19
Bachelor of Arts (Photography)
I've always been extremely passionate about photography and just felt like it was the right course for me. Although I also do a lot of digital art in my spare time (which I love equally) course wise, nothing else appealed to me, some may call this stupidity, but it was the only course I had my eye on, I had no back up plan. Could you imagine my excitement when I got accepted? It was an amazing feeling. Achievement unlocked: Get into university/dream course.
What kind of design do you specialise in?
I study photography at RMIT University and do a lot of cartoon kawaii-esque psychedelic art in my spare time. My photographic studies focus on a broad range of areas such as studio photography, digital imaging and location shooting (landscapes, fashion, documentary etc) although I currently work as a freelance live and promotional music photographer focusing on the Melbourne rock music scene.
What does being an artist mean to you?
As cliche as it sounds it means everything to me. Everyone has a calling and has something their souls just need to be completely immersed in to feel content with life.
Photography and art are definitely my callings, especially music photography. As an artist my art means a lot to me in the sense of I have the power to create anything I want, I can unleash whatever's in my mind and allow someone else to take that imagery in. It's also extremely therapeutic just having time alone to make beautiful things.
Being a photographer in the music industry means a lot to me in the sense of being able to capture the incredible moments at shows and to let everyone have a piece of the memory to keep in the form of a photograph. Nobody wants to worry about getting good photos while they're jumping around having the time of their lives, so I like being the one to do that, it gives me such satisfaction getting messages from people just saying thanks for capturing this or for capturing that.
Both mean a lot to me, and one is definitely more stressful than the other, but I'm lucky to get the opportunity to be able to do both.
Who are you inspired by?
Photography wise definitely Adam Elmakias and Kane Hibberd (both music photographers). Adam Elmakias has been my inspiration for years and I mean years. Everything he does is amazing and it would be incredible to be able to do what he does for a living one day. Art wise probably artists like Miemie Chan and Cherie Buttonss, their art is very bright and has a cute Japanese artsy feel to it while still featuring some pretty grotty stuff.
What do you aim to achieve in your field of design?
Photographically the achievements I aim for are to get more opportunities to work with bigger bands and to shoot shows on a larger scale (ie. Soundwave, Warped Tour). That's the dream.