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A number of my clients are in the construction business and occasionally I am asked to go on-site and produce images that can be used for marketing purposes. One such occasion arose recently at one of Hansen and Yuncken’s building sites at Meadowbank TAFE. I was commissioned to capture a series of images of their staff, on site and at work, that could be used for marketing purposes such as tenders.
Unless there is a concise brief, in which the client requests specific shots, my general approach is to go on-site and to work in an impromptu but professional way. It is not always necessary to direct the subjects when setting up the shot. I prefer to wait for the right moment and then step in to take the photograph. Besides, it’s not as if my subjects are paid fashion models. They are usually the employees of the company, photographed by me as they go about their normal day-to-day duties.
I enjoy this type of photography, since it allows me to step into the universe of construction and to see how a large-scale operation works from a human point of view.
I recently returned to Anglicare Minto Gardens where I had shot a number of images for Hansen Yuncken of their build for this sprawling retirement facility in the western suburbs of Minto.
The first shoot I concentrated on the exteriors however this time it was all about the recently completed interiors. The Hansen Yuncken business development team required shots of the interiors which could accompany presentations that may make in the future for related work.
Producing multiple head-shots can be both a challenge and a rewarding exercise. It is challenging in the sense that you have limited time available with each subject and within that short time frame you must capture the best possible photograph of that person. Part of the task is to make the person feel relaxed and confident in front of the camera. Every photographer has his or her own individual “bag of tricks” to make sure that this happens. I enjoy this challenge as much as I like the chance to meet the many diverse human faces behind the organisation you are working for … from the personal assistants to the senior executives. You have the privilege of photographing a vast range of people, although you don’t always know their professional roles within the company . While the days can be long, they are, at the same time, invigorating.
I recently completed the task of updating head-shots and corporate portraits of Multiplex employees. It was a complex job spanning numerous days over a period of months, based on setting up a series of mobile studios in different offices in Sydney.
Hansen Yuncken is well underway into the construction of their extension to the Meadowbank TAFE. I was asked to document the current state of the building project and to highlight the diversity of their workforce, including such technological innovations as 3-D modelling, computer visualisations, the use of i-pads and drones.
On the same day we organised additional corporate head shots of several site executives, for the Hansen Yuncken corporate profiles, see below.
I recently photographed studio portraits as corporate profiles for the team at Prime Constructions. For the occasion, a studio set-up was temporarily installed at the company’s Artarmon offices, as pictured. Sometimes as a photographer, the key is to be mobile.
Prime chose a standard grey background with a slight gradient for the portraits. The subject was seated, to create a corporate mood that was relaxed and open. The images are all shot in a landscape orientation, rather than portrait. This choice was made based on the proposed layout of these profiles on the Prime Constructions website. The main lighting is high key with not too much contrast on the face, and I added a hair-light to separate the sitter from the background.
Pictured above from left to right: Paul Christopher (MD Construction), John Drake (MD Pre-Construction) and Phil De Gail (Executive Chairman)
In 1983, Ron Masters & Phil de Gail established Prime Constructions, now regarded as one of the leading building contractors in New South Wales. Paul Christopher joined Prime in 1988 as a cadet and John Drake commenced as a general foreman in 1989. Having prospered and developed within the increasingly expanding company, John and Paul became directors and shareholders in 2000. In 2010, they became joint managing directors.
Prime’s services include new construction, refurbishment and fit-out for projects up to $80m, offering innovative construction solutions and undertaking industrial, commercial, retail and institutional projects. Over the past several years, I have photographed many building sites overseen by Prime, documenting each stage from the earliest preliminary phases to completion. With a proven record of successful project delivery for over 35 years, Prime is one of my long-standing architectural clients.
St Narsai Assyrian Christian College, Horsley Park by Prime Constructions
Logistics of any kind is a big industry on the western periphery of Sydney. CHEP’s new warehouse in Eastern Creek, built by Prime Constructions, is no exception.
