A Phoenix Awakens

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
Despite usually engaging in street photography and photojournalism, I've been slowly formulating an idea for a photographic book on the art form and culture surrounding tattooing. I'm fascinated by the fact the art form is delivered on an organic, living medium, and done so with an act of sustained violence on a willing participant. Like film photography, it is analogue and messy and imperfect, and capturing the beauty in the violence is the goal of my work.

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
So far I have found tattoo artists to be mostly awkward, introverted and humble. A posed photo never works, they just aren't comfortable with that. But capture them when they are deeply involved in their art, and you see a softness and intimacy emerge. Much like street photography, I need to blend into the surroundings so the artists forget I'm there, which often means getting to know the artists a little first so I can gain their trust. It's a time-consuming process but ultimately rewarding.

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
Intimacy is the key word. A client is literally letting an artist penetrate them with needles and ink, mixing fear and trust and rapture. I don't want to ever interrupt that, but I love to capture those moments between artist and client.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
I recently discovered my grandfather's memoirs in a bag I'd long ago put into storage without having read them. As I flicked through them, an incredible story emerged of a top secret mission he was engaged in during the Second World War in which he and a team of radio operators were intercepting Japanese coded messages. At one point whilst stationed in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) he and a close friend went looking through the back alleys of Colombo for a tattoo artist so they could get matching tattoos. The picture he painted of this exotic experience fascinated me and in many ways gave me a connection to a man long since gone.

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
My partner and I recently bought a photography business and I've been working long hours which has eaten into my creative time. I'm also extremely self-critical of my work, so a great deal of it is never seen by anyone but me. This makes my art process a very, very slow work in progress.

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
I'm a vegan so that narrows the options down a bit, but in Brisbane's West End there is a small but popular Mexican restaurant called El Planta, which serves only plant-based food. I've taken many non-vegans there to show them just how delicious plant-based food can be, as their menu always amazes the taste buds of anyone lucky enough to eat there. Take a group of friends, order the banquet and get a bit of everything on the menu — you'll have a heap of fun and be astounded at the food presented to you.

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
This month is the start of dramatic changes and rebirth, both professionally and personally. As a movie it would be called A Phoenix Awakens and be scored by a collaboration between Iggy Pop and Lady Gaga.

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.
One of my favourite tattoo artists, Josh Leahy, does the most mesmerising fine art coastal photography. He's largely unknown and doesn't push his visibility at all, but his work is the result of over 20 years of practicing very long exposure photography with an array of both film and digital cameras.