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Our friend Rebecca Wilson – artist, writer and gold miner – has spent more than a decade researching the troubled life Ned Kelly’s (famous Australian bushranger) younger sister Kate.
Her 400 page biography has just been published by Allen & Unwin and we attended the book launch at the Gang Gang Gallery in Lithgow in mid February.
Bec happily signed copies of her book in Lithgow
At the same time the Gang Gang Gallery exhibited a series of narrative paintings and story cards based on Rebecca’s ongoing investigation into Kate Kelly’s colourful story.
Jonathan Turner and Maree Azzopardi with Rebecca’s portraits from the life of Kate Kelly
Concurrently Rebecca’s solo exhibition, Myth Making Heroes and Villains, at BRAG (Bathurst Regional Art Gallery) looks at stories and legends from central NSW, featuring some of the more forgotten characters of Australia’s colonial past.
Prior to Saturday’s official Mardi Gras Parade at the Sydney Cricket Ground, a grass roots protest march made its way along the traditional route down Oxford Street.
In 1978 the first Mardi Gras was primarily a protest for gay and lesbian rights with the involvement of the transgender and Aboriginal communities. Yesterday’s protest shows that there is still more work to be done in respect to homophobia, transphobia, mandatory detention of refugees, indigenous rights, decriminalisation of sex work and heavy handed treatment by police.
The spirit of protest, vigilance and social change is at the core of Mardi Gras but it is still a time for celebration and dressing up.
One of my favourite placards carried by a protester was: “The only good cop is a stripper in uniform”
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2021 is on the doorstep. Although there won’t be a dance party or street parade this year, there will still be a stadium event (with puppets) at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Best of all, for anybody able to travel, throughout the terminals at Sydney Airport my rainbow portrait of Amelia Airhead (longtime diva and drag royalty) is featured as a colourful reminder that Mardi Gras has arrived.
Come fly with me
Along with my fashion images printed on billboards several years ago in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, these portraits of Amelia in Sydney are now the largest reproductions of any of my images.
A bright, cheerful and queer greeting on arrival…..
One calm Friday morning in January, I walked onto a retro set which had been constructed at Sydney Props Specialists in Marrickville. I love this place. It’s like walking through the door of a “dressing cupboard” into a magical universe in a parallel dimension.
Vanity Fair and Courtney Act were putting the final touches to their make-up, as they were getting ready for their close-ups. I quickly set about constructing the lighting rig on the set so we could commence shooting. Playing the roles inspired by two friends in a 1980s chat show, Vanity and Courtney posed on the two main sets … one a “high-tech” office reception area with a huge desk-top computer and antiquated Eighties technology, and the other a pastel pink bedroom scene reminiscent of a Barbie boudoir.
These images are being used by NOVA Entertainment to promote their upcoming podcast by Vanity Fair and Courtney Act entitled “Brenda, Call Me” beginning on February 11. Here’s the promo blurb….
Drag sisters in crime, Courtney Act and Vanity have a new podcast: Brenda, Call Me! Friends for over twenty years, they’ve gone through it all together. Catch up with them each week as they let it all hang out discussing everything and nothing. It’s the Seinfeld of podcasts. Coming soon.
A new concept in education has been completed in the suburb of Surry Hills, The Inner Sydney High School, not far from Central Station.
I have been tracing and documenting the progress of the new 11-story building over the past two years. I recently photographed the completed school building complex by Hansen Yuncken Pty Ltd. It incorporates the refurbished heritage-listed buildings which were part of the former Cleveland Street High School, with the towering expanses of the new structures. Throughout the final shoot, I kept asking myself why I wasn’t able to go to a school like this when I was young.
The old and the new…..
The features are amazing. The kids even have their own cappuccino machine, in what I presume is the “Home Science” area of this innovative school. A cappuccino machine!
See….cappuccino machine, left.
There are air-lifted basketball courts, high-rise dining and lounge areas, state-of-the-art facilities in all the learning spaces and “to-die-for” views in every direction, especially overlooking Prince Alfred Park and the skyscrapers on the city skyline.
Basketball court with city views, overlooking Prince Alfred Park
Have a look at the video the Education Department has made…click here:
The Liverpool Health and Academic Precinct is a $740 million redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital and a new education and research hub. The redevelopment will provide Liverpool Hospital with expanded clinical services, public spaces and car parking, integrated with research and teaching.
I shot part of an initial phase of construction for Multiplex (the contractor on this phase), which features a temporary teaching centre for medical students and staff. Multiplex is also delivering a number of other projects, including a new kitchen facility, reconfiguration of several buildings and a car park.
