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Together with my crew of assistants I photographed the new autumn line of linen designs by So French So Chic under the trees at Parsley Bay, Sydney. The native bushland and forest streams matched the cool shady look of the simple dresses and tailored shirts.

We had a great team which included our Russian model Valeria from Vladivostok. Of course Parsley Bay is a beautiful setting for a fashion shoot with stately Morton Bay figs, ghost gums and tree ferns. It combines lush rainforest with a sandy beach overlooking the harbour.

Client: So French So Chic (Valerie Tsoukaris). Model: Valeria Sizova. Styling: Chris Becker. Hair and Makeup: Kevin Vella. Photographer: John McRae. Assistant: Jonathan Turner.

The fashion world is constantly evolving. Over the years I’ve photographed a heady selection of haute couture design, casual street wear and accessories,  both in Australia and overseas, including in Paris, Hong Kong, Beirut and Rome. Recently I photographed the novel range of face masks designed by the label Hygiene to a T (www.htoat.com.au).   Each mask is handmade, washable, reusable and reversible. 

Hygiene to a T has launched its range of colourful, Australiana masks which are stylish and still highly protective. Their beautiful fabrics feature cockatoos, wallabies, bandicoots, wattle and banksia, but also more funky urban patterns, including a comic-book Spiderman. Wearing a mask of a masked superhero has its own ironic, Pop culture edge. Hygiene to a T cleverly encourages you to stay safe with style.

Now and then it can be great to have a bit of fun in the studio and just see where things take you. Adam is a friend who was keen to play along. We raided the costume box and this is what we found. The results are a bit of Goldfinger, and Madonna, and Shirley Bassey, and Liberace, and Moulin Rouge, and James Bond.

For this shoot for So French So Chic, we decided to photograph the winter collection of jumpers and knits in a neutral warehouse setting.

With more than 20 years of experience So French So Chic is focused on stylish but casual clothing made from knitwear and all-natural fibres. Designed in France and produced in Italy for the Australian climate, the new range for SFSC features cable knit, bold colours and soft fabric.

Model: Brooke Garvey

Hair and Makeup: Michael Wolff Salon, Potts Point

Callan Park, a large parkland on the Sydney foreshore, borders the suburbs of Rozelle, Lilyfield and Leichhardt. Just across the road from my photography studio, the park stretches down to the water’s edge. I regularly go for walks on the lawns, amidst the centuries old trees and the heritage buildings. It’s both a sanctuary and an oasis.

Over the years I have photographed the interiors of different buildings within Callan Park, especially the abandoned psychiatric wards, which featured as a backdrop for my “Looney Bin” and “Ward 17” series. These sandstone buildings have been shown in my exhibitions in Rome, Ravello, Trieste and Sydney.

The four 40-year-old Freshwater-class ferries churning the waters from Circular Quay to Manly are about to be replaced by a fleet of new 1000-seat, double decker vessels. I have been commissioned to photograph these iconic beasts before they disappear from service.

I have been venturing down to the harbour at different times of the day to capture the MV Freshwater, MV Queenscliff, MV Narrabeen and MV Collaroy as they near their retirement. The Manly Ferries provide one of the world’s most beautiful public transport services, operating since 1855.

The Port Jackson and Manly Steamship Company that operated the Manly ferries for nearly a century famously coined the expression about Manly being “Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care”, a phrase that became part of Sydney’s popular culture.

Sydney artist Phil Stallard is know for his spontaneous landscapes of coastal Sydney. Describing himself as an “Emotional Abstractionist”, Phil dedicates himself to creating exuberantly coloured paintings with Sydney harbour and swimming pool iconography. The theme of water has been a prominent reference point for Phil, drawing on his personal memories of the city and the Hawkesbury.

Currently Phil is working on an upcoming solo show at Rochfort Gallery in North Sydney.

“My work has echoes of improvised jazz, where the artist interprets compositional themes through the act of painting. The result is carefully thought out but with spontaneous elements that give the painting vitality and life.”

Following 30 years in the world of fine jewellery and decorative arts both in Europe and Australia, Adrian Dickens from CircaAD specialises in objects of intrinsic beauty and good craftsmanship. This ranges from South Sea pearl pendants and diamond cluster brooches, to reinvigorated family heirlooms.

For the last 8 years, I have been working with Adrian, whose business is based in Melbourne. My work has been photographing his collection of high quality pieces for his annual catalogue and documenting his fine jewellery, created thanks to his specialised approach.

Sometimes archeology is not about ancient history. The public swimming pool in Valletta, one of my favourite informal places in Malta, is for me a site of extraordinary memories. I have spent 20 years meeting up with friends around the deck, swimming laps for exercise underneath the ramparts of the old city. On the right of the pool is baroque architecture and on the left is the Mediterranean. There has always been an endearing atmosphere of mild neglect, which adds to the attraction.

As I write this, I have heard that the pool is being demolished. Sitting here in winter in Sydney I am full of nostalgia for scorching summers by the blue waters of this magical place.

The local children who live in the area have used the pool as their social club. Over the years I saw many of them grow up.

Currently I am revising and editing the various images I have captured of this iconic public meeting point, with the idea of creating a monograph as a tribute to this slice of warm humanity in Valletta.

I recently shot interiors for Xenia Constructions who have recently completed a new fit-out for the Sydney offices of MSCI, an American finance company with its headquarters in New York City.

In the process of completing the photography of the fit-out, I became aware that the architects still required suitable imagery to hang on the office walls. In response, I offered a portfolio of my own photographs of different Australian landscapes which I thought would fit the company brief.

The architects decided to select a series of my images to reflect the natural beauty of Australia, including photographs at Watsons Bay in Sydney, the Wimmera Mallee in Western Victoria and outback shots of the Northern Territory.

The photos were printed and mounted by Emergent Designs in Botany Bay. We chose to use an acrylic floating mount where the work stands free from the wall, as seen in the following images.

Should you wish to discuss any ideas of revitalising the visuals in your working environment using my original photography, see contact form.