WEBVTT
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So tell us a little bit about yourself,
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intro yourself,
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and your photography.
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Okay. Well,
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my name's Sandy,
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and I've been photographing since I was probably
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13 years old.
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12-13.
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Been still doing it now,
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mainly sort of a journalistic,
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sort of documentary style
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is what inspires me.
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I just like to tell people's stories
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through the lens if I can.
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So I'm a single mom with teenage boys
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and that sort of slowed down my work a little bit
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for a few years.
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I just really took photos for myself,
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but not professionally,
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but now they're a bit older
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I'm getting back into it,
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'cause it's just always driven me.
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It's my love.
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And I try and do all sorts of other things,
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but when I do my photography, I just feel this is it.
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This is what I want to do.
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So, yeah.
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Yeah, started off in high school
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back in the days of dark rooms,
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and I was like, oh my God, this is so exciting!
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This picture just emerges
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and I was over the moon!
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And my father helped me convert this old caravan
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to a dark room.
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So I had a caravan set up in our backyard
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and just spent all my time processing negatives
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and watching those images appear.
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So, yeah,
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and then I left school at 15,
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and just headed off,
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and took photos all the time.
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I think I was very shy,
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so it was like this barrier between me and other people.
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When I was taking photos of them
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I found it much easier to relate to them
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than without that camera in front of me, yeah.
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So yeah, just covered around,
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and then I was a bit of an activist
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and I went down to the Franklin River campaign
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when I was a teenager,
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and it was pretty hard to get up there,
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and the conditions were bad,
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and I just was taking photos of everything
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that was happening there
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'cause it was such a momentous time,
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I think, in Australian history.
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And I set up a dark room on a fishing boat actually.
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And so I was getting a lot of images
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'cause it was hard for the media to get up there,
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or they'd only stay for a day or two.
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So I was already just starting to build up a body of work
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that was being published in magazines,
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and papers, and books.
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So didn't really have any formal training
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apart from a year.
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You couldn't do that now, I guess.
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It'd be harder to break into the field.
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Yeah, and then I just travelled a lot
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and I was actually riding my bicycle
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(woman laughing)
from Tasmania to Kent.
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I took off travelling with my cameras,
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and I got to Rockhampton,
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and I wanted to get some work.
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And I went to the Morning Bulletin,
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which was this like, daily newspaper there.
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And the guy said,
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this is, you know, would never happen nowadays.
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He said, right, get in the car with me,
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grab the camera.
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And we drove all around Rockhampton.
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Then he said,
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take a photo of that!
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Take a photo of that, out the window.
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(woman laughing)
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And then we had to rush back and process it and print it.
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That was my job interview.
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(women laughing)
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And I got the job and I loved it,
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'cause it was so,
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you know, you could be doing anything.
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You'd go and you didn't know what you were doing.
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You just had to take photos,
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and I kind of liked that pressure
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of having to produce,
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and haven't done that kept me on my toes.
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So that was probably the first newspaper job.
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Yep.
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And, want me to keep going?
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The next.
Yeah, so,
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that led into you had a career as a photo journalist
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and internationally as well, is that right?
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Yeah. Yeah.
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I sort of then went and worked for a couple of weeklies
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in Sydney,
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but then I got a job with Greenpeace,
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actually as a crew member.
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But it was a crew member on one of their boats,
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but also as a photographer.
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So it meant that,
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because I love sailing and boats,
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so we sailed to Canada actually from New Zealand,
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and then the boat was used as a campaign tool.
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And so they needed a photographer
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to photograph all their directions,
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which was kind of a bit hairy and scary,
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but made for great photos.
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And at that time,
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you know, like there was once they were hanging the banner
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under the Golden Gate Bridge,
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and I was in boat underneath,
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and everyone was getting arrested,
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and I was trying to zoom out of the way in a Zodiac.
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And I remember I had all my gear in a barrel
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and I was completely drenched.
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And when someone gave me a lift to the Reuters office
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in the middle of San Francisco,
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and I remember going up the elevator
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just completely drenched with this barrel,
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saying, "All of these photos!"
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(woman speaking excitedly)
You know?
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All these protests about nuclear ships,
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and they were like, oh,
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mad woman.
(woman chuckling)
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You know, but the photos were getting used everywhere
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at that point,
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going out on the wire services.
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That was in the days of AAP,
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such as was Reuters.
