24 From '24 | A Snapshot of 2024 {Avon Valley, Wheatbelt & Perth Wedding, Family, Event & Commercial Photographer}

As the year draws to a close, I’d like to thank all the amazing folk who have supported me in my business, and helped make 2024 such a joy for me.

When I look back over the last 12 months, I find that 90% of my work has come through regional clients located in the Wheatbelt, contributing to the wonderful mix of family, events, workplaces and rural landscapes you see below.

And while I’ll always love a heartfelt wedding or a crazy family shoot, my commercial, tourism and agricultural work has increased steadily over the past few years, to form the majority of the work I do now.

But by far the biggest change to my business in 2024, was the switch to a Sony mirrorless camera system, after being with Pentax for 38 years. Unfortunately Pentax announced they had no plans to develop a full frame mirrorless camera, so with my gear reaching the end of its usable life, I was forced to look into other brands - because mirrorless is where it’s at now. And although it took a bit of adjusting (in both shooting and editing) to get my ‘look’ right, the advancements that mirrorless cameras offer have made shooting so much easier, which put simply, means a better overall result for my clients.

This past year has also seen me increase my involvement with Northam Women in Business by becoming a committee member, to both shoot and organise many of the events and small workshops run by this amazing group of local business women. I also joined Wheatbelt & Beyond Youth Mentoring, and have begun mentoring high school students at some of our District High Schools, which has been incredibly rewarding. And with 2025 approaching, I see myself continuing both this and the wide variety of photographic work that I do, with the expectation that the next 12 months will be as rewarding as the last 12 months have been.

So following are 24 images that I feel best represent both my style, and the people and places I’ve collaborated with throughout 2024. Just a random mix showcasing the variety of work that I do, which I feel incredibly honored to have been part of – and all thanks to you, my fabulous clients! 

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and I’ll see you all again in 2025!

23 From '23 | A Snapshot of 2023 {Avon Valley, Wheatbelt & Perth Wedding, Family, Event & Commercial Photographer}

With Christmas approaching and 2023 coming to a close, it's time to reflect on another lap around the sun, with a random selection of some of my favourite images from the past 12 months.

23 memorable moments from 2023, in no particular order.  An eclectic mix of images taken during some of the incredible shoots I've been privileged to work on throughout the year, plus a few from my own collection too, because, well, personal work is good for the soul!

So a huge thank you to all who have made 2023 so rewarding for me.  Because without you, my amazing clients, friends and family, I wouldn't have been witness to these moments, or had the opportunity to create these beautiful images.

Have a fabulous Christmas and New Year, and I'll see you all again in 2024!

Harvest 2019 | A B&W Film Project | November 2019 {Perth, Avon Valley & Wheatbelt Documentary Photographer}

With harvest now done and dusted for another year, it’s time to share a little personal project I’ve been working on over the last month or so. As many of you know, I drive a truck for my brother during harvest each year, carting grain to CBH (Co-Operative Bulk Handling) in Northam, WA.

It’s hot, dusty, and a little relentless, but it gets me out of the office, back into the agricultural industry, and amongst the farmers and industry personnel I once worked with as an Agronomist. These connections are still an important part of my network, and lead to much of the agricultural photography that I do, whether it be for farming families, grains research companies or local machinery dealerships. Plus it’s just nice to help my bro out during a busy time, so even though it’s an extremely busy period for me (I still shoot weddings each weekend!), it’s totally worth it!

But I do need something to break the monotony, especially on days when the trucks are banked up in long lines at the bin, waiting to dump their loads. Most drivers will kick back in their cab reading the newspaper or Farm Weekly, or stand under the shade of the sample hut gossiping, but yep, you guessed it, I carry a camera! And as long as I’m in my high-vis, I can go pretty much anywhere on site, so it’s a great opportunity for both photography and meeting new people.

So this year, I decided to shoot it on black and white film. Why? Because I didn’t want any additional editing to do (4 weddings were enough!), and I found 3 rolls of expired Kodak BW400CN film in my stash. Plus I love my old Pentax K1000 film camera, and feel it really doesn’t get used enough these days. But mostly I just thought harvesters and paddocks and grain silos and trucks would look cool on B&W film.

What I didn’t count on though, was how difficult it would be to shoot from the truck using a fully manual camera (including manual focus!). It just can’t be done one-handed while the other hand is on the steering wheel, so the opportunities for quick captures of impromptu moments were limited. Which is why most of the following images were shot while I was parked up - because old school film photography just takes time!

So here it is, my portrait of harvest in black and white…