A pyramid in Melbourne
Tri-x shot on a Hasselblad 500cm w/ Zeiss Planar 80mm 2.8
Scanned with an orthodontist's x-ray lightbox and a point and shoot
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From concept to upload in 2 hours
Ektar 100 shot on a Hasselblad 500cm w/ Zeiss Planar 80mm 2.8
Scanned with a tissue box, strobe and DSLR
Tigersapp
An artwork in honour of Szymon Borzestowski
Purchase Szymon's posthumous album Tigersapp here
Let's talk about art.
Art is a form of expression. Art encompasses everything we see, breathe, hear, and smell. To create something is to make art. Through art, anything can be achieved.
Art helped me get back on track big time. I remember a time when nobody understood the emotional turmoil I was going through (in retrospect, if I had gathered the courage to ask, this might be a completely different story). The only thing that kept me going day in and day out was my unhealthy addiction to creation; in that period of my life it was skateboarding photography.
As you know, making things is my job; I am a photographer by day, amateur-ish painter by night. About a month before this post published, I was reminded about why art is so much more than a job for me through Szymon's album Tigersapp.
Szymon's family and I agreed to make this artwork in honour of Szymon and to raise awareness for depression.
One in four young Australians currently have a mental health condition; that's an equivalent of 750,000 people today. Every year suicide kills more young Australians than car accidents. In many cases suicides are preventable.
If you are suffering from depression, don't give up. If there's no path, create one. I encourage you to find an escape through art, just like I did when I was a socially awkward 15 year old. If you know someone who is suffering from depression, take a minute to have chat with them. Sometimes a simple gesture can mean a lot. You could have just saved someones life.
Thank you Szymon for filling me with so much inspiration. Your music is one of a kind.
Please seek help if you are feeling depressed.
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
Lifeline 13 11 14
If you just need someone to chat with, you can always pop me a message.
New York
Originally an unfinished artwork consisting wholly of paint
Currently a mixed medium artwork I plan to leave unrefined
Excited to share this with my American friends soon!
For the record, I'd just preface this post by saying - yes, I am still a photographer, no I will not limit my creative pursuits to a single medium. I think this would be a great opportunity to shed some light on my artworks and the processes involved creating them.
All of my artworks originate from my still photographs. I still go out and take photos with a camera; I do not enjoy putting my subjects through the pain of sitting motionless for hours on end like a traditional painter will.
My objective for each of my artworks has is to enhance the emotions of the subject and add further depth to my work, something that is hard to achieve with photography alone. I have been experimenting the correct use of this concept for a while now. The processes involved behind my artworks are quite different; some would say silly and unconventional. I have experimented with many mediums, both digital and traditional and I have a strong respect for artists who practise either discipline, however, I do not believe in strictly adhering to a single medium.
I start each artwork off by defining the project parameters - the medium, color palette and subject. This process often takes weeks and I find that the less I stress about it, the easier it comes to me. Once I have set parameters, I will proceed to explaining my vision to my model, in this case, the beautiful Alexandra (go book the fuck out of her). Once we are on the same page, we will plan to go somewhere cool and take a bunch of photos, just like a photographer would; A persons body language can be highly reflective of their surroundings, which is why I chose to shoot on a rooftop in Sydney CBD.
Post shoot work involves film dev and scanning, after which I get the opportunity to select a group of key images to base of my artwork off. Creating the actual artwork can take anywhere from a day to a month depending on how much I like the project. I envisioned this artwork to reflect the feeling of travelling to a foreign city, but whatever artistic explanation filled with long adjectives you can conjure up yourself will work just as well for me too.
Model
Alexdandra
Luna
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So what are you doing 600km away from home in Sydney?
"I've always dreamed of acting in theatre, coming to Sydney to study is fulfilling that dream"
HP5+ shot on a Russian made Hasselblad copy
Scanned with tissue box, desk lamp and an iPhone
Model
Rachel Guest
The camera that will improve your photography
My trip to New Zealand earlier this year helped me remember the importance of forcing yourself out of your comfort zone for self improvement. Whether it's climbing a mountain or escaping a blizzard, the feeling of vulnerability challenged me and helped me better understand how I react under pressure.
I was standing on top of a mountain in New Zealand in the middle of a blizzard, feeling cold, disorientated and alone; this was totally out of my element considering I had spent the last year sitting in an office in a nice suit sipping coffee all day. I found that my natural instinct when the blizzard first hit the mountain was to do what felt most comforting to me - hide from the wind behind a rock and huddle up.