(woman agreeing audibly)
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So that was really good.
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And then I just stayed in San Francisco
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and connected up,
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The Age had a journalist working there,
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The Good Weekend Magazine,
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and I'd just come up with ideas
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and said, why don't we do this story
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on illegal migrants working in the, you know,
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whatever I was interested in.
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And he was like, okay.
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And so The Age started running those.
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And I know I worked there for about a year
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and then they just said one day,
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do you want a job full time?
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You can get back to Australia in a week or so.
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It was this incredible deadline.
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I was like, yes!
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This is what I want to do.
(woman chuckling)
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I always wanted to work for either The Age
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or the Sydney Morning Herald.
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But, you know, pretty hard to get in.
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Yeah.
So,
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and that was just great.
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That was in the days of sort of
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a bit more long form journalism
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and you could come up with ideas
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and they'd let you go for a week.
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You know?
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Yeah.
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Great idea.
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And can we go,
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you know, and you'd come back,
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and I remember one story was,
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you know, five front pages in a row
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on this big story.
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So it was really the opposite
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of what we're doing now in media.
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And I really liked that
Yeah.
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Time that you'd spent on it.
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And yeah, it just felt like,
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you know, one day it could be photographing
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the prime minister
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and the next day and just photographing a flower
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or something for the data section.
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(women laughing)
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So it just taught you this incredible diversity,
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and also how to relate to people, you know?
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Yeah.
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What an incredible life. That's amazing.
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Yeah, it was great.
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And then, you know, it was tough too.
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We used to do 10 days shifts
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and night shifts in those days,
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and it was very male orientated when I came into it.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, it was hard, but it was also fantastic.
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And then Rwanda happened.
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I was sitting on night shift and I saw some of.
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We had this old,
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it's like an old fax machine
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and the pictures were wrapped around it,
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and they'd pop out.
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And these pictures were popping out from Rwanda,
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and I was like,
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what's going on?
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And I marched into the editor the next day and said,
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I think we need to go to Rwanda.
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(woman chuckling)
And he was like,
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oh, can you assure me you'll be safe?
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(women laughing)
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So I ended up going in with World Vision
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and that sort of started this path
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of working with a lot of NGOs.
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And I managed to get to the position
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where I was part-time at The Age,
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so that I could do work with NGOs,
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like World Vision or the Fred Hollows Foundation.
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And I supply them with the photos they wanted,
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which was again, fantastic,
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like, sight restoration,
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I'd spend two weeks following,
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finding someone in the village that was blind
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and following their journey.
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And so you really getting in depth with the issue
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and doing things like child soldiers in Uganda,
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and child labour,
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and a lot of trips overseas,
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but then The Age, it was great.
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'Cause I sort of let me go,
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but it meant they would get the images
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and the story at the end of it.
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So it was a really good situation.
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It's great actually.
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And yeah, just try to bear witness.
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And I was always,
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so I guess I felt really compelled
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to try and make people speak through an image.
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And I find that quite frustrating
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'cause you photographing these
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sometimes really confronting things.
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And I was always driven by,
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I need people to look at this,
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and take action, or do something.
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So I was very much motivated
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by a desire for people to sort of bear,
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you know, with some of those more challenging assignments
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to, and some of them did.
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Like I remember being told
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some of the shots for World Vision
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they used in big, cinema rats.
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And they could track the money that was coming in
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or, you know?
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So, but no, okay,
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someone's helping out,
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you know, Fred Hollow's Foundation clinic
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somewhere in some remote place.
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You know, they have to see,
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but it was also about giving the people dignity,
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not sort of taking these pictures of,
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you know,
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like here are the people that are living
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in these parts of the world
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and things have happened to them,
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but also giving them that dignity
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and respect.
Yeah.
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Which often you need time
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to get to know those people
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before you even pick up the camera.
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A bit of trust there.
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Trust. Yeah.
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So it was incredible
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just meeting these extraordinary people.
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I've been such privilege, you know?
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Yeah, it's amazing.
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There's so many countries
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00:10:31.874 --> 00:10:34.541
and met these incredible people.
275
00:10:35.544 --> 00:10:39.179
There was an older woman who was completely blind.
276
00:10:39.179 --> 00:10:41.172
It was when Fred Hollow's Foundation
277
00:10:41.172 --> 00:10:45.507
first went to set up in South Africa, in Africa.
