Fashion – John McRae Photography & Studio

December 12, 2024December 15, 2024

Fun shooting a new look for Sharon Calabro

Sharon Calabro is one of Australia’s finest and most respected Singers and Cabaret performers and moreover, she is a wonderful human being who is both professional and loads of fun to work with.

It was time to for Sharon to update her promotional imagery going forward. So we organised a studio shoot before Christmas and the summer period which is when Sharon is quite busy.

Joining us on the team was Alex Divanis who is an extremely talented make-up and hair artist with extensive experience in the industry. He has not long returned from living overseas.

Alex decided to style Sharon’s hair differently for this shoot. Normally Sharon sports a fringe, but for these images Alex flicked the hair back off the forehead…it worked really well and Sharon was super happy with the result.

It was a great moment of all of us working together to create something special and I look forward to sharing more of the results in a future post. For now I’ve included a couple of unedited proofs as a teaser.

October 24, 2024October 24, 2024

Test shoot in the studio

Every so often I get together with a team of friends in my studio to stage a fun photoshoot. This is an opportunity to take photographs of our model with no real commercial intention other than to experiment with hair, make-up, lighting and photography.

This particular weekend we photographed the beautiful model, Anya Gorbunova (Insta: @anyagorbunova89), who was a delight to work with. Normally I shoot with a fellow photographer colleague, Rob Srjararian, who not only photographs, but works as a graphic designer and has a background in hair styling….hence he decides the hair. He also operates as the artistic designer and is responsible for the styling of the shoot.

So the shoot team was a follows:

Hair/Styling/artistic direction – Robert Srjararian

Photography and lighting – John McRae

Make-up – Kerry Jane-Bailey

Styling and accessories – Joyce Conte

Model – Anya Gorbunova

It was a great Sunday morning and a very creative activity. I feel it is important to make time to work on photography that is not necessarily related to commercial goals…after all that’s why most of us went into photography in the first place….and photographing a beautiful model is a good start.

July 2, 2024August 22, 2024

Fashion and jewellery collaboration in Melbourne

Circa AD, a personal jeweller based in Melbourne teamed up with Perri Cutten, the well-known, Melbourne-based fashion label to work together on creating a new campaign.

I flew down to Victoria to shoot Adrian Dickens’ fabulous jewellery for Circa AD, worn by the model Sharon, stylishly dressed in Perri Cutten outfits. On location in the inner Melbourne suburb of Windsor, we produced imagery with a warm intimacy and fashionable flair. More photographs from this shoot to follow in a later post.

May 1, 2024May 2, 2024

High fashion and jewellery, high-up in Melbourne

I recently flew to Melbourne to photograph an evening of fashion and jewellery at the Morgan Stanley offices in the lofty heights of the corporate central business district.

The event was generously hosted by Morgan Stanley in Collins Street and featured wonderful outfits from Perri Cutten styled with beautiful pieces from the Circa AD Jewels collection, with a goodie bag bursting with gifts from ISoM, Lindt, Perri Cutten, Morgan Stanley and Circa AD Jewels,

The evening was a fund raiser for the charity Giant Steps Melbourne, supporting children and adults on the autism spectrum. The evening raised more than $10,000 for this valuable organisation.

The offices are immaculate and a wonderful space for hosting such an event. Perri Cutten’s garments were enhanced by an array of fabulous jewellery from Adrian Dickens of Circa AD Jewels, Melbourne.

I captured some video footage of the parade. See below:

January 15, 2024January 17, 2024

A story of a mother, a daughter and a photographer

I was recently approached by Lena Kasparian, a talented dress designer who displays her work in the Queen Victoria Building, to photograph her eldest daughter, Laura Kasparian. Laura is embarking on a modelling career, and so we decided to stage a series of test shots in the studio.

It is invaluable for someone starting out in the industry to practice poses and gain experience, and to build on one’s ability to work well in front of a camera. So organising regular “test shoots” is the foundation for gaining that experience.

On the day of our shoot, Laura was styled by her mother while we photographed a number of different looks. To finish up the series, we decided to create a mother/daughter portrait, capturing the designer with her muse.

Here is a few shots from our short time in the studio.

February 15, 2023March 21, 2023

So French So Chic – A Watsons Bay Summer

The team at So French So Chic hit the sandy shores of Watsons Bay to shoot the latest summer range of garments designed by Valerie Tsoukaris and manufactured in Italy. We were collecting imagery for the summer catalogue.

I have fond memories of the time when I lived in Watsons Bay twenty years ago, so it was a bit nostalgic to return to this pretty environment to capture the gorgeous Valeria Sizova (our model) by the water’s edge. It is amazing what a calming effect being near the water can have. Normally there’s a modicum of stress when shooting fashion, paying attention to detailing, styling and time constraints. Somehow all this falls away when you are barefoot in the shallows of the sea while you work and the sun is shimmering in the background, reflecting on the ocean.

Nick, John, Kevin and Valeria on set at Watsons Bay

The team comprised of model: Valeria Sizova, make-up and hair: Kevin Vella, photographer’s assistant: Nick Jones, stylist and dresser: Carolyn Turner, designer: Valeria Tsoukaris and designer’s support and all-round “tout-faire”: Nic Tsoukaris.

May 26, 2021July 22, 2021

So French So Chic – the new summer range

On a perfect autumn day in Parsley Bay (although admittedly it was a bit cold for the model) we shot next season’s summer range for So French So Chic. Valeria Sizova, originally from Vladisvostok (eastern Russia) was a joy to work with. Sydney is full of these treasures of nature and the sandstone parkland, bridge and wharf provided a stunning backdrop.

So French So Chic says……..

We present our unique blend of A-line silhouettes and soft, falling fabric. This year, our summer range is a mix of bold colours and gentle neutrals. Bright tones of fuschia, coral, turquoise and burnt orange are mixed with fresh pastels, or crisp, maritime white. Be part of our own French identity, adapted to the Australian climate and outdoor lifestyle. This includes loose tops with twin front pockets and large mother-of-pearl buttons, an asymmetrical sundress, a bolero jacket and wide-legged pants reminiscent of French sailor wear.

May 25, 2021July 22, 2021

Jewels for Circa AD

“Jewels of all sorts and sizes continue to cross my path,” says Adrian Dickens from Circa AD. “Whether to re-sell for clients, to re-invent, to retail, to source or just to enjoy. Whether valuable or not, each jewel is given the upmost attention in order to make it sing.”

See: Circa AD website

February 8, 2021February 9, 2021

So French So Chic

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”.