Nobody would have come to my assistance that day and I had no means of contacting other people for help. I would never have made it down the mountain that day and helped my friend (who I later discovered had passed out in a hut at the base of the mountain) if I hadn't broken through my lack of comfort. It made me ponder about my own comfort levels in various situations - both at work and in my personal life.
In retrospect, getting through that day reminded me of the attitude I had when first starting this journey and I came to the realisation of how complacent and weak minded I had become the the year before.
When I was a 16 year old boy, I would always strive to experience new things and not let certain social ideals confine my decision; I would throw myself into new surroundings without a second thought. These experiences helped me gain many valuable skills that aided me later on in life, especially the interpersonal skills. These early risks helped me make significant leaps in my career, that enabled me to achieve many years worth of experience before my friends even graduated high school.
To the people still studying, this isn't a recommendation to leave school; you must be able to appreciate the importance of education, yet not be hesitant to question it. A course or an online tutorial will not lead you to success but provide you with the relevant knowledge to achieve your goals. There is no defined trajectory to reach your goals. The knowledge your mentors provide you are the metaphorical bullets that you must aim at the desired target.
Andy! What what the fuck did I read! I want to know about cameras that improve my photography n shit not this wisdom bullshit. You're such a fucken scam omg fml just wasted 5 minutes of my life reading irrelevant stuff. Bring back the pics! No more posts with big words
Meet Steezy. He is named after my teenage alter-ego.
Steezy is not a magical camera that will change your photography overnight, merely a tool. I bought this camera from a Ukrainian bloke name Grevorg a few months ago to challenge myself and force myself out of my comfort zone. It is a manual focus, manual exposure, manual winding film camera. It weighs a ton, it's unergonomic, it's known to be unreliable and you look like a creep carrying this around; however, it is a tool that has aided the improvement my photography dramatically. Shooting with this camera and it's unusual characteristics has helped me become more methodical and precise in my art marking process. Each time I load a roll of film (which costs a fortune) I only have twelve shots; I cannot delete the image if I don't like it, nor can I see the image until it has been developed and scanned.
It has taught me to value each frame, a lesson that has passed over from my personal projects to my professional work, vastly reducing my workflow and increasing the quality of my work.
Following my path may not lead yield similar improvements in your own photographic process, but taking a jump into the unknown and continuing your photographic journey will.
Disclaimer
This isn't a #humblebrag success story, this is my journey. Like you, I still have a long way to go.
Share this journey with me.
People of interest
To my two lovely former bosses who re-inspired me to take the jump and do something bold
and supported me with unwavering enthusiasm even when I was sometimes doing a shit job.
And to my collaborator, business partner and friend with whom I travelled New Zealand with.
Many of my achievements in the last year would not have been possible without your input.
Elsa
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HP5+ shot on a mouldy seagull df-1
Scanned with a dirty t-shirt, flashlight, and iPhone
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15 year old expired Ektachrome 100 shot on a Hasselblad 500cm
Scanned with a cotton shirt, a table lamp and a point and shoot
My purge begins.
I've always been a highly irrational, highly emotional person. I used to think that my lack of emotional control was one of my weaknesses. And it's only after getting super depressed after a messy breakup with this trashy white girl, that I realised how vital my emotional spontaneity was in relation to my art.
My emotions dictate what kind of artworks I make. My work can be highly reflective of my current mood.
Goodbye digital.
Just like every other Joe strutting to work everyday for their boring 9-5, you lack emotion. You lack expression. You lack Andy.
Goodbye photoshop.
Enough faking. Let's make it real. If you have no waist, then go run a few laps, you fat lard.
Goodbye fashion.
People get so fucking sick of you that we have to change you every 6 months.
A film shooting, nature loving, timeless looking photographer. Does that make me a hipster?
More to come in the coming weeks. Stay tuned
Christchurch
Last time I went to Christchurch was in 2009 and I remember distinctly what a beautiful city it was. I remember arriving on a Thursday afternoon and the streets were busy, everyone was happy and walking around the streets. The most notable thing I remember, was how clean Christchurch streets were.
Mt. Cook
We arrived in Mt Cook after driving through the night from Milford and hitting a possum on the way that night.
Lake Mariam
We woke up at 430am to attempt this trail. Our aim was to get there by Sunrise
The trail is marked and fairly easy to navigate. DO NOT attempt this in the dark. We attempted this with head lamps and we were lost for a good hour.
The early morning mist hovering above the lake and the surrounding mountains were breathtaking. For anyone visiting Lake Mariam, it is an absolute must to sit down and enjoy your surroundings for a while. Forget taking photos, just soak it in. What I loved most was the fast moving fog that was constantly changing.