278
00:10:45.507 --> 00:10:47.822
And they went to this remote village
279
00:10:47.822 --> 00:10:50.063
where there was a lot of cataracts
280
00:10:50.063 --> 00:10:50.972
and a lot of blindness,
281
00:10:50.972 --> 00:10:54.130
but the people were very afraid of the operation.
282
00:10:54.130 --> 00:10:56.366
And I spent days with her saying,
283
00:10:56.366 --> 00:10:58.518
no, no, this is all right, you know?
284
00:10:58.518 --> 00:10:59.778
You'll get it done.
285
00:10:59.778 --> 00:11:02.652
But I just hung out with this old grandmother
286
00:11:02.652 --> 00:11:03.750
who was completely blind.
287
00:11:03.750 --> 00:11:06.045
And then I went into the hospital with her
288
00:11:06.045 --> 00:11:08.182
and she was chat, chat, chat the whole time
289
00:11:08.182 --> 00:11:10.228
in her language and stuff.
290
00:11:10.228 --> 00:11:11.678
And I asked one of the staff,
291
00:11:11.678 --> 00:11:13.138
what's she saying?
292
00:11:13.138 --> 00:11:15.294
Yeah.
And she had said
293
00:11:15.294 --> 00:11:16.544
that I was her,
294
00:11:19.085 --> 00:11:22.527
she was like a childminder for me.
295
00:11:22.527 --> 00:11:24.641
That I was a South African,
296
00:11:24.641 --> 00:11:26.456
growing up in South Africa,
297
00:11:26.456 --> 00:11:30.316
and she'd been my sort of childminder,
298
00:11:30.316 --> 00:11:31.676
and that I'd come back to help her out
299
00:11:31.676 --> 00:11:33.901
now she was.
(women laughing)
300
00:11:33.901 --> 00:11:35.204
She just made this whole story up.
301
00:11:35.204 --> 00:11:37.440
(women laughing)
302
00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:40.638
Anyway, I didn't mind 'cause we couldn't communicate,
303
00:11:40.638 --> 00:11:42.295
but we became really close.
304
00:11:42.295 --> 00:11:44.945
Yeah, maybe she voyeuristic.
305
00:11:44.945 --> 00:11:46.876
With her when her sight was restored.
306
00:11:46.876 --> 00:11:51.437
And it was just incredible because she sort of trusted me
307
00:11:51.437 --> 00:11:53.490
and those photos we used,
308
00:11:53.490 --> 00:11:56.813
that we used a lot by the woman.
309
00:11:56.813 --> 00:11:58.608
And then all these blind people
310
00:11:58.608 --> 00:12:00.154
just appeared out of nowhere.
311
00:12:00.154 --> 00:12:03.416
It was sort of like the middle of the Outback in Australia,
312
00:12:03.416 --> 00:12:06.541
saying we want ours done, you know?
313
00:12:06.541 --> 00:12:09.012
And that was the start of this,
314
00:12:09.012 --> 00:12:12.050
you know, eye surgery.
That's awesome.
315
00:12:12.050 --> 00:12:14.652
Really making a difference.
316
00:12:14.652 --> 00:12:16.490
Yeah, it just felt like,
317
00:12:16.490 --> 00:12:17.762
I don't know what you really do,
318
00:12:17.762 --> 00:12:20.687
but it's just a privilege to try and,
319
00:12:20.687 --> 00:12:21.520
you know,
320
00:12:22.442 --> 00:12:23.692
tell those stories,
321
00:12:23.692 --> 00:12:24.738
or take those photos
322
00:12:24.738 --> 00:12:28.988
to talk about something that's close to your heart.
323
00:12:29.848 --> 00:12:30.752
So, yeah.
324
00:12:30.752 --> 00:12:31.696
Yeah, well, I mean,
325
00:12:31.696 --> 00:12:35.425
that sort of takes a scene to Living Memory
326
00:12:35.425 --> 00:12:38.193
and your finalist work, "Hugs On Hold,"
327
00:12:38.193 --> 00:12:39.376
which is, you know,
328
00:12:39.376 --> 00:12:41.129
close to a lot of people's hearts,
329
00:12:41.129 --> 00:12:42.949
obviously with the feedback we've got.
330
00:12:42.949 --> 00:12:45.942
Can you tell us a little bit about that photo?
