For anyone that doesn’t know Corinne Walder, we’ll introduce her and her epic work to you. Corrinne is an incredible photographer and videographer who’s worked with professional athletes, like Travis Pastrana.
As part of our Nonchalant Role Model‘s feature on aspirational queer women we caught up with Corrine on her career to date, and obviously we also got all up in her business about her personal life too, as you would.
Read on and prep yourself to be inspired.
So, tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get into filming?
I was an arty kid but when I was at school there weren’t lots of career aspirations for art type fields so I went into TV and Journalism and then studied Broadcast Journalism at London College of Fashion, Specialising in Film in my last year. I fell in love with filming and photography and let me be creative in a different way.
My final film was on an athlete going to the 2008 Paralympics and I ended up selling it to BBC, which, at the time I was so happy and proud about and it gave me that confidence boost in believing I could pursue a career in filming and capturing people’s stories.
For any of our readers that would like to get into your profession, what advice would you give to them?
Find your niche in what you love filming or photographing and perfect that.
Did you consider a different career path at any point in your journey so far?
Not yet. Although lockdown has made me mega keen on interior!
Where do you find your inspiration for your work?
Other filmmakers and documentaries, especially documentaries that follow people’s lives and show a course of time.
An obvious question from a lesbian magazine, are you seeing anyone at the moment?
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Obvs.
What’s your coming out story? Sorry, but everyone wants to know.. 🙂
Hi Mum and Dad, that mate I moved in with is actually my girlfriend.
Parents : We gathered…
Who are your role models and why?
Louis Theroux. He’s incredible at making people feel at ease and not talking too much so that the characters open up about what they want to.
East London or West London?
South! Brighton 😉
Out of all of your pieces of work, which piece did you enjoy the most?
Ironman World Champs in Hawaii, following 8 amateur athletes over 6 months compete and give everything they’ve got to become World Champ. It’s an incredible build up but the day itself is so emotional to watch. People from all over the world, all ages 70+ taking 8-16 hours to finish an Ironman in crazy conditions. It’s an exhausting one to film but getting the interviews after the finish line and seeing each person give everything is unforgettable.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Confidence is key. Smile.
Talk us through your average working day?
If it’s a sport shoot. Prep the shoot the night before, research, make the people you’re filming feel comfortable. Set the kit up. Interview the athletes and follow their training, I try and get to know the athletes away from training and bring out a side to them their fans don’t get to see. More about the emotional aspect or life away from sport. Always remember that the person being filmed or photographed is feeling self conscious and may be nervous so get them chatting and feeling at ease whilst you’re setting up.
Who’s your favourite photographer at the moment and why?
I love the amateur photographers, you see their excitement and passion. There’s some great content being put out on Instagram from super talented kids just taking photos with their phone but have the eye.
What do you think of the Lesbian scene in London?
I loved it, it’s where I met a lot of my mates when I lived in London.
Where can we see your latest work?
I share stuff on my Instagram. @corinnewalder & @BEARproductionstv
Who’s your celebrity crush and why?
Margot Robbie.. no explanation needed.
Who’s the most memorable person you’ve worked with and why?
Richard from Richard and Judy used to share a desk with him and he would come in and be a comedian and Throw paper aeroplanes. He was great.
Thanks for chatting with us Corinne!
Follow her work on Instagram @corinnewalder
If you enjoyed this interview why not check out our other articles from aspiring queer women?
Team Nonchalant xx