“Step Back in Time” is the latest showcase for the best talent Sydney has to offer, performing at the Beresford Hotel on Friday and Sunday nights from February 12
I recently did the photography for the poster for the new Beresford show, with all the cast – Minnie Cooper, Jaqui St Hyde, Mynx Moscato, Troy Stone and Hayden Baulch. Think of a heady mix of the Great Gatsby and Saturday Night Fever.
And just like Kylie sang:
“When you can’t find the music. To get down and boogie. All you can do is step back in time”.
Looks like great fun….3 course dinner and show. Click here:
Nowadays people need places to store things, especially if you are living in a small inner-city apartment. I have seen more and more storage facilities popping up in the city, sometimes in the most extraordinary places.
Xenia Constructions has built one such place … a new Storage King facility in Minchinbury, constructed as a state-of-the art warehouse in smart blue and white.
Interior of the warehouse showing the individual cubicles
So French So Chic, the Potts Point based clothing retailer and wholesaler specialised in casual linen women’s wear asked me to stage and shoot their new range for the look-book and catalogue. We decided to use the timber deck of the yacht Drumfire moored in Rushcutter’s Bay as the perfect setting.
We then moved into the studio to complete the photos of the summer and autumn ranges, focusing on loose linen dresses, maritime inspired pants and large knit jumpers. Caro and Clara both did a fantastic job modelling the garments on the yacht and later in the studio for the look-book for So French So Chic, based in Potts Point, NSW. Additional items were presented and photographed on a “ghost mannequin”.
Caro and Clara model in studio for the look-book.Ghost mannequin effect for the rest of the range.Behind the scenes of the crew (not the crew of the boat) at work.
I have been photographing the legendary Bob Downe for many years now and I feel that I must comment on the fact that for some reason Bob never seems to age. See for yourself in the images from my latest shoot with this iconic stage, cabaret, theatre and television personality. Like many of his ilk, Bob never gives away his ageless grooming secrets, although in a recent post he did mention that he “sleeps in a rubber mould”. However, I suspect he was pulling our proverbial leg.
Bob was wearing some of the magnificent creations of Maude Boate. Maude is one of the true originals of Australian drag, as well as an incredibly talented designer and dress-maker. Maude’s trademarked polystyrene wigs were adapted for the movie and stage-play, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Bob’s good friend and confidant, Mark Trevorrow feels that Bob should be at Madame Tussauds. In his sequinned leisure suits, sometimes he almost looks like he is. (Incidentally Mark Trevorrow is performing on March 4 at Claire’s Kitchen at Le Salonin Oxford St, Darlinghurst). Others have described Bob as “naturally fabulous”, and “ageing like indestructible Tupperware”. All I can say is that I always have loads of laughs with Bob on every photo shoot in my studio. He’s a real pro and he makes my job so much easier, despite the highly flammable fabrics.
Near the Alexandria entrance to the newly opened M8 tunnel a dynamic new industrial landscape of warehouses and offices is emerging. Prime Projects (NSW) Pty Limited have just completed the repurposing and repositioning of an existing industrial asset for Goodman in Alexandria.
The development and construction project by Leffler Simes Architects with consulting engineers Triaxial and Sparks + Partners, includes the new facade and fit-out to 3 showrooms, new service infrastructure and service upgrades to the warehouse portion, as well as internal walls.
134 Euston Road, Alexandria by Prime Projects Pty Ltd
Finally the announcement has been made, and I’m excited to post the latest from Prinnie Stevens. Her one woman cabaret show is being staged as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, 2021, and Prinnie will be performing at the Chamber at THE QUEENS from March 4-7.
Here’s what they say about LADY SINGS THE BLUES…..
A story about women in song, their hurts, struggles and pain whilst their beauty remains the same.
Featuring the songs of the greats such as Billie Holiday, Etta James, Nina Simone & Ella Fitzgerald along with the modern day voices of Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Beyonce and Sade you will be transported from the speak easy setting to the very heart of our Lady.
Prinnie as a woman of colour in Australia will tell these tales through her own eyes and experience.
We first met Prinnie on season one of The Voice where she battled best friend Mahalia Barnes and stopped Australia in it’s tracks. Prinnie then went on to star on the West End in Thriller Live in the UK as well performing in the Australasian Tour before returning to the stage back home in The Bodyguard and HAIR the Musical.
Prinnie during the shoot for her poster at my studio, with hair and make-up by the talented team of Joe and Drew.
