From photographing rock legends to being published in Kerrang! and Rolling Stone France, Olivia Johnston has turned her creative passion into a thriving career.
At Leeds Trinity University’s 17th Journalism and Media Week, the photographer shared her own experiences of working in the media industry with her talk, ‘carving out a career in media’.
After creating her own business in 2013, Johnston said: “It’s never too late to change your mind about anything”, whilst giving her ‘top tips’ for entering the media industry. “Predominantly my career has been me making mistakes and learning from them.”
Growing up in Brighton before moving to rural Rutland and now Leeds, Olivia explained that her admiration for photography started at a young age. She recalled several opportunities as a teen: her first commission being photographing actor Matthew Macfadyen for her school’s charity calendar. Although photography was clearly something she excelled in and enjoyed, she was pushed away from the creative industry into academia and went to Sheffield University to study Geography for only six weeks.
“Find something that really sparks joy for you.” For her it was photography.
“There are so many people who love the creative art, but to them it’s just a hobby… if you are wanting to make it your career then there are certain steps you need to take.”
For Olivia, both music and photography were a hobby until she realised, she: “could be the one taking the pictures”. After attending local gigs and capturing the scenes, the moment arrived in 2015 where “by chance” she was able to get a press pass: “If it weren’t for that moment, I would’ve been waiting a lot longer.”
Driven by her passion, Olivia has photographed some of her favourite rock ‘n’ roll legends including Rival Sons, capturing electrifying performances at iconic stages including the Royal Albert Hall and O2 Brixton Academy.
“Try find a community of people, it’s through meeting these people that projects come out.”
The photographer reflected on how the “warming and welcoming” rock ‘n’ roll community supported her throughout her career, presenting the importance of trying to “build real, lasting relationships.”
Since 2023, Olivia has been working as a photo archivist at Bradford District Museums, transferring the skills she developed throughout her photography career.
Working alongside artists and volunteers she explained how her collaborative work has brought to life over half a million objects.
She claimed that the City of Culture 2025: “generated a huge amount of work for other creators.”
The archive has become a resource for the Level 6 BA photography students at Leeds Trinity. Their exhibition in the Brownberrie gallery is set to open next week at Horsforth Campus. Mya, Level 6 student, said working with the archive: “has been really fun to look at and use for my work.”
Check out Olivia’s freelance photography work HERE.