#australian network

Allow me a moment to introduce myself…

Allow me a moment to introduce myself...

Allow me a moment to introduce myself...

My name is... Wanda

Profession... I am a cosmetic scientist based in Byron Bay

My talents... probably being the jack of all trades... though definitely master of none... yet! (i hope)

Source of inspiration... landscapes and mother earth. and then the internet

I studied at... Monash in Melbourne

Highlight(s) of my career... photography wise: photographing at the major fashion weeks in Australia for the past 3 years!

What I'm doing now... rebranding!!! new city, new clients!

Where I'm heading... I'd love to fall into food photography!

Allow me a moment to introduce myself... My name is... Mel Gould Profession... Student Photographer Highlight(s) of my career... Having an image displayed in the National Library of Russia, St Petersburg. What I'm doing now... Eating M&Ms. Pinning on Pinterest Where I'm heading... Somewhere warm hopefully Have you reached any of your career goals as an artist? Nope Do you dream big? Sure why not Travel, have you? Where? Where would you like to travel with your art? I've been to Europe. Want to go: Everywhere.

My name is... Melissa Uren

Profession... Fashion Photographer

My talents... Natural Light.. eating Kit Kats

Source of inspiration... Anywhere the light falls...Classic Menswear... Horst P Horst, Helmut Newton, Alisdair McClelland, Boo George, Nick Knight...

Highlight(s) of my career... Shooting my first fashion lifestyle campaign complete with 10m Billboards and full National media roll out in the UK and exhibiting my work twice in New York City, building very strong, trusting working relationships with some of Europe's top modelling agencies and having GQ Man of the Year and British Male Supermodel David Gandy request photographs I took of him at London Collections:Men to promote on his official social media accounts - that was a good day!

What I'm doing now... Living in Central London building my career as a Fashion Photographer

Where I'm heading... wherever this path takes me; towards great things!

Have you reached any of your career goals as an artist? In some ways yes, but the goals are always changing and most of the time I don't get a chance to sit back and relish in the work i've done; I'm still learning to take time to appreciate my achievements - this is so important. When I think back to where I was as an artist 2 or 3 years ago; I do feel really proud and sometimes wonder how it all happened!

Do you dream big? EXTREMELY! Nothing is impossible!

Do you think being creative comes naturally or did/can you learn it? I have always been very creative and very ambitious; for me it came naturally, I couldn't ignore it and I had to follow the path and see what would become of it. I think in some sense it can be learnt; but for a lot of people in creative industries; it runs through their veins, it's in every cell in their body - it's what keeps them alive and buzzing...and keeps them awake at night!

What are your thoughts on the Australia art's industry? I left Australia because I need something more challenging; I need to throw myself into something 1000% and it had to be hard otherwise I don't perform; I need pressure and I need to know the road isn't going to be easily. I don't want what everyone can easily have; I wanted more. I felt at the time that I moved to London, Australia's arts industry moved so slowly; people weren't willing to extend themselves and give it everything they had. I'm really not sure how the industry is at the moment; however I met a lot of Makeup artists who had come over for work during the Summer and they seemed to be quite positive; but again, they had come to London for the same reason I had - to push themselves harder and to see what could be possible.

Travel, have you? Where? Where would you like to travel with your art? Ultimately, I want to be able to travel anywhere in the world with my work. I'd like to live in New York at some point. I have worked in the UK and the Middle East. 2015 will be a huge year for me in terms of shooting and travelling; with most of January already booked out for show season. I will be back in Australia for work in March.

What's your ideal working situation? To have a endless flow of coffee, endless amounts of storage for image archiving and to have an admin assistant!

What is your work space/studio like? describe it... It varies; I tend to move around London a lot; literally every few months; I've learnt to adapt any space into a working space. I shoot mostly on locations, I use my home, local surroundings, parks, rooftops, bedrooms...literally anywhere that I love the way the light falls. I will observe how the light falls on a wall at a certain time of the day; how it reflects on a window; where the the shadows form... I'm constantly distracted by light and can turn any place into a shoot. As for post production; either in my home or if I've been editing for consecutive days and missing the buzz of the city people, I will take my work to a cafe so I feel like I'm part of society again! haha

What do you love most your profession/trade/job? That absolutely ANYTHING is possible and NOTHING is unachievable or out of reach.