331
00:12:45.942 --> 00:12:48.200
Yeah, well, I was,
332
00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:50.599
the interesting thing with the pandemic is,
333
00:12:50.599 --> 00:12:51.952
you know, since I've had kids
334
00:12:51.952 --> 00:12:54.457
I can't travel around the world anymore
335
00:12:54.457 --> 00:12:56.964
and do all these big assignments,
336
00:12:56.964 --> 00:12:59.466
but the pandemic has been interesting
337
00:12:59.466 --> 00:13:00.452
and COVID,
338
00:13:00.452 --> 00:13:02.266
because it's right here.
339
00:13:02.266 --> 00:13:05.080
It's right here in my community
340
00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:08.696
and it's just been very rewarding for me.
341
00:13:08.696 --> 00:13:10.646
So as soon as it became obvious
342
00:13:10.646 --> 00:13:13.358
that there was a global pandemic,
343
00:13:13.358 --> 00:13:15.806
I thought, well, I've got to bear witness to that.
344
00:13:15.806 --> 00:13:17.551
You know, that needs to be recorded.
345
00:13:17.551 --> 00:13:20.322
This is this incredible time in history.
346
00:13:20.322 --> 00:13:21.488
How can I do that?
347
00:13:21.488 --> 00:13:24.054
How can I be funded to do that?
348
00:13:24.054 --> 00:13:25.884
Because unless you working for,
349
00:13:25.884 --> 00:13:27.557
you know, one of the big newspapers,
350
00:13:27.557 --> 00:13:30.593
it's pretty hard to be funded as a photojournalist.
351
00:13:30.593 --> 00:13:33.643
So I applied for a Regional Arts Victoria Grant
352
00:13:33.643 --> 00:13:36.941
and the grant through their local shot.
353
00:13:36.941 --> 00:13:39.514
Just to document life in the time of COVID-19.
354
00:13:39.514 --> 00:13:44.514
And so I was usually working right here in my community,
355
00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:46.997
and when I was photographing,
356
00:13:47.938 --> 00:13:50.770
one woman she told me about her mom
357
00:13:50.770 --> 00:13:52.558
and how she couldn't go in.
358
00:13:52.558 --> 00:13:55.059
Her mum was in the aged care, Margaret.
359
00:13:55.059 --> 00:13:56.080
Margaret.
360
00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.826
And I said, could I come and photograph you
361
00:13:58.826 --> 00:14:01.644
next time you go with your granddaughter to see your mom?
362
00:14:01.644 --> 00:14:03.571
And she's like, yeah, that's fine!
363
00:14:03.571 --> 00:14:05.755
So we went up just down the road here
364
00:14:05.755 --> 00:14:06.802
to the aged care.
365
00:14:06.802 --> 00:14:09.302
And I was completely stressing out
366
00:14:09.302 --> 00:14:11.034
because it's really hard to photograph
367
00:14:11.034 --> 00:14:12.560
some through a window.
368
00:14:12.560 --> 00:14:13.393
Yeah.
369
00:14:13.393 --> 00:14:15.224
And all of a sudden, Margaret, the grandmother
370
00:14:15.224 --> 00:14:17.545
she just saw her granddaughter
371
00:14:17.545 --> 00:14:22.210
and her eyes just lit up with this sort of love,
372
00:14:22.210 --> 00:14:25.523
and that human connection that's so important
373
00:14:25.523 --> 00:14:27.530
in times like this.
374
00:14:27.530 --> 00:14:28.791
Even though there was glass and a mirror
375
00:14:28.791 --> 00:14:30.788
and they couldn't touch,
376
00:14:30.788 --> 00:14:33.680
it was still that so important,
377
00:14:33.680 --> 00:14:36.348
that connection that those two,
378
00:14:36.348 --> 00:14:38.403
that granddaughter and grandmother had together.
379
00:14:38.403 --> 00:14:40.206
It almost didn't matter that there couldn't touch
380
00:14:40.206 --> 00:14:43.488
'cause they were just looking at each other,
381
00:14:43.488 --> 00:14:46.660
and you know?
(woman laughing)
382
00:14:46.660 --> 00:14:48.303
Yeah.
Just really beautiful.
383
00:14:48.303 --> 00:14:50.799
So to me, it was just about,
384
00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:51.632
in fact,
385
00:14:51.632 --> 00:14:52.920
I didn't really liked the picture at first.
