On new years eve martin and I were sitting on a hill in the sun shine at falls festival reflecting on the past year and our accomplishments. We both agreed that two thousand and twelve had been our biggest year, we had changed everything in our lives, we had thrown caution to the wind and received so much in return. When I look back on what we’ve achieved this year I am shocked that this is my life and that I managed to make the dreams that I had at the end of two thousand and eleven come true. That year was my worst, but this year has been my best. Maybe you need to endure all the bad just to really get to experience something wonderful. I have grown as a person and as a photographer. I am finally proud of my pictures. I have met some of the most wonderful people, photographers who I have admired since I first picked up my camera at fifteen, people than I can now call my friends.
For this diary post reflecting on the past year I want to concentrate on my pictures more than my words. In two thousand and twelve I have photographed more that any other time in my life. I have seen the world through my lens, it has grown more a part of me than ever before.
my first shoot of the year was a collaboration with a talented adelaide photographer haley renee. in the heat of summer we explored the salt lakes with two beautiful models and a wonderful team.
as we neared the end of January it was getting closer and closer to our moving date (February first). my last shoot living in adelaide would commemorate my first, photographing in the countryside with my beautiful best friend lucy.
we packed up our little home into boxes, keeping only things that were valuable to us. my father arrived with his beat-up bus, filling it with our belongings for the long drive to our new home of melbourne.
excitement filled my heart once we were settled in melbourne. we were living in my mothers house until we had a chance to find our feet. this is the view from her bedroom window, little cottage houses line the streets with the sound of trains in the distance. i will always hold this time close to my heart, everything fresh and new but having the chance to experience it all with martin by my side.
after merely a week in melbourne we were travelling again. this time we were off to the sunny gold coast, a birthday gift from me to martin.
we caught a bus to byron bay where we stayed in the sweetest little backpackers hostel. it was during these few days that i fell in love with travelling. that feeling on the road with my camera by my side. we now hope that in two years time and we have both finished studying, we will pack up our things and move on again. this time to europe to live in a van and travel endlessly.
on our return to melbourne, i had the most amazing opportunity to photograph behind the scenes on a large scale fashion shoot. i was now working as a photographer for stylemelbourne, something that would bring many more wonderful opportunities in the future.
now that we were settled back in melbourne I began organising fashion shoots and trying to get my bearings on my new surroundings. location scouting was number one on my agenda and for my first shoot we took pictures in the beautiful botanical gardens in the city.
shooting in the alleyways around my mothers home with beautiful eli.
at the end of February i began my first year of university. it was everything I expected and more and I couldn’t help but feel like I was in a modern day hogwarts. in our first week we were taken on a tour of the city by a nominated second year student. our tour guide was a wonderfully strange boy who walked the city streets playing the ukulele and thought it better to show us the hidden beauties of the city than the commercial camera shops that were recommended. this was one of the buildings he took us to explore and the moment I saw the narrow corridors and softly lit windows I knew I just had to photograph in there. this was a shoot with stylist sinead (my first shoot with a stylist!) and lovely model ellie from london.
after months of searching for a home, finally we were accepted to rent a quaint little cottage in a seaside suburb. this would be our first time with a house of our own (previously we had lived in little apartments) and I had fallen deeply in love with it’s ramshackle beauty. we adopted bunny arnold and our little family felt complete. this is a picture of our loft bedroom taken with my iPhone.
this year I have travelled back to adelaide more times than I can count. it’s not that I miss the place, but I certainly miss the people. it feels strange returning to somewhere I once called home but is now only a place full of memories.
on my return visits I stay with lucy and her family in their basement. it is my favourite part of returning home.
while in adelaide I filmed mel and guy’s magical wedding.
one of the many photo adventures taking pictures for university assignments
a self portrait landscape assignment
shooting for designer aneira in monsalvat
another fashion shoot for a student designer
martin’s first fishing adventure down at the wharf near our home
the countryside near my mothers new home in the north. it was around this time that lovely nirrimi was visiting melbourne for a fashion shoot and I had the chance of meeting her beautiful little family and assisting on her shoot. it was so wonderful to finally meet her after following her work since i was fourteen! she is such a kind, free-spirited soul.
I started to scout locations in the surrounding suburbs and countryside. I discovered this beautiful little oasis that inspired my pastel light shoot.
a big thank you to sarah from stylemelbourne who gave me the opportunity to photograph fashion shows this year! here is a behind the scenes picture from one of the shows.
second fishing trip and still no fish.
the lost siren shoot
visiting my mother and a street-side stray cat
eli in our second shoot together with her beautiful horses.
taking pictures while passing mirrors
my favourite picture taken in studio at university.
birthday visit from my father and fixing up the bike we built together years ago!
november snuck up upon us so quickly. university finished for the year and it was nice to finally have a break from assignments. to celebrate lucy came to visit and see our home for the first time.
photographing australia’s first holographic fashion show for stylemelbourne
preppy styled shoot with skye
talented photographer caitlin worthington came to visit from perth and we photographed together in the rose gardens. it was so wonderful to finally meet her!
the end of the year was near and I had the most wonderful opportunity of attending the falls festival art camp where we create all of the puppets and costume for the festival parade. I met wonderful friends and spent a week in the most beautiful forrest.
in the evenings we would eat healthy vegan dinners and watch the sunset. i could not think of a more perfect way to end a perfect year.
we celebrated the new year at falls festival having the time of our lives! so many adelaide friends were also attending the festival and so were some of our favourite bands.
I can’t wait to see what two thousand and thirteen has in stall for us. All I hope for is that we will be happy and healthy and have the chance to meet even more lovely new friends!
