Blue Pearl Bay

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
An idea that has been evolving throughout my film photography journey is capturing places and spaces that have been left behind. I’ve always been fascinated by photographing abandoned or empty buildings, and over the course of my photography it has evolved from being very literal into something more nuanced (that’s not to say I don’t get super excited about abandoned buildings, because I definitely do).

I’ve been trying to find places closer to home in the city that are sitting unused despite the number of people around them, because I feel that poses a more interesting question of “why?”. I feel that film has been the perfect medium for this.

¿Qué aprendiste (o des aprendiste) mientras trabajabas en ello?
Working on this project has taught me a few things. To begin with, learning to find the places I’m looking for in populated areas has been difficult; due to their nature, they’re very easily missed and ignored. By a similar token, learning to understand the purpose and the “why” behind what I’m photographing has really changed my mindset. It has also taught me to be a lot more intentional about the things that I photograph.

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
A word I return to often is “empty,” because I feel like it describes the subjects of my work in both a literal/physical and metaphorical/emotional sense. It describes both the physical state of my subjects and the feeling I get from them. There’s often a somewhat eerie atmosphere that comes along with my photos, and in a strange way that’s a huge part of the intrigue for me.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
I’ve had numerous conversations with people about finding my locations—how I find them and what I look for. On top of this, there have also been conversations about what we, as a society, leave behind and what determines if or when we choose to rebuild or repurpose something.

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
Finding locations is always a big challenge; people rarely advertise or talk about these forgotten spaces. Also, simply getting out and taking photos can be difficult. Sometimes I feel like I need to plan less and just shoot instead of trying to orchestrate things so much. Shooting film has taught me to be more intentional, but there’s definitely a balance that’s hard to find.

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
Pho Inn in Camp Hill, Brisbane, is an all-time favourite of mine. Honestly, anything on the menu is amazing, but if you go, you have to get the homemade lemonade because there’s just nothing like it.

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
This month I’ve been living on a boat in the Whitsundays, so I think my choices would be heavily influenced by that. The movie would be called Blue Pearl Bay and the soundtrack would be by boygenius.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
I’ve always been quite inspired by Grainydays. I love how honest he is about his work and his process. I feel like so much of what we see online is just the highlight reel, and we need reminders that sometimes things don’t work out the way we expect—and that’s not always a bad thing. I’m also a huge fan of his style, and obviously, being a film photographer myself, I take a lot of inspiration from others who shoot in the same medium.