John McRae Photography & Studio
Sydney Professional, Commercial & Corporate Photography
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.
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”.
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.
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.
Make sure you get to see these two…go to this link for more info: https://carpentersfromkempsey.com/
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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 Austin and 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.
And the beat goes on…….
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)
Hunter Express, Casula (for The Prime Group)
Artist Rhonda Pryor exhibited in October, together with Kathie Najar at the Barometer Gallery in Paddington as part of Sydney Craft Week.
As a friend of mine, it was a joy to see Rhonda’s exhibition of new mixed media works combining fabric, canvas and paint.
For further information: www.rhondapryor.com
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.
Click on the thumbnails below for full gallery.
