THE JOURNEY MUST BE VISITED

To see how far we've come

I’m never going to be the strongest writer you come across here, nor do I want to be. I am a photographer, and my strength as a creative lies purely in my ability to see and execute shots. It's a simple plan: depending on the situation, I'm either walking around and photographing things I see happening or about to happen, or I'm at home and get an idea, sit down, and plan the who, what, where, and when, and then execute it.

I was recently watching a Sean Tucker video on YouTube, and he talks about the journey, highlighting its importance. While I wholeheartedly agree, it got me reflecting on where I am right now in my photography career and how I got here. So, for any aspiring creatives who like what I make, I want to show you.

A. How far I have come since I started. |
B. How much I have done since I got my first camera in June 2016.

Right, so let's start:

June 2016: I purchased my first camera for my first solo trip around Europe and photographed everything (in JPEG, not RAW). I didn’t edit one image; straight from the camera was all I knew, and I didn’t take my finger off the shutter for six weeks straight. I mean look how good this edit is.

December 2016: A trip to Vietnam and Singapore for two weeks with friends gave me the opportunity to pick up the camera again and do the same as I did in Europe.

January 2017: I decided to write a travel blog because I realised that when I'm home, I don’t go out of my way to see or do anything in the area. So, I treated home like a holiday, going on adventures on my days off, documenting, and writing about them to show how beautiful our backyard can be.

May 2017: I was out taking a photograph during a sunrise at the infamous blue boat shed in Perth, and the experience instilled something in me. I got so hooked on this feeling that I am still chasing it to this day. (I still love this frame)

December 2017: I was asked to take photos of my friends, who happen to be athletes. This was the first time I ever had someone in front of my camera who wasn’t a landscape at sunrise or sunset.

February 2018: I took a three-month trip along the east coast of Australia with the sole goal of making photography work. I spent three months photographing sunrises, sunsets, places, and people of interest, aiming to make it as a travel photographer (I didn’t).

May 2018: My first attempt at astrophotography (love the use of flash on the sand).

July 2018: I returned to Europe for a while (which turned out to be six months). I continued photographing sunrises and sunsets and tried printing images for the first time, eventually selling a few to local places. I thought I would finally break through as a travel photographer, but my business knowledge at the time was limited to going viral on Instagram as a means of “making it.” Needless to say, it didn’t happen, and I didn’t quite make it on socials.

January 2019: A family trip to New York led me to explore street photography.

May 2019: More astrophotography, this time including people, as I better understood composition and framing.

June 2019: I began exploring street photography in Perth and came across my first photobooks. Robert Frank's "The Americans" which stopped me in my tracks and opened up a whole new world to me as a photographer.

August 2019: I discovered Finn Beales' work and purchased his storytelling course. This marked the biggest shift in terms of setting up shots and making photos instead of just taking them

September 2019: I spent three months in Southeast Asia with a plan to make my first photobook on Vietnam. This trip turned my photography approach on its head, shifting my focus from travel photography to storytelling through imagery.

January 2020: I held my first exhibition and released my photobook on Vietnam.

March 2020: I started doing more work for people and brands, diving into commercial photography locally in Perth.

March 2020 - November 2022: During COVID, I worked mainly as a commercial photographer, taking photos of concerts, sporting events, local councils, events, and headshots. I learned a great deal about the technical side of shooting from my good mate and mentor, Travis Hayto. This was where I learned to use lights, deal with clients, position people, pose, and edit quickly and properly. During this time, I also undertook my biggest exhibition to date, with a local gallery allowing me to do a two-week display. I invested $16,000 in printing, framing, food, music, gallery hire, etc., but did not recover even half of this money. (I did sell 2/5 editions of this print).

January 2023 - June 2023: I traveled through Europe with my partner. This was a reset from commercial photography. I had never originally picked up a camera to be a commerical photographer, so I questioned what I was doing photography for and why. I loved the exhibitions I had done and the photography I produced for them. Was there something in this? Could I approach my travels with the same mindset I did with street photography and make images instead of just taking them?

July 2024 - Present: I am stepping more into life as a fine art photographer, using the knowledge I have gained about lighting, dealing with people, and trying to break into the fine art world. I am exploring my shooting style more and using my way of photographing to serve my subjects and understand the point of the shoots I’m taking now.

This exercise was actually really great for me because parts of me feel a little stuck where I am. Creating this timeline forced me to delve deep into the archives to see not only how much I have done, but also how grateful I am for everything I can do. It made me realise how much I have grown in my work and myself over time.

When I first traveled, I didn’t really know myself. I didn’t know anything about who I was or what I wanted to do. Looking back at parts of this process, I see what I wanted but never achieved, and how much of that stemmed from not trying hard enough or in the right direction. I reflect on the importance of travel and how hard I worked between trips just to go again. I wanted so badly to be a travel photographer, but now I realise a lot of the travel was about finding myself as much as it was about escaping who I was at the time.

To all of you who see this, I firstly want to thank those who take the time to read these weekly posts. I also want to say that if you are on a journey or wanting to start something yourself, this exercise was a great way to step back from where you perceive yourself to be and see where you actually are on this journey. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane as much as I do.