Whisper // Beauty Editorial
Winter is the time of year for me to recharge my creative batteries, after months of non-stop deadlines over Spring, Summer, and Autumn.
I spent a fun morning playing with Aida (Alchemy Foliage')‘s delicious velvety orchids, fluffy pampas, and a huge array of dried botanicals that I can’t remember the names of and sadly did not have time to capture on camera. You wouldn’t think it- looking at the serenity on Zoe’s face- but it was a 1 hr of crazy frenzied shooting. 3 looks at triple speed. Zoe, Amy, and Kathryn are such rockstars that triple speed was fun!
Balzanelli Family Portraits // National Gallery of Australia
When Sandra (whose wedding at the Fitters Workshop I had photographed last year) booked me to do a natural light family shoot for her Mum's birthday present, I was absolutely delighted. The Balzanelli's were such a fun bunch.
We decided to do our shoot at the National Gallery of Australia Sculpture Garden - it's such a beautiful spot with lots of natural beauty as well as interesting spaces. One of my favourite outdoor portrait locations in Canberra, I never get sick of it.
These are a few images from our fun afternoon.
Emma & Davey : Minimalist Urban Portrait Session
I get to hang out with a lot of cool couples, but these guys are on a whole other level. They're also super nice, and let me be a third wheel with them one afternoon a couple of weeks back.
Emma and I share a love of concrete and glass- so we wandered around the Portrait Gallery admiring it's walls (an example of Brutalist architecture Emma tells me) and finding nice light.
I also used a confetti cannon for the first time! If you ever feel like adulting is getting you down, buy yourself a confetti cannon. If you are worried about cleanup, Geelong fireworks stocks 'Envirofetti' as well, which dissolves upon contact with water.
Tonal- a Colour Story // Feroce Magazine Editorial
Tonal- full set and outtakes from the editorial published in the September 2017 issue of Feroce Magazine
Team:
Models // Alexandra Rubio (Haus Models) and Kirrily Noble (Victoria's Models)
Stylist // Jessica Di Scipio
Makeup // Amy Capeda
Hair // Kate Thakray (Kate Lily Dressing Hair)
Clothing // Hunter the Label, Poshaaq, Edition
Concept // Jessica Di Scipio and Jenny Wu
Photography // Jenny Wu
Published // Feroce Magazine
Bonbon - An Editorial
I'm obsessed with pink walls, and every time I travel I gravitate towards them as predictably as a dog gravitates towards the nearest tree. So I've been eye-ing this dilapidated vacant apartment block with pink walls near my place in Braddon and dreaming of portraits I could shoot with it.
I couldn't think of anyone who would suit this shoot more than the talented Gem Chua (represented by Devojka Models). She fit the urban lolita vibe to a tee, and rocked a flower in her mouth like no one else could (except maybe Lana Del Rey), and we shot this almost completely impromptu in 45mins.
Only Forward / Open Fields - An Editorial for Big Ink Magazine
We shot this editorial for Big Ink magazine at the end of the summer. I keep coming back to the Virgin Suicides aesthetic in my inspiration boards, and I wanted to take advantage of Canberra's endless open fields before the cold weather started to set in.
Model // Alexandra Rayne
Hair and makeup // Stephanie Church
Styling // Jessica Di Scipio
Concept and photography // Jenny Wu
Soundtrack // Lana Del Rey 'Born To Die' album
Published // Big Ink Magazine issue #19
Sarah and Kaya: Stromlo Observatory Engagement
A couple of weekends back Sarah, Kaya, and I explored Mount Stromlo for their engagement shoot. I could not have asked for a more beautiful Autumn day with clear skies and beautiful soft light at sunset. The old observatory and nearby buildings are some of my favourite places to visit and shoot, and we found a little forest a few hundred meters away just as the sun went down.
We also did some fun photos with their 2 dachshunds around a nearby park beforehand. Challenging to get them both looking at the camera at the same time! Such frenetic energy!
Can't wait for their wedding later in the year.
Session edited with my Life//style Lightroom preset
Timi // Editorial
Model and Stylist // Timi Zipamo
Agency // Devojka Models
Published // Leiden magazine
Location // Kingston, Canberra
Portrait of an artist- Alec Morris
A couple of weeks ago I took some photos of a friend of mine- portrait photographer extraordinaire and all round great guy Alec Morris. Here's a little bit about his work:
"Alec’s work centres around documentary portraiture and fashion; on the one hand inspired by a good story and the power of the portrait, and on the other the creative freedom of building an image from the ground up. Some of his recent projects include an essay on femininity and womanhood in Central Java, and a study of education initiatives for remote and at-risk communities in Western Australia. He is also the photographer behind Forty-Two Cakes, and the current CSIRO Artist-in-Residence."
See his work at alecmorris.photo , and his work for Forty-Two Cakes at @fortytwocakes.
Portrait of a photographer: Sam Broomby
Sam Broomby is an incredibly talented photographer currently based in Canberra (but will be Montreal based as of next year). He has a compelling and evocative photographic style and is a constant source of inspiration for me.
Sam kindly agreed for me to take his portrait last weekend. We spoke about the past and the future I was grateful that he allowed me to capture some of the raw emotions in these portraits.
See his work at www.samuelbroomby.com
Fashfest 2016 Canberra - backstage and runway
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you might have seen my work as part of the Fashfest photography team recently. I was completely floored by the talent and calibre of Canberra based designers, hair stylists, makeup artists, and models- it was truly something to behold. Here are a few images from my gallery.
Maternity Session at the Sydney Botanical Gardens
My gorgeous friend Susan, who I've known since we were kids in high school, is expecting her first child- a girl! We headed to the Sydney Botanical Gardens a few weekends ago for a maternity portrait session.
Portraits at the abandoned Tooth's Brewery Mittagong
The old abandoned Tooth & Co Brewery in Mittagong (otherwise known as Mittagong Maltings) is a big of a photographer's wonderland. When you climb up into the higher levels- the light coming through the roof, the geometry of the beams, the colour of the wood- at the right time of day it is just magic.
A group of us went on a little road trip a couple of weekends ago to do some shooting and scouting- myself, Sam (another photographer), Amaliah (model), and Kirstey (MUA).
Model // Amaliah Cornelius
MUA // Kirsty Anderson
Photography // Me
Colour images edited with LIFE//STYLE Lightroom Preset, Black and Whites edited with B&W Filmic Fade preset.
Winter harvest- Piallago apple orchard portraits
Published in issue 17 of Big Ink Magazine
Models // Amaliah Cornelius & Megan DawsonMUA // Stephanie ChurchStylist // Jessica Di ScipioHair // Renee PoundPhotographer // Jenny Wu
Portrait Session: Samantha
Had the pleasure of hanging out with Samantha last week and shooting some simple 2 flash back lit portraits. The unforgiving Canberra weather has encouraged me to start shooting with artificial light, and I wanted to see whether I could create that soft enveloping quality of light that I like with only 2 speedlights and 1 umbrella. Hope you like the set!
Portraits in abandoned spaces // Megan
There's something poetic about abandoned buildings. Often there's enough left behind to give you clues about what it was like in the past, and without realising it you naturally fill the space with your imagination.
This vacant nursery is just beautiful to photograph portraits in. The ivy creeping over the windows have grown through little cracks in the wood, so a little bit of the outside has made it's way indoors; and on a nice day the light filtering through all the windows is soft and glowy. On the day of the shoot, it was rainy and so dark I wasn't sure whether I was going to get any decent images (hello Canberra winter!)- but after looking at the back of my camera, with images shot wide open at 1.6, it was like my camera could see what my eye could not. Check it out!
Model: Megan Dawson