour lab
technician, but when clients’ work was slow

I had time to experiment in the darkroom
and process my own work and I was also
allowed to play around in the photographic
studio. I was a keen photographer during my
years in Sydney. Photographing musicians
and friends. Unfortunately the opportunities
for female photographers in advertizing or
fashion were few, it was a male dominated
arena. (Not like today).
What I really wanted to be was an artist.
About three years later I moved back to my
home town- Goulburn, NSW Australia. I
found work again with Bradley Photographers
while at the same time studying ceramics
and painting at the local Technical College.
My life was full. I had adventures and
moved from one experience to the next.
One adventure found me in Perth, studying
Fine Arts at Western Australia’s Institute of
Technology. I found work as a photographer,
photographing people in restaurants, but
became homesick so I decided to move
back to Goulburn to start my own business.

© Jackie Ranken http://www.jackieranken.co.nz/