Page 16 - Capture Nov 21-Jan 22

I have been getting a lot more briefs that involve motion elements... William Meppem
LEFT: Shot for
Sydney Morning Herald Good Food magazine.
learning how to run a shoot via streaming both domestically and internationally (“considering my lack of tech expertise”).
When asked what stood out for him in particular, he answers, “Coming to terms with the realisation that a lot of editorial opportunities have disappeared and budgets have been cut, so you really appreciate the opportunity to do creative work when projects present themselves. I think it’s not so much a change this year
because the magazine industry has been facing challenges for a while now, but I hope that we are getting to a place where the industry is going to experience a certain level of security.”
Meppem’s greatest opportunity, he says, has come from being jolted out of an easier existence. “Because of the COVID lockdown situations, I have definitely had to look at ways to market myself to obtain new clients. We have been more proactive in offering packages of content to smaller agencies as the social media platforms are fast becoming the major advertising outlet, and as a result the demand for content is increasing steadily,” he says. Meppem has also adapted to meet the thriving demand for motion. “I have been getting a lot more briefs that involve motion elements, either as a complement to still images for a campaign or as the main collateral for assignments,” he notes. “I’ve had to
embrace this, and I feel that it is only going to become more prevalent that you need to be able to cover still and motion footage moving forward; if not so much in editorial, definitely in advertising. I can’t say that I feel I have anywhere near mastered the motion side of things, but I have enjoyed the challenge of learning new processes.”
Phebe Schmidt: A bloody rollercoaster year
In 2020, Phebe Schmidt was one of ten photographers who contributed to a Refinery29 photo series, We Asked 10 Photographers To Visualise Joy In Quarantine. 2021 also brought her joy. She added filmmaking to her repertoire and was given what she sees as an enormous opportunity. She was signed by international production company, Sweetshop, as a director. “I can’t wait to work alongside such an experienced team,” she says. Schmidt feels editorial photography has made an interesting transition since the pandemic hit. “Photographers have been forced to explore alternate methods of shooting and delivering work,
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