People Of Moreton Island
I arrived on Moreton Island in the first week of February. Having applied for the job aimlessly, almost as a joke, I had no idea the impact that it would have on my life. I discovered quickly that the island was inhabited by a different breed of humans, one that was free-spirited, selfless, and generally happy. But there was an unmistakable air of melancholy that I could not shake. I needed to study and photograph this place, I could feel it in my very core, these people, their surroundings, and their stories needed to be shared, and I knew I was the vector.
Throughout the first few weeks of working on the island, I sat on the idea, I needed to determine the best way to capture my subjects. There was only one rule for the project, ‘Be Honest’. I wanted to show these people and their homes off in the most artistic and beautiful way possible but still needed to honestly capture the vibe I got from my subjects. I realised after the first couple of test shoots that spontaneity and collaboration were key. The spontaneity came from the way we would shoot. I would allow the subject, without them knowing it, to dictate the whole photo. Where they positioned themselves in a scene, how they positioned themselves and even when I took the photo.
From a few test shots I discovered that I needed to use natural lighting, my attempts with artificial lighting (lights that were introduced to the scene) took away from the realism of the photos. The shadows, colour, it all seemed unnatural. This meant I was constricted by technical limitations. Shooting on film meant that I was stuck at a single ISO so in some cases, especially the indoor shoots, I would be shooting at an incredibly slow shutter speed. This did not seem to matter, however, as the small imperfections, in some cases add to the realism of the scene.
I decided to shoot this project using a beautiful Yashica D twin lens reflex (TLR) camera I had recently purchased. I had planned to use a large-format camera but decided the logistics of film developing and lugging the camera around were unrealistic and could not see a huge benefit vs the smaller medium format camera. My TLR became incredibly useful. The setup time for each shot, instead of being a hindrance, allowed the subject to relax. I was able to use this further and would pretend I was setting up the camera when in reality, I was waiting for the right moment to capture the subject off guard.
Over the course of the project, I was able to find my voice. I had learned how to use my camera, I had learned what lighting created the best results, and I had figured out what the project was. My time living on the island also dictated how the project turned out. I learned about myself by analysing the images. This air of melancholy I was experiencing, wasn’t the island, it was within me. Looking at the images, the way my subjects are looking and posing, subconsciously I was expressing how I felt. There’s a disconnect between my subjects and the viewer, that looking back, I can identify as being a feeling that I was battling within my personal life, during the entire project.
AIPP Tafe Queensland Silver Award Winner
I have always struggled to define what sort of photographer I am. I used to say I was a landscape photographer, and that’s obvious if you look at my social media page. But I have always loved street photography and now social documentary style environmental portraiture. This project helped me to understand that I am not a genre exclusive photographer, and I don’t need to be. I capture moments, moments in time, that may be unimportant, but are still beautiful and special in their own way.
