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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.
Hansen Yuncken’s Minto team are naming their cranes for a good cause and raising money along the way.
When the site team heard the story of Autumn, a family member of one of the workers on site, they wanted to show their support.
With the help of their subcontractors, the team has raised over $23,000 for Redkite – a national cancer charity providing essential and practical support for children and their families. In honour of Redkite and to show their support for Autumn, Hansen Yuncken introduced their two tower cranes: Autumn and Redkite.
14 year old Autumn has recently finished chemotherapy, after being diagnosed in March 2020 with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The 45 metre tower crane, tall and proud overlooking the site, is a fitting representation of Autumn’s strength and tenacity to persevere through the toughest time in her life.
As a show of support for Redkite, the Hansen Yuncken site team has decided to raise funds to help children and young people facing a childhood cancer diagnosis. The team officially unveiled the names of the two cranes on site, hosting Autumn and her family, as well as representatives from Redkite to be the first to see the newly dubbed cranes.
If you are interested in learning more about Redkite, you can find their website here: https://www.redkite.org.au/
On the same day, I completed a series of corporate head shots, amid busy construction for Hansen Yuncken’s company profiles.
Just in time for Christmas the Beresford Hotel is hosting a Yuletide extravaganza….with a difference. Minnie Cooper is leading a Christmas inspired pageant of drag brilliance with red bows, poinsettia and candy cane.
Joining Minnie on-stage are the illustrious talents of Tora Hymen, Jacqui St Hyde and Mynx Moscato, with Troy as the Little Drummer Boy.
Christmas tinsel and glitter arrived early at my studio. All we are waiting for now is Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer.
Tora HymenMinnie CooperMynx MoscatoJacqui St HydeTroy (from the Nutcracker Suite)
Focused on advocacy, representation, policy and health promotion for people with HIV, NAPWHA commissioned me to stage a group portrait of the staff from the Sydney office in the back streets of Newtown.
Theirs is a relaxed and engaging take on corporate imagery for annual general reports and their website. In these photographs I tried to capture their open and approachable attitude.
Brett Austinand Domenic De Sousa are two talented Sydney deejays who are highly sought after in the clubs and dance parties of Sydney, Australia and beyond.
Like all good professionals they are continually up-dating their image and their promotional efforts.
What to do with an abandoned building, collecting dust, graffiti and shattered glass. Prime Constructions turned a run-down eye-sore in Pymble into a modern, highly functional office building with all the mod-cons.
I was given the unusual opportunity to photograph the project as a “before and after” record of how urban spaces can be reclaimed and repurposed.
The decision has been to respect as much of the original, high quality graffiti as possible especially in the lower ground floors and car park. In this way the past is featured as part of the present.
Tigerpak office and warehouse, Marsden Park (for The Prime Group)
SCT Warehouse, Minchinbury (for The Prime Group)
Charter Hall warehouse and offices, Prestons (for The Prime Group)
Prior to the offices of the NSW Department of Health being occupied in their new premise at St Leonards I photographed the interiors and exteriors of the multi-storey, purpose built facility, designed by BVN Architects and constructed by Multiplex, consolidating 10 NSW Health agencies into one location.
Improving collaboration between NSW Health agencies, the relocating health entities include the Ministry of Health, Agency for Clinical Innovation, Bureau of Health Information, the Clinical Excellence Commission, the Health Education and Training Institute, Cancer Institute NSW, NSW Health Pathology, Health Infrastructure, eHealth NSW and HealthShare NSW.
In preparation for her Sydney Festival show next January at the Parramatta Riverside Theatre Catherine Alcorn is starring in FNL (Friday Night Live) with Paul McDermott. Produced by Tenacious C this is a musical revue which incorporates Daniel Edmonds as musical director, Glenn Moorehouse as band leader, Ted Robinson as director and featuring the luminous talents of Verushka Darling .
Catherine Alcorn
Backstage at the photoshoot for FNL, Sydney Festival 2021, with Catherine Alcorn, Paul McDermott, Verushka Darling and Glenn Moorehouse.
Paul McDermott, Verushka Darling, Daniel Edmonds and Catherine Alcorn
On commission, I photographed the Sydney office of Lloyd Group construction company in Pyrmont, showing both the interior fit-out and the building exterior. The focus was on the clean lines of the board room, meeting rooms and working stations spread out over the 2 floors.
