Q: How long have you been taking pictures?
A: "How long taking pictures seriously?" you ask. It's not serious business, it's fun! I was a journalist who picked up a camera to do photojournalism. I did freelance work for newspapers and magazines, then I moved on to shooting television documentaries. As much as humanly possible I picked subjects that were of great interest to me.
... [more]The Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BIFB) festival has an ambitious aim: to be a world class celebration of the photographic arts in the great tradition of the Recontres de la Photographie d'Arles in France.
Running from September 4 to October 4, 2009, the BIFB will see more than 150 photographic events staged in and around Ballarat. Using the proven Arles model of a Core Exhibition Program and an associated open entry Fringe Exhibition, the Ballarat Festival will not only provide a showcase for the works of a wide variety of photographers, it will also include a comprehensive Educational Program. There will be workshops, seminars, portfolio reviews, schools programs, and other special photographic events.
... [more]Sometimes things don't work out quite the way you plan. Originally I'd intended to interview Geoffrey Simpson about his work as a cinematographer, with the idea of exploring the intersection between his craft and the art of photographic composition. Although he is an extremely busy fellow, we managed to conduct the interview. Unfortunately, it turned out to be difficult to organise the high resolution images from his films we'd need for publication in the magazine. Ownership and copyright issues that arise from such a highly collaborative art form, it seems, are extremely complex. ... [more]Whether he's photographing a shipwreck at dawn, moss-covered river rocks or a wedding, it's easy to see that Paul Pichugin puts his heart and soul into his work. He has the technical and aesthetic skills of an accomplished professional, but has also retained the enthusiasm and candour of his years as a keen amateur. ... [more]Unlike its hard edged, high contrast counterpart in Australia, the Golden State's sunshine often has a kind of warm, enveloping quality that seems ever so subtly to open up the shadows and soften the highlights. Perhaps it's something to do with the cold Pacific Ocean which every summer creates dense fogs along the coast for weeks at a time. Or maybe it's the ever present photochemical haze created by car exhaust and, in some cases, the vegetation on California's chapparal clad hills. Whatever the particulars of its origins, it is an ideal light for landscape photography.
... [more]Literally speaking, Kane Hibberd has a sound basis for breaking into the highly competitive field of rock music photography. 'Until four years ago I was a sound engineer, recording bands in the studio and mixing live concerts, but I decided to get out because it wasn't satisfying my creative urge,' says the Melbourne-based 31-year-old. 'I'd always had an interest in photography and thought that if I worked hard and was my own harshest critic, I might be able to make a go of it.
... [more]For almost as long as he's been taking pictures, Sydney Morning Herald photographer Steven Siewert has been fascinated by sub-cultures.
He's photographed the 'Crystal Children' celebrations in Thailand, the followers of John Frum on Vanuatu's Tanna Island, the sulfur miners of Kawah Ijen in Java, rodeo and surf lifesaving kids, trainee junior sumo wrestlers and others.
... [more]Photography news highlights from 2008. ... [more] |