Page 18 - Photo Review

INSPIRATION

You do a lot of different types of About three years ago, I started wanting to
photography; including, most recently, bring together images of my family from way
an evocative series of montages. back and incorporate them into where I live now.
How would you describe yourself as It has to do with a sense of belonging and my
a photographer? love of the local landscape. I feel at peace and
connected with the landscape. Which sounds a
I live in a small town [Portland, 160km west
bit hippie, I suppose, but I do.
of Sydney] and I photograph everything and
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everybody. I respond to what people want
exhibited. [At Rex-Livingstone Art + Objects in
and need – portraits, weddings, events – and
Katoomba in mid 2017 in an exhibition called
balance that with my own desire to be creative
‘Between the Tides’.]
and honest. Beyond the montages, I don’t think
I have a distinctive style. I like integrity and
Were all the people in those
authenticity, and I try not to be gimmicky.
montages family members from
Going for a walk is my library. I’m a
back in England?
photographer of requirement when I’m out
and about. I used to go out with my sons Yes. Or me as a child.
[now aged 19 and 23] and they’d hurtle down I got into photography because, when I was a
mountains on bicycles, and the only way I could child, my parents had a box in the wardrobe full
cope with the stress was to photograph them. of hundreds of old black-and-white family photos,
and I thought they were amazing. That just stuck.
How did you get started in montaging My grandmother used to tell me outrageous
and how has that developed? stories about what happened in the war and that
I’ve always done montages, since I got sort of thing. It wasn’t clear what was true and
P\ ÀUVW FDPHUD ZKHQ , ZDV DERXW what wasn’t, but I feel I’m passing on the stories
They’re combinations of planning and happy and narratives in different ways. The montages
accidents. Such as quite recently when I left are playing with time, bringing people from the
my hand in a shot when I was holding an past into the present, into my current world.
iconic object to photograph it. I’m trying to The people are still with me because of the
create something a bit magical. stories. They’re part of me, part of my make-up
Half my life has been in England and half and heritage and personal iconography.
LQ $XVWUDOLD DQG LW·V TXLWH D GHÀQLQJ VSOLW In some ways I’m giving them what they
I came here on my own in 1991 when I was 25. never had. They were in the city and in the Blitz
I met my Australian husband, James, on a [German bombing of Britain in World War II]
train and we’ve been in Portland since 2000. or whatever.

Right: 12. The Giant. Limited Edition Giclee Print on cotton rag 67.5cm X 35cm
From the ‘Between the Tides’ series.

16 PHOTOREVIEW AUSTRALIA | Issue 75 www.photoreview.com.au