Tishiko King is on her way to the UN COP26 Climate Talks in Glasgow and before she left I photographed her at home to accompany a Q and A for the Groundswell journal. Go read all about this inspiring marine biologist, climate campaigner, and proud Torres Strait Island woman here.
rhubarb mural
Talk about injecting some colour and vigour into a once quiet corner of Preston Market. This retail fit-out for my client Rhubarb Rhubarb by Brave New Eco (another client) is so uplifting. Their vintage-fruit-box inspired mural collar with Beci Orpin and Studio Baker and expertly painted by Abbey Rich chose the bursts of colour and texture that their fresh organic produce pumps out on the daily. Just delightful. These guys are one of my beloved clients and working with them on their beautiful family-owned business of over 21 years is an absolute delight.
Here is a blog post over at the Brave New Eco blog that outlines the whole project.
compost your clothes
The Elemental Collection from local brand Because of Nature. Photography by Emma Byrnes
At the beginning of this year I had an email drop into my inbox and it was simply titled “HELP”.
It was from Geelong-based textile artist and natural dyer Kathy Williams and she was looking for someone to photograph her upcoming 100% compostable clothing collection and get help with visual strategy and web design to relaunch her brand Because of Nature. She also wanted to communicate the work that she was doing in India mentoring rural village women to establish a zero waste weaving and production unit.
Kathy’s SOS had landed in the right place. Immediately my interest was piqued. A brand whose focus was zero waste textiles, 100% compostable clothing and working to empower marginalised women in India. Yes to all of these things.
And when Kathy and I met up we both felt energised by hearing of each other’s worlds and the possibilities that could evolve from a collaboration. (I want to pause right here and point out that this is a very important and sometimes intangible aspect of my business - the synergy between myself and my clients. It has to be deeply felt as I often work with small business owners who are so passionate about what they do and this passion is often commensurate with - or at times supersedes - other more traditional aspects of running a successful business like cashflow projections and the bottom line. If we do “click” then generally it seems that the time and energy that is consequently poured into the project from both parties is satisfying and deeply felt - it can even be transformative).
So Kathy squirrelled away in her dye house for a month or two - dyeing and making - and then I photographed The Elemental Collection in late February. We found a beautiful location and a wonderful model Bee that when combined brought true magic to Kathy’s vision for her garments.
Kathy’s story is so interesting. It is multi-layered and quite complex as she is self taught and has been immersed in textiles for 50 years. For her website I spent hours wrangling words and trying to put all of the pieces together so her audience could make sense of the different threads without getting overwhelmed. I just wanted them to spend their time admiring Kathy’s hard won vision and appreciating her journey. I won’t double up by telling the story - just head over to the website and see for yourself. All I can say is that you will fall head over heels for her methodology and philosophies.
I’ll leave you with a testimonial from Kathy as I am always thrilled when a client gets as much pleasure working with me as I do from them:
“Sometimes running a small business becomes very overwhelming...the logistics of websites, photoshoots, branding, marketing and being all round boss girl can be quite confronting to say the least. And then gracefully with peace, dignity, joy and happiness Emma comes into your life. Ask the universe and she will always provide. Working with Emma has been such an empowering experience, I have learnt so much and she has allowed me to realise I’ve got this! From her exquisite photography, her research, her capacity to understand and embrace your business as if it’s her own and then creating the website of my dreams! Her talents have no boundaries, a truly genuine woman of integrity. A unique quality in this hectic world.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.””
If you think your brand needs a refresh don’t hesitate to get in touch if you think we might be a good match.
taking steps
Bushland at Macedon Ranges. Photograph by Emma Byrnes
In 2020 I want to make my business more responsible and accountable by taking small, critical steps to help tip environmental, economic and social factors in more positive directions. With the overwhelming summer we are experiencing here in Australia and the resulting collective grief over the devastation, I want to ensure the decisions I make in my professional capacity contribute towards a positive future.
Over my working life I have always tried to reduce my footprint; being mindful of the impact my work has both personally and for the greater community; and by collaborating with clients who also contribute and take these matters seriously.
BUT there is always room for improvement as Maya Angelou so wisely expresses:
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
I’ve reviewed my business practices and these are the key areas where I will make improvements in 2020:
Transfer my business to a bank that does not support fossil fuels
I have chosen to open an account with Bank of Australia whose stated purpose is to create mutual prosperity for their customers in the form of positive economic, personal, social, environmental and cultural impact.Reduce my website carbon emissions
The global information & communication technology (ICT) ecosystem has a huge environmental impact. So large in fact, that its carbon footprint is on a par with the entire aviation industry’s emissions from fuel.
I have three websites. This year I will do an audit and move towards making them more efficient by doing an assessment of file sizes (ie how much data gets transferred when the web page opens) and reassessing my relationships with web providers and hosts to ensure they are hosted in data centres that uses fossil fuel electricity, or renewables. At the moment my Green Web rating is poor.
How does your website fare?Reduce file storage
I capture my photography files in RAW format to give me the greatest control in post-production - an important part of ensuring a high quality product to my clients. BUT the downside is they tend to be very heavy data files.
Up until now I have always kept and stored the original files in case my client experiences some sort of technical malfunction and lose access to the files I have delivered + processed for them.
But I have reached the point where file storage has become a bugbear for my business and I have since researched the exponentially increasing environmental impact of data storage. Data centres in particular consume a gigantic amount of electricity — 80% of which currently comes from fossil fuel power stations.
