Peter Lindbergh on Creativity

I've been in somewhat of a creative rut which I am slowly clawing my way out of. People believe that there are no coincidences in life, but I believe that the things we think about we attract. Lately I've been contemplating on my lack of inspiration/ art and while I was trawling through websites of things that make my heart happy, I found this gem from Peter Lindbergh's website  - an essay on creativity. 100% what I needed to read right now.

CREATIVITY
"Creativity is the basis of self-expression. Why are some people supposedly more creative than others, and why can’t others open themselves up enough to be able to express who they are?

Creation is the birth of something, and something cannot come from nothing. When someone creates something: a painting, a poem, a photograph, the creativity comes from an idea, from a feeling, from emotion, or from a combination of ideas, feelings and emotions that are somehow ‘reborn’ from all our experiences and perspectives.

Creativity is the desire to express ourselves. To formulate these expressions, we have to draw from our reservoir of experience, dreams, desires and experimentation and mix together what was, what is, and what could be… I don’t think you can learn it, it is rather something that evolves. Your perception of everything in your life fills up this reservoir.

Some people are drawn to create and express themselves, others are drawn to reflect, to analyze. But in the end, they all could be creative if they had the desire to explore the way in which they are integrated in the world of their experiences. Because creativity is really a rebirth, a true tone we feel for ourselves and for our world. Then our work becomes a real part of who we are. Maybe all this is a question of how deep we are willing to go…"

by Peter Lindbergh with Lily, New York, June 1996

*Image of the ocean shot by me

Auckland Travel Photo Diary

Vinyl Mix: Andrew Fazzolari - AU Sound X TRS

Hey Pals,

Music Monday for you! A few weeks back Andrew played a live vinyl set at The Record Store in Darlinghurst. AU Sound x TRS live streamed his mix through Sub FM. It's now up on The Record Store's Mix Cloud page.

Brilliant Soul/ Funk/ House vibes!

Sydney Brunch Ideas | Wolfe & Co

If you are looking to have brunch this weekend, I highly recommend making the drive out to Dural to have your taste buds go into overdrive at Wolfe and Co.

This quaint cafe is located on a windy country road, if you speed past you'd think it's another local take away food store. It's a blink and you'll miss moment when you are trying to locate the shop front. AF and I were driving slower than usual to make sure we were at the right location- our memory of google street view had us covered.

We were the first patrons on a Sunday morning (they open from 8am if your wondering), we were met with homely hospitality. Wolfe and Co has all the stylish interior and exterior markings of a hipster cafe, minus the hipster attitude. Outside is lined with alfresco tables and chairs. Inside you are met with a burst of light - white walls which is reflected back to itself from a mirrored wall.
We ordered The Breakfast Burger, Creme Brulee French Toast and The Breakfast Dog which was the special of the day. All three dishes were delectable, but the French Toast was definitely the favourite out of the three. What I like about Wolfe and Co is they aim to source produce locally, when you eat good quality fresh food you feel it. I wasn't bloated or overly full after three meals.

 Brilliant service, delicious food and liquid gold coffee - make sure you give this place a try. Tell me what you think of it too.

Inspiration: Music

Deep House grooves to keep you going on this fine Wednesday !

Hello 2016

I'm kicking off 2016 with a self portrait. Shot off the back of a test shoot I did mid December last year. I'll share my photographs with you all soon :)

I am looking forward to 2016. It will most definitely be a good year! What are your New Years resolutions?

Image shot by me @ Mondo Digital

Future Classic x Museum of Contemporary Art present 2015/16 program: FCxMCA | Harvey Sutherland

Future Classic and Museum of Contemporary Art have teamed up together to present FCxMCA Summer Sunday Sessions. From 5pm on selected Sundays, the MCA Sculpture Terrace will be a playground for handpicked international and electronic acts.

On Sunday November 15th I had the pleasure of witnessing and listening to Melbourne's talented Harvey Sutherland. His crisp deep house grooves had me dancing the night away. The looming rain dampened the first half hour of his set, frustrated Harvey stopped his performance to protect his synth and DJ equipment. But once a tarp was arranged to shield the stage, Sutherland came back with a vengeance and put on a show that had himself and patrons bopping late into the evening. I decided to take my camera to capture Harvey and the crowd in action. Below are some images I photographed from Sunday night.

Which electronic acts are on your wishlist for upcoming FCxMCA Summer Sunday Sessions?

Images shot by Me

Details for FCxMCA: MCA or Future Classic

Give a girl a camera and a bunch of flowers

You may remember my previous floral posts-  Wild Roses and Emmanuel Sammartino.

I’m personally drawn to Darkness in Art… when you make that connection to the subject, it can provoke and expose emotions such as vulnerability, distress, mystery and discomfort. But in darkness, there is something raw and beautiful at the core.

I recall Winona Ryder’s character, Kim, in Edward Scissorhands. Although Kim initially feared Edward (a character with literally scissors as hands), she was intrigued and enchanted by his inner kindness and fragility. This is the kind of fragility that flowers also have…they are delicate, beautiful, yet easily broken.

Combining darkness and beauty makes sense to me. So I hit the studio to have another crack at floral photography.

It took me a while to achieve the correct lighting (thanks Frenchy for your help!). Studio lights are not my strong suit, however experimenting and mastering technique is what I’m trying to achieve (#goals).

When I look at the photos, I’m happy with the dark mood I was able to produce.

This will definitely be a continuous series.

How do you feel when you look at these photos?

Images shot by me at Mondo Digital Studios

Photographer Spotlight: James Tolich

The great thing about managing a photographic studio is working with talented people. James Tolich is one of them. From full-timer to freelancer photographer, James goes from strength to strength. He is never idle, moving fluidly from one job to the next for both commercial or personal work.

James is a confident human, whose work ethic and hustle I respect.

When James first shared these images with me, I was immediately drawn to the dreamy film noir style of photography.

Here are some shots of James' work. Do you admire it as much as I do?

Shots are taken for Habitus Magazine Issue #29, styled by Danielle Selig

http://jamestolich.com

Inspiration | 'Flowers on Fire' by Photographer Georges Antoni

Beautiful work by Australian born photographer Georges Antoni, who also has a brilliant body of fashion photography work.

Two things that get me going- fire and roses. I find that there is something symbolic about these images - roses, love, fire, consumed, melancholy, madness. I might be looking into it too much, Georges may just like flowers on fire - it could be as simple as that. It'd be interesting to know what inspired the series.

Photographs by Georges Antoni