CHEP is a company dealing in pallet and container pooling services, serving customers in a range of industrial and retail supply chains. Founded in 1946, it is a subsidiary of Brambles.
Shooting in an industrial landscape at dusk can sometimes be quite surreal. The architecture takes on a futuristic geometry, devoid of the human figure.
Inner Sydney High School completed by Hansen Yuncken in Surry Hills
Three years ago, when I first photographed the site of the Inner Sydney High School on the corner of Cleveland and Chalmers Streets in Surry Hills, it was a series of traditional brick classrooms built in the late 1800’s. Now thanks to the design by FJMT Studio and the high tech building efforts of Hansen Yuncken, it is a magnificent contemporary campus amid heritage architecture, and an example of a new direction in public education.
Under construction in 2020
Inner courtyard in 2021
Apart from the classrooms, the school features an enviable array of facilities including media rooms, fully-equipped kitchens, science labs, woodworking rooms, a sky-high basketball court, library, lecture halls, assembly areas and loads of cool spaces to hang out and be educated.
Corner of Cleveland & Chalmers Streets in 2018
The new school rises behind the heritage buildings
ISHS mid-construction, 2020
Completion view, 2021
The old meets the new at the dynamic campus of ISHS
The Mushroom Group has recently updated its Sydney headquarters, a hub for the best musical talent this country has to offer. As Australia’s largest independent music and entertainment group, its history is unrivalled. Although the recent death of legendary founder Michael Gudinski was untimely, he had the opportunity to see the renovations almost complete.
I was commissioned by Prime Projects to plot the initial phase of the refurbishment with the intention to complete a more detailed portfolio of the building when the fit-out is fully operational and the art collection has been installed.
The Mushroom Group continues to be at the forefront of Australian music, producing iconic collaborations which in the past have included “Living in the 70’s” by Skyhooks, “True Colours” by Split Enz, such signings as Hunters & Collectors and Machinations and under Mushroom Records label, the who’s who of Australian rock and pop – The Angels, Jimmy Barnes, Nelly Furtado, Renee Geyer, Kate Ceberano, Kylie Minogue, Yothu Yindi…and the list goes on.
Multiplex decided to update their banner imagery using photographs taken at their soon-to-be completed construction site at the skyscraper on the corner of Bridge and Phillip Streets in Sydney.
I took photographs of various employees from different fields of construction, be it engineering or project management. Throughout the building, from the street level to the 40th floor, I photographed the Multiplex crew in their lofty work environment.
Meadowbank TAFE is expanding. Hansen Yuncken are responsible for the construction of the new facilities and at the start of the building project a smoking ceremony was performed in accordance with Aboriginal customs, respecting the traditional owners of the land, the Walumedigal people of the Eora Nation.
Part of the welcome to country ceremonySome of the ashes are thrown on the building site and remain there. The rest are kept for future ceremonies at subsequent sites.
Hansen Yuncken executives participated in the ceremony together with representatives of TAFE, the architects, local politicians and others. I managed to capture of few shots of various employees at the site office.
The building site of the future addition to Meadowbank TAFE
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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 half way through the year already and I have no idea where the time has gone.
I am embracing the fact that there is only 6 months to go until Santa comes again and looking forward to the next 6 months of interesting challenges and achievements.
Here’s a quick summary of some of the highlights from the month of June…..
George Michael – Listen to your heart
I was asked to cover the George Michael tribute concert at the Opera House Concert Hall on Sunday 8 June. It was truly fabulous. I mean you can’t go wrong with a 35 piece orchestra, some of Australia’s best voices and the classic beauty of George Michael’s exquisite writing. Casey Donovan, Rob Mills, Hugh Sheridan, Andrew De Silva, Bobby Fox and Sheldon Riley were lead by the orchestra leader, John Foreman. The crowd was as diverse as George’s musical career, spanning all age groups and demographics. They were united in their enjoyment of what was coming from the stage. Here are a few pics….