What do you dislike about your profession/trade/job? The inconsistent income, budgeting your money to ensure you don't eat beans for 3 months and unreliable people...oh and lateness!!

What gets you out of bed on a bad day? Knowing that I chose this career, this craziness, this city, this life and I am in control of it; even when it is hard. I feel lucky that I'm free enough in this life to make these choices for myself; I can go anywhere in the world and make it what I want it to be for me.

Would you like to be recognized locally, world famous or underground/kept on-the-low-down? Ultimately, I want to become a great photographer; I want my work and my style to be known; so I guess that comes hand in hand with a little bit of recognition on a global scale..

They say the more creative the person the messier their bedroom? What's your room say about you? haha My bedroom as a child was like World War 3; so I guess it was the start of something! I used to be crazy messy; but as I've got older and had to be more organised, I like to know where everything is.. My wardrobe is color coordinated; black, white, colored garments.. I think this is a side effect of styling and working in fashion! So yes, I'm tidy.. but if I'm running late.. its highly likely their will be clothes explosion of epic proportions!!

What would you change in the art's industry, specificity in your field/scene? Creatives working for free of charge. Initially, yes you have to do it to get some experience and some quality work together, but there has to be a cut off point. I see far too many people continuing to work for free because they are scared to lose out on an opportunity. Being credited doesn't pay the bills or feed you. Know your limits and know your worth! If you value your skills and believe in your abilities to produce solid work and you know that you would pay for someone else to do what you are doing; then start charging at a rate you are comfortable with. You should only be working for free when you see it will be a benefit to your folio and will help your work move in the direction you want; for example, a landscape photographer wanting to shoot beauty.

Who's your creative idol/roll model(s)? I admire the work produced by Ellen Von Unwerth, Annie Liebowitz for their abilities to produce incredibly creative concepts - shoot after shoot, Nick Knight, Adam Von Mack, Jay McLaughlin and Alisdair McClellend for their portraiture work.

Who would you love to collaborate with? One word. VOGUE. As for designers; the list is far too long and the connections to fashion visionaries in London are infinite...plus I can't give away my secret projects just yet!

What's your dream job/career? I'm living it now

instagram... http://instagram.com/melissaurenphotography

Facebook... Melissa Uren Photography

Website... www.melissauren.com

Tumblr... melissaurenphotography.tumblr.com/

Allow me a moment to introduce myself... I am a 22 year old student from Sydney, Australia, who is  in love with story telling, dreamers and fashion. I throw myself into what I do in an obsessive way, stopping only for tea, chocolate and avocado sushi.

My name is... Stella Thai

Profession... I am primarily a fashion photographer, but am also studying the field of Visual Communications to become a Designer. I work as a creative for a jewellery brand as well.

My talents... I love capturing strong light, and often liken a photographer to a painter - where your canvas is your shot, you paint with the colours of light. I'm also a lover of trend forward design, and love clean, precise and edgy aesthetics.

Source of inspiration... As a photographer, I am inspired by artists such as Julia Trotti, Emily Soto, and Laura Marii, as well as people such as Patrick Demarchelier. As a designer, I am an avid follower of Stefan Sagmeister's daring and confronting work.

I studied at... JMC Academy (for music) and am currently at the University of Technology, Sydney for a Bachelor of Design.

Highlight(s) of my career... I feel as though I have a long way to go with my career, and so take each project on as it is without comparison. I feel that every shot I take is a new step on the ladder. However, if I had to choose, the highlight of my career so far would be working with the team for the brand WISSPA, where I was able to take charge on both design, curation and photography.

What i'm doing now... I'm currently studying hard and working hard on WISSPA, as we will be launching our online store very soon.

Where i'm heading... Soon, I hope to start my foray into jewellery design and to travel overseas to photograph and work.

instagram: @stellamirandaa or @stellathaiphotography

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stellathaiphotography