386
00:14:52.920 --> 00:14:56.577
I thought the reflections in it were a bit messy.
387
00:14:56.577 --> 00:14:59.301
That's not the sort of photo I'd normally like,
388
00:14:59.301 --> 00:15:01.435
and then I think someone else saw it and said,
389
00:15:01.435 --> 00:15:03.646
oh, you should put that one in the series.
390
00:15:03.646 --> 00:15:05.131
Which is interesting.
(woman laughing)
391
00:15:05.131 --> 00:15:06.715
Yeah.
392
00:15:06.715 --> 00:15:07.703
That one's the one that seems
393
00:15:07.703 --> 00:15:10.634
to have got the most comments.
394
00:15:10.634 --> 00:15:12.467
Yeah, it's a very intimate moment
395
00:15:12.467 --> 00:15:14.090
that you've captured there.
396
00:15:14.090 --> 00:15:15.090
Like it's a,
397
00:15:16.032 --> 00:15:18.419
and then that reflecting on each other,
398
00:15:18.419 --> 00:15:19.517
the halo,
399
00:15:19.517 --> 00:15:21.943
like it's a really clever shot, so.
400
00:15:21.943 --> 00:15:23.532
Yeah.
401
00:15:23.532 --> 00:15:24.365
Thank you.
402
00:15:24.365 --> 00:15:26.313
It was good to,
403
00:15:26.313 --> 00:15:28.302
I went back to that aged care centre
404
00:15:28.302 --> 00:15:31.427
when the first vaccinations happened
405
00:15:31.427 --> 00:15:34.962
and I photographed mother again there
406
00:15:34.962 --> 00:15:37.421
as part of the ongoing series.
407
00:15:37.421 --> 00:15:39.177
So she quite liked, you know?
408
00:15:39.177 --> 00:15:40.482
She really loves.
409
00:15:40.482 --> 00:15:44.012
I made a big print when I was doing the print,
410
00:15:44.012 --> 00:15:45.153
Yeah!
411
00:15:45.153 --> 00:15:47.655
So I had one and I've got that framed for her,
412
00:15:47.655 --> 00:15:50.527
and then we had a special ceremony to give it to her.
413
00:15:50.527 --> 00:15:52.559
Aw, that's so lovely.
414
00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:55.588
So for me, it's kind of special that
415
00:15:55.588 --> 00:15:58.075
I'm photographing this kind of worldwide event,
416
00:15:58.075 --> 00:16:00.334
but it's, and I'm being funded to do it,
417
00:16:00.334 --> 00:16:02.656
even though I don't work in newspapers anymore.
418
00:16:02.656 --> 00:16:04.305
And I've managed to get that funding.
419
00:16:04.305 --> 00:16:05.638
That's not easy.
420
00:16:07.530 --> 00:16:09.945
So many people related to that image
421
00:16:09.945 --> 00:16:13.694
and we're really drawn to it as well.
422
00:16:13.694 --> 00:16:14.944
Like, you know,
423
00:16:16.083 --> 00:16:18.059
it had that worldwide appeal as you know.
424
00:16:18.059 --> 00:16:22.196
With our in conversation with London and just.
425
00:16:22.196 --> 00:16:23.748
Yeah.
426
00:16:23.748 --> 00:16:27.165
Yeah, it seems to have captured people's,
427
00:16:28.237 --> 00:16:31.441
there's fields of mothers that I sort of feel it strong too
428
00:16:31.441 --> 00:16:33.358
that one seems to have.
429
00:16:34.846 --> 00:16:37.842
I think it's because of that barrier, you know?
430
00:16:37.842 --> 00:16:38.950
It's just,
431
00:16:38.950 --> 00:16:41.361
we're gonna look back on this think,
432
00:16:41.361 --> 00:16:43.627
we couldn't touch our loved ones
433
00:16:43.627 --> 00:16:45.294
or be near them and,
434
00:16:46.443 --> 00:16:48.389
it's really, when you stand back.
435
00:16:48.389 --> 00:16:50.900
That's been what's driven me with this,
436
00:16:50.900 --> 00:16:53.877
is how do you photograph this situation?
437
00:16:53.877 --> 00:16:54.867
Which, you know, we're living in it,
438
00:16:54.867 --> 00:16:57.567
we've lived in it for a year and a half, two years,
439
00:16:57.567 --> 00:17:00.548
and it's still so extraordinary, you know?