I continued my commission for Lloyd Group by photographing 4 new educational facilities in NSW – Hurstville Public School, Speers Point Public School, Wangi Wangi West Primary School and West Penshurst Primary School. This demonstrates the current commitment to providing dynamic learning environments and communal outdoor spaces.
Hurstville Public School
Speers Point Public SchoolWangi Wangi Primary SchoolWest Penshurst Primary School
It’s uplifting to see how clever businesses are able to find fresh ways to survive in the current climate, and to reward their loyal customers.
Le Coq, a well-loved restaurant in Darling Road not far from my studio in Rozelle, boasts a menu focussed on traditional French poultry dishes. Together with David Poirier, the owner of Le Coq, I recently set up a photo-shoot as a way to celebrate their regular clients at a time when business is beginning to return to normal. Inspired by Leonardo’s Last Supper, I created a series of iconic portraits of various local people from Rozelle and Balmain seated at a long dining table. The new series is called The First Supper. These culinary portraits will soon be hanging on the walls of Le Coq.
The Sydney Morning Herald published a short story in its Short black good food guide on June 20, 2020.
Some people may dismiss them as big, rectangular boxes built as part of the landscape of a city’s outskirts, not so interesting nor engaging. However, I am often commissioned to photograph the best designs for newly built warehouses in Sydney and beyond. They are essential structures which are rapidly demarcating the fringes of our urban sprawl in Smithfield, Minto and Kemps Creek.
Like many people, I tend to live in my inner-city bubble. Specialist food shops, cafes and “take-away for days” line my suburb. It’s easy to forget how important the infrastructure to support this life-style is. I am reminded when I venture out to photograph the massive, multi-purpose “boxes” that make this lifestyle possible. The best are examples of innovation in landscaped settings with native vegetation.
I particularly like the abstract nature and repetition of some of the construction details. The following is a visual display of features which have taken my eye while photographing these warehouses in Casula, Eastern Creek, Minchinbury, Moorebank and Yennora, produced as documentation for the construction companies that are building them.
Exterior Geometry
Goodmans, Eastern Creek for Hansen YunckenYennora Warehouse (Prime Constructions)
Exterior Features
I have developed a great respect for the sharp lines and primary colours used in the design of a simple, functional, hi-tech warehouse. I continue to expand in this genre of photography.
I shot the new linen collection for So French So Chic on a timber-decked yacht in Rushcutters Bay on Sydney harbour. The shoot was relaxed and breezy, to reflect the clothes.
See the product description below:
Good style is effortless.
Our beautiful linen and easy-to-wear designs are created with an attitude of casual chic, inspired by the breezy ports of the Mediterranean. Designed in France from linen sourced in Bandol near St Tropez, and tailor-made in Italy, our range breathes with stylish simplicity.
Dress up or dress it down. Feel free and relaxed.
We present our unique blend of A-line silhouettes and soft, falling fabric. Summer is colourful. Bright tones of watermelon, azure, turquoise and tangerine, are mixed with gentle pastels, or such neutrals as anthracite, pale mint and charcoal, or crisp, maritime white. Be part of our own French identity, but adapted to the Australian climate and outdoor lifestyle. Welcome aboard.
We are all grappling with the new Covid-19 threat and changes to our life-styles and livelihoods. The construction industry continues under new guidelines. With restrictions, building and documenting can continue.
Here are a few of the warehouse projects in western Sydney I have worked on during the past few weeks.
DHL, Erskine Park for Prime ConstructionsDHL, Erskine Park for Prime ConstrucitonsSunny Queen, MinchinburySunny Queen, MinchinburyDHL, Kemps Creek for Prime ConstructionsDHL, Kemps Creek for Prime Constructions
DHL, Kemps Creek for Prime ConstructionsDHL, Erskine Park for Prime ConstructionsWarehouse, Minto, for Prime ConstrucitonsDHL, Kemps Creek for Prime ConstructionWarehouse interior, Minto for Prime ConstructionsSunny Queen, Minchinbury for Prime ConstructionsManfreight, Smithfield for Prime ConstructionsDHL, Kemps Creek for Prime ConstructionsDHL, Kemps Creek for Prime ConstructionDHL, Kemps Creek for Prime ConstructionInner Sydney High School, mid-construction for Hansen YunckenInner Sydney High School, mid-construction for Hansen Yuncken
After the Australian Olympic gold medal diver Matthew Mitcham announced he was engaged to his partner, Luke Rutherford, the couple married in a public ceremony in Belgium in late February, followed by a honeymoon in Amsterdam.
