To say this year has been crazy is a bit of an understatement. It was about this time last year that I had just graduated from my course and had now entered the world as a "Photographer". Obviously, I was terrified of the thought and basically reacted like the video below.
After calming down and tackling things bit by bit instead of trying to "be a photographer" I started working for Treats Collective which was later Alphabetics, and this was my introduction into the music world. Ben, Lucy and Stu all took me under their wings and basically set me free in a field and let me play on any idea that I had. The idea of having to pull through really excited me and although the gigs I were covering were tiny it felt amazing to get closer to the action and to get a taste of what the Music world had to offer.
I eventually racked up a few big gigs under my belt and also befriended a bunch of Brisbane artists and it was exciting to hear that they are normal people just trying to do what they love. I mainly had a love affair with The Jungle Giants and whilst working at the company I got to help with shooting their gigs and creating a bit of content which was a giant learning curve for me. Below is the very first Video I made out of college based on footage filmed over their tour of last year. Although it was only a short time spent there I am so thankful for the opportunity because it was the perfect platform for me to realise the potential in the industry but to also have a low stress environment to grow.
My initial dream in College was to photograph Music and in the space of a year I have photographed over 300 musicians, worked on four music videos, helped cover seven music festivals, toured with artists and have worked for a huge number of talented music companies and people. That just blows me away. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would "make it" into the industry but looking back it's been an absolute thrill the entire way.
My definite highlights of the year were the friendships I formed along the way with some very inspiring people who let me run around. In at #1 we have Dan Graetz and his crew of Benjamin Evans and Jamis Loveday who are the magicians behind Violent Soho's Music Videos and a lot of other Brisbane based bands. They are three incredibly down to earth people who clearly love what they do and enjoy helping people who deserve it. I was somehow lucky enough to work on their music video for "Saramona Said" and also another music video and it was such an experience to see them work together and witness their unconventional but highly affective methods being used.
Most of these photos are from content that was never released so this is the first time they have been seen!
Another giant highlight was photographing Laneway.
Being inches away from my favourite artists on my first huge scale Festival and then backing it up with Big Day Out, Soundwave, Big Sound and Listen Out. It's been such a wild experience seeing the other side of Festivals and i've had some crazy encounters. Watching the BDO headliners from side of stage, having half of the Soundwave line up knocking on my door in the Artists area asking me where to go and me replying with a shocked / crying / so happy with life face, meeting Haim backstage in a random turn of events, having Mac Demarco climb on me to get out of a crowd, Danny Brown singing above me and the countless artists who have locked eyes with my camera and scared the hell out of me whilst editing. It's just all been so crazy and I swear if I didn't have my camera with me I wouldn't believe it all. Here are a few of my favourite photos from the year.
Of course this all wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for AAA Backstage and Control Zine allowing me to snap away under their name and get to see my favorite artists in action. I'm a very lucky girl.
Also seconds before Flume entered the stage at Listen Out festival I was eagerly standing at the stage waiting to start snapping, when out of nowhere I saw flames next to me, ran, and pressed my shutter button. Turns out Flume decided to have fire as an entrance and I am now stuck with the hilarious memory and a horrible photo of me running away here: (something that didn't make it to the gallery)
Whilst I was at College I also decided I would never photograph Weddings and Fashion and now I find myself assisting in both. A few months into the year I got a job at Blackmilk and although I haven't done much Fashion based photography i've been able to document some of their progress and it's been a really exciting project for me which has allowed me to grow a lot and practice thinking up new ideas.
I've realised how much I enjoy fading into the background and capturing moments that I see and to have such a performance at my hands made the job so exciting and engaging just because I was in awe of all that happened. In saying that the entire process wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for a few people who decided to keep me around. The creative trio of Bonnie, Charli and Maddie have set the scene all year round for Blackmilk and their efforts combined with Cam, Alicia, James, Jess and Paul they have created something magical that i'm excited to help out with next year.
Here are a few things i'm proud of so far. I'm currently working on a few more videos and i'm excited to see what the end results are and what i'll work on next!
And last but not least, we have Weddings. I haven't photographed one in a while due to time constraints but this year I witnessed so many loved up couples tie the knot and make me cry with happiness. I was determined in College not to photograph them because I had this narrow minded way of thinking that they were cliche but after getting to know the people involved and how excited they are it's hard not to get sucked into the happiness and love of it all. So here are a few of my favourite snaps from Weddings!
So thankyou to everyone who has been there for me. Even if it's a simple like on a photo, a comment on a blog or anything it all, it just helps me to realise that what i'm doing is going out there and that people are enjoying what i'm making. I've been able to experience some crazy things and I can wholeheartedly say if I didn't have a camera in front of me for most of this year none of this would have happened.
So here's to 2015 and utilising my new camera that little bit more!
And here are some more of my favourite snaps from Adventures with friends.
Until next year!