In the Beginning
I was the fourth of 5 children, a girl, and then us 4 boys. My dad was a 'professional' amateur photographer, using a vintage plate camera, long before I was born. Each summer of my childhood, my parents packed our caravan, and together with my younger brother, we embarked on a 2-week camping trip. No two weeks were the same, as we traversed the Continent of Australia; a camera always held securely in my father's hand. A few weeks later we gathered in the sitting room while my father loaded up his slide projector. It was always fun to relive the often crazy 2-week trip. Thus, was borne my love of photography and the power it had to record and capture precious moments that might forever be lost.
My father gave me a Box Brownie and later a Kodak lnstamatic. To save money on processing, he taught me how to process my own film, in a makeshift darkroom at night in the kitchen. My mother was not happy to discover her dishes were being used as developing trays, filled with chemicals, but I was fascinated by the developing process. I can totally remember being mesmerized as I watched positive images miraculously appear from negatives. I was hooked.
In my early teens I asked him if I could borrow his 35mm stills camera to photograph Robert Vaughn, one of my childhood heroes, who was visiting Melbourne. It looked like I had captured the perfect moment when Robert made eye contact with me. However, I was dismayed, and disappointed later, to discover my shot was slightly out of focus. Dad explained why. I was fascinated and it spurred me on to learn more about photography.
In my final year of secondary school, I became the unofficial school photographer, using his same 35mm stills camera. When term was over, I was thrilled to discover the school had included many of my shots in Aquila, the end of year school magazine.
But photography was not my only passion. Dad also had an old 8mm movie camera on which he would film special family events. Often there would be just enough film left in the camera for me to shoot short scenes. They would usually consist of hair-brained, pseudo, action sequences, complete with blood and special effects. Imagine the family's amusement, at the end of watching a family wedding celebration or birthday party, when a 30 second, hi-octane shoot-out, or fist fight, appeared! Subsequently one of our art teachers proposed introducing filmmaking as a subject. The powers that be agreed. The teacher supplied his own 16mm movie camera and I assembled a few classmates. Ten weekends later we had a 20-minute short.
Then school was over. But cinematography had piqued my interest, and I joined the ABC. I rose through the ranks, sadly not to become a cinematographer, but as an assistant editor. Something I knew little about. However, I also signed on for a 7-year part-time photography diploma course, at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Here the 'lowly' 35mm stills camera was 'verboten' and I had to upgrade to a large format camera. Assignments were varied and often challenging, with the course covering everything from documentary motion pictures, portraiture, fashion, industrial, commercial and macro-photography. As I honed my skills, portraiture emerged as my strong suit and I envisaged becoming a professional portrait photographer.
Then the ABC handed out an ultimatum. Their rosters were being revised and if I wanted to continue to work in the editing department, I would have to forego photography classes. What to do? I pondered my decision. I looked around the school at all the young, and extremely talented photographers, many of whom would be soon be graduating as professional photographers, all swimming in a small pond. However, I was already a trained assistant editor, with a much larger pond in which to swim. So, I reluctantly quit RMIT, and focused on my editing career. A decade later I edited Harlequin and The Man from Snowy River and my foray into the editing world of feature films began.
I still retained my interest in directing, from those early school-days. But an actors' process or the craft of acting, was a mystery. So, I joined an acting class in order to discover more. Of course, this also gave me access to many, willing subjects, who were more than happy for me to practice my portraiture skills. I learned much from the class, and our extraordinary acting coach, although, I do have to admit, I had not anticipated lying on a floor, imagining myself as a blade of grass swaying in the breeze.
In 1989 I had been asked to edit the Tom Selleck movie Quigley Down Under, with Alan Rickman, who was a delight and we became good friends. I mourn his passing. But it was also the movie on which I met my wife to be, who was our Post Production Supervisor. We married in 1991 and moved to Los Angeles in 1992.
The States
In my early days in Hollywood, I was fortunate enough to be asked to direct the pilot and first three episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This was followed by a stint in Lithuania directing episodes of the Warner Bros. TV series The New Adventures of Robin Hood.
Cigar smoking was also a big thing at this time and I had the idea to produce a fine art, cigar calendar, featuring a naked model, in a series of fun, innovative and unusual situations. Naturally, cigars featured prominently. I shot in black and white, and created 18 different scenarios. I called it The Naked Cigar Calendar and it won a Bronze Award in the National Calendar Awards for Most Original Wall Calendar, that year. During that period, I learned much about printing, and even more about Photoshop. Currently I am expanding my ideas to create a full color coffee-table book, entitled The Naked Cigar.
In between gigs, I agreed to run an On-Camera Scene Class as part of the curriculum for a highly respected Hollywood acting coach. I think I might have benefitted more from my time there than would be actors did. They were learning, but I was also having the opportunity to try out new direction techniques of my own, and experiment with camera and lighting.
The students also afforded me the opportunity to hone my portrait photography skills, as there were many actors, professional and amateur alike, searching for that blow-away headshot. My directing work had taught me how to bring the very best out of the person standing nervously in front of my camera. I provide a safe environment for them to be creative, show vulnerability or project the attention-grabbing power of a superstar.
A photo shoot can often be boring, but I like to shatter any air of boredom by creating 'specialty' scenarios for each person. This could be the use of dramatic lighting, visualization techniques and role-playing, to achieve a movie look. Often exciting and edgy; like handling a gun; wielding a sword; wearing bloody make-up, or evoking sensuality and sensitivity. Making sure the client is having a good time and enjoying themselves, is one aspect of my photography sessions I am well known for.
From 2004 through 2014, I was BAFTA/LA's official photographer. During those years the British Academy of Film & Television Arts Los Angeles held numerous, prestigious celebrations, events and screenings, attended by stars, producers and directors connected with the movies being celebrated. I attended these events and photographed all the Q&A's, and captured some truly memorable moments as well as hundreds of portraits of A-List actors, producers, writers and directors.
Among them are George Clooney • Leonardo DiCaprio • Denzel Washington • Tom Hanks • Samuel L. Jackson • Harrison Ford • Mark Hamill • Steven Spielberg • Martin Scorcese • Peter Jackson • Tom Cruise • Kerry Washington • Meryl Streep • Clint Eastwood • Collin Farrell • Jeremy Renner • Dame Helen Mirren • Catherine Zeta Jones • Julia Roberts • Richard Gere • Scarlett Johansson • Stana Katic • George Lucas • Gregory Harrison • Corey Feldman • Amelia Clarke • Daniel Day Lewis • Brian Cox • Sally Field • Emma Thompson • Charlize Theron • Tanna Frederick • Archie Panjabi • Jack Nicholson • Morgan Freeman • Liam Neeson • Nicole Kidman • Russell Crowe • Tilda Swinton • Anne Kendrick • Sandra Bullock • Dustin Hoffman • Queen Latifah • Ben Affleck • Gary Oldman • Johnny Depp • Robert Downey Jr • Emma Watson • Salma Hayek… and hundreds more
Today
While working as a film director is my passion, photography runs a close second. My photographic portfolio has expanded to cover 20 different genres, with more to come.
Photography gives me the freedom to express myself through my images, and provides the opportunity to showcase my perspective on life. At the end of the day, it also teaches me to be more observant, and aware, as I move through the world.
I still utilize knowledge learned from those early days at RMIT, and, of course, at the kitchen table with Dad, who I know would have fully embraced the world of digital photography, as I have done.