440
00:17:00.548 --> 00:17:01.893
We can't see our families
441
00:17:01.893 --> 00:17:05.976
and we have to meet through a glass and you know?
442
00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:08.792
So I'm driven now,
443
00:17:08.792 --> 00:17:11.181
but I'd never feel I can do it.
444
00:17:11.181 --> 00:17:13.370
I've never felt I can do that with all my photography.
445
00:17:13.370 --> 00:17:14.551
To try and take the photo
446
00:17:14.551 --> 00:17:16.159
that makes people go,
447
00:17:16.159 --> 00:17:17.742
oh, that's amazing.
448
00:17:18.765 --> 00:17:19.739
You know?
449
00:17:19.739 --> 00:17:21.789
Yeah. That's how,
450
00:17:21.789 --> 00:17:22.838
yeah, that's how I'm feeling.
451
00:17:22.838 --> 00:17:24.921
A lot of those photos make you think like,
452
00:17:24.921 --> 00:17:26.293
yes, I felt that.
453
00:17:26.293 --> 00:17:28.676
Or I identify with that. I understand that.
454
00:17:28.676 --> 00:17:30.842
That's my story.
455
00:17:30.842 --> 00:17:33.867
Yeah. It's sort of like this incredible moment in time,
456
00:17:33.867 --> 00:17:37.644
this sort of documenting history really.
457
00:17:37.644 --> 00:17:40.394
And I see it as important now
458
00:17:40.394 --> 00:17:41.549
I've got older.
459
00:17:41.549 --> 00:17:44.407
So that series has been purchased by the National Library,
460
00:17:44.407 --> 00:17:46.448
just as a record, you know?
461
00:17:46.448 --> 00:17:50.250
And I photographed some kids that at our high school
462
00:17:50.250 --> 00:17:51.773
when the first lockdown started
463
00:17:51.773 --> 00:17:53.989
and they said this beautiful quote.
464
00:17:53.989 --> 00:17:56.384
So I was getting just a few quotes to go with the photos.
465
00:17:56.384 --> 00:17:57.947
They said,
466
00:17:57.947 --> 00:18:02.603
you know, we're gonna be in a history book in 50 years.
467
00:18:02.603 --> 00:18:04.612
And the kids, you know,
468
00:18:04.612 --> 00:18:07.029
the year 11 kids are gonna be
469
00:18:10.663 --> 00:18:13.636
reading about us and what happened then.
470
00:18:13.636 --> 00:18:16.969
They could see that there was this time.
471
00:18:17.840 --> 00:18:19.285
Yeah.
472
00:18:19.285 --> 00:18:22.471
That was so extraordinary. So, yeah.
473
00:18:22.471 --> 00:18:23.791
So, I feel really honoured.
474
00:18:23.791 --> 00:18:24.775
You know? It's great.
475
00:18:24.775 --> 00:18:25.608
(woman chuckling)
476
00:18:25.608 --> 00:18:26.441
And what do you think,
477
00:18:26.441 --> 00:18:27.601
like what do you,
478
00:18:27.601 --> 00:18:30.523
like with being hung in Living Memory,
479
00:18:30.523 --> 00:18:32.028
what do you think it means like,
480
00:18:32.028 --> 00:18:34.720
I guess for your photographic practise and career,
481
00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:37.607
and then personally as well?
482
00:18:37.607 --> 00:18:39.109
Oh, that's a hard question.
483
00:18:39.109 --> 00:18:41.065
It's a great honour.
484
00:18:41.065 --> 00:18:43.281
Of course it's a fantastic honour, you know,
485
00:18:43.281 --> 00:18:44.876
the National Portrait Gallery,
486
00:18:44.876 --> 00:18:47.526
I just wish I could go and see it.
487
00:18:47.526 --> 00:18:48.359
I know.
488
00:18:50.692 --> 00:18:54.641
And just meant that there's greater exposure
489
00:18:54.641 --> 00:18:56.141
around that photo,
490
00:18:56.982 --> 00:18:59.259
and maybe other work I've done,
491
00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:01.023
and to be up there
492
00:19:01.023 --> 00:19:04.039
with all those other incredible photographers
493
00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:07.552
that a lot of them I've admired for a long time,
494
00:19:07.552 --> 00:19:10.118
it's just makes me feel part of this community
495
00:19:10.118 --> 00:19:12.436
of other people doing what I'm trying to do,
496
00:19:12.436 --> 00:19:14.654
and that's special for me too.
