Life Is Better Blonde at the Gasometer
Kooyong Classic 2018
Chasing Torah Bright around mountains with Porche
I was lucky to be invited to capture Olympian and all round amazing person Torah Bright around the slopes for an ambassador shoot with Porche. From Bondi beach to the slopes of Perisher, we got to capture the perfect weekend away from sand to snow.
King Island Dairy and Eau De Vie
Late last year, I was invited along by Spilt Milk and Mango to help create some promotional imagery for King Island and Dairy and Eau De Vie who were joining forces with a one off event showcasing their best efforts in both cheese and cocktails.
With 5 platters and matching drinks, we wanted to really capture the essence of Eau De Vie's smoky and moody ambiance and King Island Dairy's premium cheese offerings. Bartender Oscar Eaton and food stylist Naomi Crisante collaborated together, working in tandem pairing the cheese to beverage, producing the selections you see below.
With the 5 platters to shoot in a small space of time, with the added pressure of keeping the cocktails and fresh and chilled, it was a fast paced job but everyone involved was fantastic to work with and things went like a charm.
Pindarie Winery and Vineyards
Had the privilege to travel down to the Barossa Valley in South Australia and spend some time capturing the landscape and culture in what is one of Australia's premiere wine regions. Tony Brooks of Pindarie graciously allowed us to capture his beautiful vineyard on the Western Ridge.
The Barossa is an interesting place. You are greeted as a local, hands are shaken and smiles are gestured. Never do you feel like an outsider, never do you feel like an intruder interfering. Tony welcomed us to his property with open arms and humbly showed us his hardy work. A stone mason, winemaker, farmer, tinkerer; on first look, his brilliance is eluding but delve into conversation with him and the truth begins to emerge.
Keep It Classy
Another recent project I worked on for VicRoads. VicRoads commissioned a short cinema commercial and print ad through Marmalade Ad Agency to coincide with the MIFF. This job was shot on two locations, mid afternoon to late night. First location was 5 minutes drive from home, dream job.
While I was there primarily to capture plates for the print advertisement, I snagged the chance to do some behind the scenes stills. Was fantastic working with people I'd collaborated with previously. Took the opportunity to give some new Fuji gear I'd acquired a run through. the 50-140 telephoto got a nice work out and performed spectacularly in the low light.
Be sure to check out this behind the scenes shot and edited by one of the crew members. You can spot me and my trademark flanny shirt snapping away in a few scenes. Keep an eye out.
Follow Me
Been looking forward to share this one for a while. Another production I documented for Life Is Better Blonde and the filming of his video clip for Follow Me. Filmed at a secluded little opening amongst the forest in Creswick, had a wonderful time capturing the work that went into producing this clip.
The story follows the life of a piano abandoned during a time of war. Most of the lighting was atmospheric and ambient light bar the one flood backlighting for a sunlight-though-the-trees effect. A lot of the effort of the day went into creating a realistic European setting and straying from any native Australian flora and imagery that may break the fifth wall.
Check out the film clip above and scroll down further to see some more select images from the day. I really dig Nathan's (Life Is Better Blonde) music, and it's a pleasure to be involved in the the documentation and production of his work. Stay tuned for more over the next few days. I have a lot of exciting projected that I'm pleased I can talk about coming up very shortly.
Day Trippin'
I'm not good in the cold. Come summer, I'll tell you I'm not good in the heat either. Lately the weather has been less enjoyable than one would hope; but in an attempt to make the most of it, I've been embracing the art of day tripping.
I love the peninsula, I find it funny that some of the most remarkable locations I've been too are only a short drive from home. Stuck right between Flinders and Cape Schanck is this gem. Just a short walk from the main road is kilometres of publicly accessible cliffs dotted with bays and beaches. I've come to love the coast. I'm not much of a beach person but the idea of spending hours wandering and exploring has grown on me.
As much as I love cliffs, I despise heights. I wouldn't say it's a phobia; but give me a choice between standing on the edge of a cliff and safely standing back with no chance of accidentally falling onto a rocky outcrop? I'll be fine back here. That said, I felt compelled to fuel my inner adrenaline junkie and get a shot of the drop. Arm outstretched, I pulled a few shots off in hope that I was able to fend of the shakes long enough to get a decent shot.
If any excuse, heading out for the day gives me a chance to spend some quality time with some friends and get inspired to shoot something new. It's refreshing to be able to just have a day off, step away from emails and editing and explore. Call me an advocate for adventure. One of the best parts about it is that it's just another location to add to the shoot book. It's nice having such a unique spot readily available if by chance it's needed.
Underground
So this is a fun little shoot I did with Daniel Wenn from 90 Degrees about a week ago. Daniel's company 90 Degrees, specialises in commissioned graffiti pieces across a variety of mediums for both public and private spaces. I was put in touch with Dan and his company through Peter Rowland and Platform Eight with the aim of producing a timelapse of his work to be displayed as part of an exhibition and display at a private event at ACMI in Federation Square.
Daniel and 90 Degrees were commissioned to create a piece inspired by Japanese underground culture and themes, Working with geisha and geiko imagery, his piece would be shown alongside photos and displays of Harajuku fashion, anime and urbanisation within Japan.
Below is a short little photo story I did while creating the timelapse. It was incredible to watch Daniel work. His control of aerosol paint was mind-blowing. It's easy to discount spray painting as an artistic technique without experiencing first hand the level of skill it takes to produce a piece of work such as this.
If you want to check out more of Daniel's work, head to his website at 90degrees.graffitiartistsforhire.com.au.