James Squires Landing
I enjoyed shooting for Xenia Contructions at the Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay. What a superb locaton. I shot in the early morning to catch the best light and avoid some of the foot traffic in that area. Seeing the sun rise over the Opera House was golden. Vivid was on at the time, so I managed to get a few shots with the Vivid light show in the background. Here are some examples.
Trevor Ashley smashes it again!
I love working with this talented and intelligent artist. Trevor Ashley is well known in the entertainment industry for his many portrayals of famous woman such as Liza Minelli and Shirley Bassey, musical theatre roles such as Miss Understanding in the original cast of Priscilla, Queen of the desert and Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, Thernadier in Les Miserables, many cabaret performances….and heaps of other things…if you want a better bio, head to wikipedia and search Trevor Ashley. I can’t do him justice here.
I have shot many incarnations of Trevor over the years….I love working with him because he makes things seem easy. They are only easy because this man is a conceptual genius and enjoys what he does.
During the most recent shoot we came up with this leading image for a new production that Trevor is appearing in at the City Recital Hall on 22 September, 2018, entitled, Trevor Ashley – Double D’s – Two decades of Divadom
Lead image for “Trevor Ashley – Double D’s – Two Decades of Divadom
Abba-solutely Fabulous
You know you’re in for a fun shoot when you have Rhonda Burchmore and Lara Mulcahy (mega-stars and mega-nice people) coming to the studio to work on a few new shots for their brilliant show, Abba-solutely Fabulous.
We originally met last year to shoot for this new show (Rhonda and Lara were both in the original cast of Mamma Mia)….and now it has become bigger than Ben Hur, packed houses all over Australia, and they need more images to continue the promotion machine.
Apparently the show is fabulously funny and entertaining and I am looking forward to seeing it when it next comes to Sydney. Have a look at the programming and see if they are appearing near you, because I know they would be delightful to see.Click here for dates etc.
Look at the “teaser” below and tell me you’re not going to have a good time with these two lovely larakins.
Rhonda Burchmore and Lara Mulcahy for “Abba-solutely Fabulous
Shauna’s new look
I always love shooting the gorgeous Shauna Jensen…amazing vocalist with a long and impressive career in the entertainment industry….again look her up in wikipedia, Shauna Jensen for the full bio….or go and see her next performance.
Shauna has a new look and here’s a sneak preview from the shoot we did together, earlier this month.
The glamorous and talented Shauna Jensen with white hair…chic!
Taboo Talk
I have been shooting for a group of young people who meet once a month, in an open forum, to discuss various “taboo” subjects. The images from the nights are used in their social media to promote future “Taboo Talks”. Taboo Talks are the brain child of a couple of social workers, Amirah and Kosta and have been running for a good 18 months, discussing diverse subjects, frrom domestic violence to racism and everything in between. The idea is to create a safe space where people feel free to share ideas and experiences with each other on a given subject. A new topic is chosen each month and the discussion is headed and administered by nominated facilitators. If you wish to know more they have a facebook page which you are welcome to visit.
The Wild Sculptural Interpretations of Margarita Sampson – Honey Funus
I have been shooting for Margarita for some years now and I am always pleasantly surprised with what she comes up with. I know that when she rings to book photography that I am going to encounter the next wonderfully weird, beautiful and strangely animated, creature she has given birth to.
This month was no exception. I met “Honey Fungus” in all it’s glory of gaping orange deliciousness. Honey Fungus’ friend looks a bit overwhelmed, I must say. I always enjoy getting to know her little creatures as I click away. For a look at more of Margarita’s work, click here.
Margarita working in her studio
Abbotsford Wharf
Hansen Yuncken together with Waterways are really stepping up the pace on the wharf up-grade roll-outs. I shot another wharf this month. The Abbotsford Wharf up-grade was opened to the public…so I ventured along the Parramatta River to an idyllic location for a ferry terminal at the end of Great North Road. I really like the design of these new wharfs….in my opinion they look slick. Here’s a few shots from the shoot….
Well there’s a few highlights from my month. Please get in touch if you have any questions or queries on john@johnmcrae.com