As an old friend of Matt’s I was invited as the “Official Photographer”.
Matt and Luke married at Chateau de Halloy on the out-skirts of Ciney in the South of Belgium. Chateau de Halloy is a majestic castle which was once a residence used by the Bishop Princes of Liege….rather grand indeed.
Because I had been booked to shoot a wedding in Belgium late February, I decided to stay on for another 10 days in Europe to work and catch up with friends I hadn’t seen for quite some time.
Of course the trip was overshadowed by the pandemic that was quickly gaining momentum around the globe. Given the situation, I was relieved to be able to arrive back in Sydney by early March
Here are a few shots, taken during my time away…….
After Paris I spent a few days visiting a friend in Munich. It was the first time I had been here. I was impressed. Impeccably ordered and clean and so, so European. I was completely enthralled by the Pinakothek der Moderne. I’ve never seen so many paintings by Max Beckmann in one place. I spent the entire afternoon in this magnificent building and lost myself completely.
Next stop was the French countryside in Burgundy (La Bourgogne). A friend recently moved back to France after 19 years living in Australia where he has purchased a delightful, picture-card-perfect farm house near a small village called, La Clayette.
This village is dominated by the impressive chateau, Chateau de La Clayette, that was built in the 14th and 19th Century as a fortress, surrounded by a moat. It has had a long and illustrious history and it remains in private hands.
These are a few images of my new Burgundy friends…..the Charolais cows. They are a local breed of cattle renowned for their meat (although I wouldn’t mention that to them). They are a creamy, milky white colour and have a amicable nature. They are part of the local landscape.
The French obsession with Protest
I returned to Paris from the south of France before returning to Australia. However, no trip to Paris would be complete without experiencing what the French call, “Manifestation”, or protest. The French are famous for going out on the streets to protest their displeasure with the powers that be. For many centuries, this has been a well known French past-time. The protest on World Woman’s Day was a healthy display of active feminism, accompanied by a rather heavy police presence.
The Sydney Coliseum Theatre is a multi-mode lyric theatre designed by award-winning architects, Cox Architecture, construction headed by Hansen Yuncken, and the first of its kind in the rapidly growing region of Greater Western Sydney.
Located within West HQ – Sydney’s leading landmark destination for entertainment, fitness, lifestyle, and accommodation – the Sydney Coliseum Theatre features a 2,000-seat auditorium and can accommodate theatrical performances, corporate events, conferences and more.
You may remember that on a previous post I covered the mid-construction shots of this brilliant cultural addition to Western Sydney. I captured the construction progress around April, 2019. Here are some shots….
Mid-construction in the Coliseum Theatre
The structure emerges…..
Now, over a year later, Western Sydney has it’s own, “state of the art”, international standard, performing arts centre. This facility is poised to attract the cream of the worlds talent and the pinnacle of the worlds top shows to Rooty Hill.
Having built a certain rapport with the physical structure of this building, inside and out, photographing it on several occasions, I am looking forward to visiting the theatre to see my first show there. I have heard that the acoustic performance of the auditorium is excellent and I am excited to experience this.
The interiors are particularly impressive with a large coloured chandelier in the main foyer, suspended from the ceiling. Stairs, white walls, vaulted vertical windows and wood panelling ascend the central atrium that leads to the various entrances of the auditorium.
MMXIX Pigment inkjet on cotton rag, 112cm x 78cm Edition of 9 (2AP)
Since 2008, every year I have taken an “official” annual portrait photograph of Matthew Mitcham, Australia’s gold-medal Olympic diver, award-winning cabaret performer and television entertainer, in my studio in Sydney.
Facing the camera with a direct, unflinching manner, each consecutive portrait is added to the growing series of similar portraits, which commenced when Matthew was only 20 years old, before his rise to Olympic fame.
Each portrait is taken under identical conditions, plotting the changes in his physical appearance and growing self-assurance. MMXIX marks the 12th portrait and the 12th year in this ongoing series.
I thank Matt for his support in continuing this series, in allowing a very public view of his “personal time-line”. Matt intends to marry this year in Europe, and I wish him and Luke all the very best.
