Leaving the Island . July 11, 2011

Just a brief note to explain my lack of activity on the blog of late. In a pretty significant (and scary) step for me, I recently loaded up my life and shipped myself across Bass Strait to set up shop in Melbourne.

The flexibility of freelancing has allowed me to take a few trips interstate and overseas but I've never spent more than a couple of months away from Tasmania. I've had friends leave and return, and sometimes leave and return again. And until recently, I didn't really feel any desire to move away. But a series of events over the past 12 months saw me visiting Melbourne regularly and start picking up a few jobs in the process.

In five years of freelancing in Hobart I was given so many opportunities from clients that I am truly grateful for - I've been paid to visit places like The Bay of Fires, Freychinet, Cradle Mountain and The Gordon River and watched as the rest of the world seemed to begin to take notice of our island. Covering the opening of MONA this year was a career highlight. I've shot ad campaigns and magazine features out of planes, on boats in rivers, lakes and oceans, on top of mountains and underground. I've met politicians, music legends, scientists and artists, and become good mates with a small community of freelance photographers who call Tassie home.  I've never dreaded a day of work because it's never really felt like work. But now it's time for a new challenge.

I've been in Melbourne for five weeks now and it's been a blur of unpacking, meeting new people and catching up with old friends. I've already been lucky enough to travel back to Hobart for work a couple of times, and I hope that this will continue into the future.

Meanwhile, in Melbourne I've also been presented with some fantastic opportunities and I am thankful to some new contacts for giving me a shot.

Fingers crossed for the future. Stay tuned.

Bond St . July 11, 2011

From another Time Out Melbourne shoot, this time at the delightfully dark Bond St Wine Bar in South Yarra.

Mayben . June 21, 2011

Quick one from a recent lookbook shoot for Tassie jewlery designer Shauna Mayben.

LADRO . May 10, 2011

Ladro Greville shot for Time Out Melbourne.

As you can see from the half-eaten pizza, this was a tough gig!

Julian . May 05, 2011

The one and only Julian Teakle, of Native Cats fame. Read about him over at Mess+Noise. More from this shoot soon.

Avalon . May 05, 2011

If you visit Tasmania, you have to stay at Avalon. No excuses!

I had the pleasure of spending some time there shooting for Skip Town. The weather was perfectly grey and temperamental.

Black Arm Band . April 27, 2011

Music legend Jimmy Little shot backstage before a performance by the Black Arm Band as part of the Ten Days on the Island festival in Hobart.

More pics here

HEAD ON PORTRAIT PRIZE . April 23, 2011

An image from my “Portraits of Invisible People” series has been chosen as a finalist in the Head On Portrait Prize. I'm not allowed to post it until the winner is announced at the finalists exhibition opening at the Australian Centre for Photography on May 5. Suspense! 

In the meantime, here's another pic from the series that I rediscovered recently. There's more in the “commisioned” section of my website.

About the prize:

“Head On is the nation's major innovative showcase for Australian portrait photography, reflecting a vibrant, diverse cross-section of new and traditional photographic practices.

The show's main selection criteria are the quality and impact of the image, rather than the celebrity of the photographer or subject. As a result Head On is regarded by the arts community and reviewers as the most critically important photographic portrait prize in the country.”

Long Way From Home . April 12, 2011

A visit to the Tasmanian Anime Convention provided me with some intersting charachters for my Long Way From Home series. I'm really intersted in the relationship between the costumes and locations of conventions like these. To be continued.

More shots here.

Finders Keepers . April 11, 2011

I had the pleasure of shooting the Finders Keepers Melbourne market. Lots of crafty goodies and plenty stuff with birds on it.

Heaps more pics on the Finders Keepers facebook page. Thanks to Sarah and Brooke!