Well known for her roles in theatrical productions of Rent, Thriller Live, The Bodyguard and Oh, What a Night, for which she was nominated for a Helpmann Award, Prinnie rarely sits still. It was a pleasure to work with Prinnie, Joe and Drew on the day of the shoot last November. I wish her all the success in the world and look forward to seeing her perform in Adelaide. Tickets are on sale. Click the link.
Recently I was working on a project on the 38th floor of International Tower 3 at the Barangaroo complex in Sydney, staging a series of head shots for KPMG.
KPMG is is one of the 4 big accounting firms, providing an international network of professional services. KPMG is a Anglo/Dutch merger of Klynveld Main Goerdeler (KMG) with the English firm, Peat Marwich, hence KPMG which was formed in 1987.
It was a great shoot that went very smoothly, assisted by the KPMG team. We set up quickly in one of the lofty meeting rooms with a spectacular, birds-eye view of the city and started with our first portrait.
We chose a direct and clean lighting set-up that could be duplicated by other photographer’s in different states. The participants were captured against a white paper background, suspended within the room.
Here are a few shots during the set up from the morning’s work.
In December at the Paddington RSL the talented Darren Mapes and Debora Krizak take the stage as The Carpenters from Kempsey, a brother and sister act, echoing the dulcet tones of Karen and Richard Carpenter.
It was great fun working together on their promotional imagery and I knew they would be funny and clever on stage. However, I was blown away by the amazing sound (including superb vocals) and uncanny imitations when I saw them perform on the 9th of December.
Playing the roles of Sharon and Darren from Kempsey, the two singing antagonists bring a mix of 1970’s mellow harmonies with sibling rivalry. With their mate Keanu as their Hawaiian guest guitarist, they wooed the crowd with such hits as “Close to You”, “Top of the World” and “Yesterday Once More”, keeping up a continuous banter full of the innocence from an earlier time.
Vanity Faire, the renowned drag identity and performer, steps out to celebrate Xmas at The Rocks.
Performing on stage as Mariah Carey, Vanity lights up the precinct for an evening of sparkling glamour to spread Xmas magic. See link for details:
Before we started on the “Mariah” shoot I worked with the team from The Rocks and the Poem Group to feature some of the best products and food available from such outlets as Tea Cosy, Squidinki and The Doss House.
The Australian Master Builders Association has awarded Re:form Constructions, lead by Gerard Murphy, as the 2020 National winner in the category of projects (alterations/additions) over 1 million dollars for this Balmain residence.
Designed by Brian Zulaikha of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, this multi-storey house features warm wooden panelling, windows incorporating underwater views of the pool and a monumental mosaic by Janet Laurence.
Samantha Leith, with Sarah Damichi putting the finishing touches to make up.
It was a joy to photograph Samantha – performer, business strategist and motivational speaker – who is forever on the move. She is a great communicator with a vivacious energy and we had a fun afternoon shooting new imagery for her branding and corporate profile.
As Samantha says, “If you haven’t noticed, I’ve stopped listening to the ‘experts’ that tell you to only have one business. I happen to love and excel at being a multi passionate entrepreneur.” To find out more about Samantha visit her website here.
Samantha Leith in the makeup chair, with Sarah Damichi
Margarita Sampson – Long Division series, 2020. Copper wire, bitumen paint, video tape, expanding foam, glitter.
I photographed the latest works produced by the talented artist Margarita Sampson in my studio and was amazed by the captivating effect of her human figures.
Margarita says, “These figures were loosely based on Etruscan figurines I saw in the Hermitage in 2005. A friend recently told me that the Romans would scathingly refer to them as the ‘fat Etruscans’, so may be I haven’t taken too many liberties by padding them out a bit. The original figurines were actually quite lithe.”
Margarita Sampson – Long Division, 2020. Copper wire, bitumen paint, video tape, expanding foam, glitter.
Performer, singer and finalist on Australia’s “The Voice”, Prinnie Stevens came by the studio to work on images for a brand new show.
Here are some behind-the-scenes shots of Prinnie getting ready with Joe and Drew doing hair and makeup. Stay tuned for further information about show dates and the release of the finished imagery from the shoot, highlighting the talents of Prinnie, well known for her roles in theatrical productions of Rent, Thriller Live, The Bodyguard and Oh, What a Night, for which she was nominated for a Helpmann Award.
For the cover story of the winter issue of Vegetables Australia for AUSVEG, I photographed Enoch on his farm at Kemps Creek, NSW.
His work includes specialist horticulture, dual cropping and innovative methods in greenhouse management, results in lush crops of cucumbers, flat beans, basil and parsley.
