When did you begin taking photographs and how did it lead to your current practice?
I first picked up a camera at the age of fifteen, a second hand 35mml Ricoh camera and learned to process and print film. From there I went to arts school and studied photography. As fate would have it, I overheard my sister being invited to an interview to work as a music photographer for a local street press, and I tagged along. In 2000 I photographed my very first music festival and fell in love with live music photography. My career has taken me all over the world, working as a family photographer on Hamilton Island, to working my way around the world on cruise ships capturing all kinds of events. In 2015 I returned to music photography, eventually launching my own online music magazine. From there I have captured some of the biggest names in the music industry including Bernard Fanning, Ed Sheehan, Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters and Miley Cyrus to name a few.
Are there any photographers whose work you admire?
I absolutely love the work of Master Photographers Peter Eastway and his peers Christian Fletcher, David Oliver and Tony Hewitt. What makes Peter so admirable is that he is incredibly approachable and a fantastic teacher. Whatever your skill level, Peter will give you his time and share his knowledge. As a woman the music photography of Linda McCartney inspires me, she was a groundbreaking photographer. I also love the wildlife photography of my close friend Christine Ward, her style is completely unique and very beautiful, she manages to bring an ethereal beauty to her work.
Where do you find inspiration as a photographer?
Nature and travel are my biggest inspirations. The human condition also fascinates me, and I love to travel to other countries and walk the city capturing street photography. I don’t believe in being boxed into one genre, and the idea of exploring new areas inspires me.
Tell us about your gear!
I have a Nikon Z6ii, Nikon D750, Nikon D610, Tamron 18-400 mm, Tamron 150-600mml, 85 mml, 50 mml, 40mm, 17-35 mml, 70-300 mml, 12 mm and a whole lot more. I love to have a variety of gear for any situation and being versatile for me is essential. I love my Think Tank Roller Derby bag because it fits so much of my gear into it, and my Peak Design shoulder sling for concert photography.
What’s it like being a woman in the photography industry?
To be honest it can be challenging at times to be a woman in what is still a male dominated industry. There will be times when I will be spoken down to, have someone try and explain camera settings for me or dismiss me based on my gender. Sadly there are also some brands that still don’t support women and our role in the industry, however brands like Tamron support diversity in the industry, which is great. At times I have to be a lot better and work a lot harder as there still is a gender divide. It is nice that over the last few years more and more women are becoming recognised and shaking the industry up. Over the last few years I have taken on a mentor role to some of the younger women photographers in the industry and this is a rewarding experience.
What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out?
As a student in photography school my lecturers made me feel like they were being hard on me, I was always pushed to look for my mistakes and go back and improve on them. They taught me that if I was to put work out into the world that I should be 100% happy with putting my name to it. This gave me a solid grounding to always produce work that is high quality.
How has your work evolved over the years?
Over the years I have gone from wanting to just take nice pictures to wanting to share my political views with the world through the stories my images tell. I have several series of work where I want to make people think and evoke conversation. I have a series of black and white portraits shot on my iPhone 7 while riding Melbourne trams. This series was to demonstrate that the camera is just a tool, that great story telling relies on skill, not equipment. I also have a series of animal portraits shot in Zoos all over the world, and with this I want to inspire people to think about conservation and the environment.
What advice do you have for women who would like to be in the photography industry?
Don’t let the world tell you that you can’t – because you can. Be fierce, be bold, share your knowledge and most of all support your fellow women in the industry. Take every opportunity you can when it’s presented to you and don’t be afraid of what others may think. Don’t be put into a box of specialising in just one area- try them all. Most of all, don’t compare yourself to others, you are only as good as your next photo.
How would you describe the creative process behind your work?
It really depends on what I am working on at the time and what part of the world I happen to be in with my camera. Every single frame that I capture is thought out even before I take it, whether it’s in the photo pit at a gig, or capturing street photography I think about my composition, exposure and narrative. When editing I love using Silver EFEX Pro by DXO as it emulates the effect of a darkroom – which I love. I also work on creating a brand so that my work is instantly recognisable.
Thanks Amanda!