As a result I am offering a two month reprieve to any of my clients who wish to gain access to any past files. After April 1st 2020 I cannot guarantee that I will have your files on hand as I plan to delete big swathes of material to free up my burden on the servers, my psyche and ultimately our planet :-)Photographic images behind a paywall
In order to operate a more efficient and generous small business I will be putting my photographic images behind a paywall as of April 1st 2020. This means that my invoicing terms will change whereby my clients pay their invoice before they can access and download images. I am open to discuss alternative approaches on a “per needs basis” but this will otherwise be my default payment system.
The purpose of this change is to allow my one-woman-show a chance to focus time and attention on more positive aspects of my business (like reducing my carbon footprint and working on pro bono jobs) rather than chasing invoices.
BTW - If you have a pro bono request or suggestion please get in touch with me.
No doubt as the year progresses I will be enlightened as to how I can make even more improvements (this recent article on cutting carbon emissions revealed to me how much further I can potentially cut down) - yikes there is definitely some serious work to be done.
And of course I would love any feedback or suggestions you might have.
julia wharf
Images captured at the home studio of Melbourne ceramicist, Julia Wharf. Photography by Emma Byrnes.
spacecraft
I had a photo session the other day at Spacecraft to capture some of their bed linen for their online store. I also picked up a few sly shots of the beautiful clothing hanging in the shop window. It’s always a joy to spend time with these wonderful folk.
entering the creative space
Weavings by Melbourne textile artist David Pearce. Photographs by Emma Byrnes
Exploration is often the necessary first step when photographing creative people in their working spaces and over time I have learnt that it’s OK to go in blind and stumble around for a while to get my bearings and soak up their environment. In fact it is the most magical way to undertake the brief. Maintaining my child-like curiosity and appreciating the small moments can help to formulate the story. Slowing down and having a chat by taking coffee/tea with them in their workspace or just sitting and observing them at work can be very valuable time spent.
Because my approach as a photographer stems from a place of observation and interest in human behaviour - I am sensitive to emotions. I am also very happy to be the one on the camera-side and profess I am particularly sensitive to what people go through on the other side. But whilst I like to be on my side of the camera I am certainly not a stealthy, detached observer. A big part of my job is connecting with people, reaching out across the borders and boundaries of what may be perceived to exist.
One of the first things I read is how comfortable this person might be with a lens in their face. This is something that may have been flagged beforehand but I generally also judge on the day. I don’t like being an imposition on people’s intimate spaces and so I often choose to tread slowly yet quietly confident that the trust will build over time.
If the person is more reserved I will often employ techniques like long exposures (blurring the subject), unconventional framing and letting their work and tools speak on their behalf whilst they can ebb and flow around the edges. This approach can tend to result in more ethereal or suggestive imagery.
But If I sense that they are instantly relaxed then we can begin with gusto and the images will often reflect that more robust, sharp and bold approach.
Often their personal grooming/attire can be a good indicator of their general approach/working method and hence how they would be best represented.
For example my friend David Pearce whose work is featured in the photographs above is a very meticulous textile artist (it can take up to 4 years for him to make a garment from scratch ie hand spinning, hand dyeing, knitting) His clothes are always well-pressed and he is very well-groomed. His work is painstaking in it’s detail and therefore when he asked me to photograph him with weavings in his studio I almost unconsciously ensured that the images were stripped back and minimal - much like him.
Another visual creative friend Anna of Sweet Polka asked me to document her folio. There is apparently a tried and true formula for documenting folio’s - flat lay, point/shoot done. This is all well and good but I couldn’t help but bring her into the process. Her personal aesthetic reflects the work she does. She wrote a blog post about that day we spent together.
Paintings lined up at Sarah Tomasetti’s studio. Photograph by Emma Byrnes
Another thing I will observe when entering the space of a creative is the colour palette of their work and how it may be reflected in their belongings/clothing/studio environment.
For example my client Sarah Tomasetti has very pared back colour palettes in her oil paintings. And her studio reflects this unfussy quality featuring deep timbers and plastered white walls with very few bright colours, even on the book shelves (pictured above). Having been trained initially as a photojournalist I generally don’t like to interfere with what is in front of me. I take environments more or less as they come and use the surrounds to inform the work. But for some of Sarah’s photo sessions I have removed just one or two items (such as bright plastic buckets or a flouro highlighter from her desk) as they have distracted from what is otherwise a very unconsciously nuanced scenario that ties in so wonderfully with her paintings and their palette.
I will also look at the equipment and materials the artist uses. How they are stored? Are they messy? Tidy? Does this reflect on their personal style/artworks/design? Physical features can also play a big part - wild hair/dirty hands/bare feet?
For example my friend Joanna Fowles is a textile dying creative . Her indigo-stained hands and mottled drop sheets are a big indicator of her work life and practice. Images capturing these details would certainly be key photographs in a story about her creative practice. In fact next time I visit Sydney I am compelled to enter her studio and put aside some time to capture her at work :-)
Sometimes time pressure can take me into the SHOOT FIRST/ TALK LATER work mode. Or the artist may be already engaged in their work when I step into the space. Rather than interrupting what is obvious flow I will stand back and observe - ascertaining the mood, environment, personality through subtle cues and markers. Are they happy for me to be there? I try to make eye contact and if they respond then I will nod and gain their trust. Other times they may feel uncomfortable with me interrupting and I slow down to let them know that I am not a threat to the pace of the environment and will warm them up slowly.
Other questions that I will ask myself during a shoot are:
Do I need to change my point of view or my lens? Do I need to guide the artist into a different part of the workspace? Do I wait for more suitable light? Should I get less literal and use slower shutter speeds or multiple exposures?
So many variables go into creating the right circumstances for these shoots to succeed but when I find myself in these situations I am like a pig in mud.
Get in touch if you would like to book a photography session in your creative space.
And view other blog posts in the “intimate observations” series here.