I studied Art History in Germany for two years before coming to London to do a BA in Visual Theories. While studying, I did various internships in museums and worked part-time for Creative Camera magazine as an editorial assistant. That was a great way of getting to know the British and international photography scene. Finally, about 10 years ago I started working at The Photographers’ Gallery as an assistant to the curators and the Director and slowly I progressed into curating shows myself.

My job is very rewarding. I usually juggle several projects at any one time and they range from mundane tasks and admin to writing text, liaising with artists and looking at their work or giving talks. There are hard aspects to this job as well. I have to deal with some big egos at times.

Every few months all the curators meet with the Director of the Gallery and the Head of Education and Interpretation to present new ideas, discuss proposals, exhibitions etc and to debate each project or idea. We then make a shortlist of projects we find interesting, see how they fit together in the annual programme and make a final decision from there.

Sophie Ristelhueber, Eleven Blowups #10 (2006)

We work with a range of photographers, from high profile to young emerging artists. Three years ago the Gallery started an annual programming slot called “freshfacedandwildeyed”, which features recent graduate work selected by a panel of photography experts. We do everything we can to support young, UK-based photographers. We also organise educational and outreach projects, and produce artist projects and publications.

We become aware of new artists through recommendations, student shows and photo festivals. We also get involved in portfolio reviews like Houston Fotofestival and Rhubarb-Rhubarb in Birmingham. I’m currently a judge for the Lens Culture International Exposure Award and that gives me an opportunity to see hundreds of bodies of work I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

When it comes to putting on a show, the amount of input the artist has varies. Some artists’ work lends itself to being adapted for different spaces, and some don’t. We recently exhibited Sophie Ristelhueber’s work as part of our annual Deutsche Börse Photography Prize and that was fantastic for experimentation, whereas other artists’ work has a specific form and size that never varies, regardless of the exhibition venue. I enjoy working closely with the artists. In my opinion, open discussions, critical feedback and a certain frankness will result in a successful and interesting exhibition.

Steven Barritt, Jonathan from the series Anachronisms (2009)

Photography is a really popular art form at the moment and it’s finally being recognised in the canon of art history. That’s wonderful to see. Big museums in London such as the Serpentine, Whitechapel and Tate regularly show photography as part of their annual programmes. Tate even recruited a dedicated curator for photography last year. There’s also a burgeoning scene of smaller commercial galleries and artist-run spaces, which are great platforms for photography and photographers.

It’s hard for young photographers to make a living from their work. When you’re starting out, you have to combine commercial work with developing your own practice, which is a balancing act. It doesn’t help that photography’s also a very expensive art form in terms of equipment and material. If you’re just starting out in this industry I’d say be open, flexible, interested and always friendly. You never know who you might meet.

Stefanie Braun was talking to Katie Jackson.

Please note that The Photographers’ Gallery will be closing their building later this month for refurbishment, and plan to reopen in late 2011. Their work will continue in the Soho area. Check their website for more information.