When did you take up photography?

I took up photography back in 2004 and it’s been a passion of mine ever since.

What is your inspiration for dark and creepy photography?

I have a huge love for the old Universal films starring Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney. I really adore the Gothic elements of these films and how creepy the sets looked. If you see any old promotional photographs of the Universal film actors, they were done in a style that looked dark and creepy. Also, how many of you remember the series Hammer House of Horror back in the late 70′s early 80′s?

The opening credits with those still photographs and the eerie music terrified me as a child. Yes, fair enough I shouldn’t have been watching them, but I never forgot that music and those images. I think today, a lot of the imagination of the viewer has been replaced with special effects and I want to get back to creating photographs that attract the viewer’s imagination and allow the dark atmosphere of them to linger on for a while.

It’s a challenge to capture such emotions in a photograph and that is what I intend on doing in all of my work.

Why dark portraits?

I find standard portrait shots so boring. This is the reason I create ‘Dark Portraits’ as they’re so much fun to do and the results are just as fascinating when the subject views them for the first time. I find that most of my subjects have a dark side that reveals itself in my photography. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that my subjects are evil, far from it. My imagination plays heavily on my final creation, but my subjects tend to become either a vampire, witch or lately a zombie.

Why graveyard photography?

As I wander through various cemeteries and graveyards, I can’t help but adore the architecture and design of the various headstones, tombs and mausoleums. The more elaborate, the more I think about the person it was erected for and what the community must have been like when that person lived. I love the peaceful atmosphere of these places and I’m disheartened when I see vandalism or graves that are left unattended.

These places of rest provoke a wide range of emotions prior to my over active imagination kicking in.

Tell us more about you Amanda.

Well there’s not a lot to tell really. I was born in 1971 and live with my boyfriend Luke who luckily for me also loves photography. Photography is my passion and my dream would be to take up photography full time as I really enjoy it, but for now I must work on getting exposure.

Dark photography isn’t everyone’s cup of tea! I envy Simon Marsden who is a professional photographer. I have one of his books titled ‘This Spectred Isle – A journey through haunted England’. Within this book he has lots of dark photographs of castles, mansions, gargoyles and wonderful scenic shots, all portraying a fascinating dark atmosphere. He thoroughly inspires my work and he’s a great photographer. What a fantastic job that would be to travel through England taking these photographs. When not doing photography, I love to read ‘Richard Laymon’ novels. He is my favourite horror author of all time.

If you want to keep up to date with my deepest thoughts, rants and more personal posts, click here.

What cameras do you use?

Nikon D3100

Where can we see more of your work?

I publish my latest photography news on my blog at http://blog.amandanorman.com. You will also find links to my galleries and other places that feature my work.