497
00:19:14.654 --> 00:19:16.307
Yeah, that's priceless, right?
498
00:19:16.307 --> 00:19:18.913
Yeah, I just feel this great privilege really.
499
00:19:18.913 --> 00:19:20.216
Yeah.
500
00:19:20.216 --> 00:19:21.463
That was pretty exciting.
501
00:19:21.463 --> 00:19:22.299
Yeah.
502
00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:23.260
(women laughing)
503
00:19:23.260 --> 00:19:24.413
I guess everyone is.
504
00:19:24.413 --> 00:19:26.090
Yeah, everyone is.
505
00:19:26.090 --> 00:19:28.661
I get too excited too. I think I've told you,
506
00:19:28.661 --> 00:19:29.992
like I get so excited.
507
00:19:29.992 --> 00:19:31.694
It's like Tara lay off the coffee
508
00:19:31.694 --> 00:19:32.527
'cause I'm like,
509
00:19:32.527 --> 00:19:33.501
(woman making speedy noises)
510
00:19:33.501 --> 00:19:34.334
(woman laughing)
511
00:19:34.334 --> 00:19:35.891
I get really happy for everyone.
512
00:19:35.891 --> 00:19:37.395
So, yeah.
Yeah.
513
00:19:37.395 --> 00:19:38.228
What about,
514
00:19:38.228 --> 00:19:41.039
how do you think lockdowns and the changes in the world
515
00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:42.306
have effected your practise?
516
00:19:42.306 --> 00:19:46.223
I mean, we've touched on it a bit already, but?
517
00:19:48.923 --> 00:19:50.044
I don't know.
518
00:19:50.044 --> 00:19:53.525
I think it hasn't really affected
519
00:19:53.525 --> 00:19:57.056
other than the obvious things like wearing a mask.
520
00:19:57.056 --> 00:19:59.273
And when I work in a hospital,
521
00:19:59.273 --> 00:20:00.106
you know,
522
00:20:00.106 --> 00:20:03.041
have to wear that full protective gear.
523
00:20:03.041 --> 00:20:04.599
And if you wear glasses,
524
00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:06.253
(woman laughing)
Yeah.
525
00:20:06.253 --> 00:20:09.745
And you've got the full face mask,
526
00:20:09.745 --> 00:20:11.947
then your face mask fogs up,
527
00:20:11.947 --> 00:20:12.817
your glasses fog up,
528
00:20:12.817 --> 00:20:15.684
and the back of your camera fogs up.
529
00:20:15.684 --> 00:20:16.985
I was like,
530
00:20:16.985 --> 00:20:17.985
I can't see!
531
00:20:19.154 --> 00:20:21.748
Literally.
(women laughing)
532
00:20:21.748 --> 00:20:25.481
I just was pretty much shooting as if I was blind.
533
00:20:25.481 --> 00:20:27.052
Actually on that day,
534
00:20:27.052 --> 00:20:29.292
one of those photos is now in New York
535
00:20:29.292 --> 00:20:31.650
at the International Centre For Photography,
536
00:20:31.650 --> 00:20:33.023
but they're doing it,
537
00:20:33.023 --> 00:20:34.950
like what you're doing, but a global.
538
00:20:34.950 --> 00:20:36.770
Oh wow. That's cool.
539
00:20:36.770 --> 00:20:40.133
And they picked from 6,000 images.
540
00:20:40.133 --> 00:20:42.703
Wow, that's amazing.
541
00:20:42.703 --> 00:20:44.638
And the photo,
542
00:20:44.638 --> 00:20:47.904
that time when I thought I couldn't see.
543
00:20:47.904 --> 00:20:50.084
You're like, it's in.
(woman laughing)
544
00:20:50.084 --> 00:20:51.791
That was the one that they picked.
545
00:20:51.791 --> 00:20:54.624
It wasn't the one that you picked.
546
00:20:55.574 --> 00:20:59.174
Yeah, so in terms of practicalities,
547
00:20:59.174 --> 00:21:02.554
I find it incredibly difficult shooting with a mask.
548
00:21:02.554 --> 00:21:05.493
And when I started doing life from the time of COVID,
549
00:21:05.493 --> 00:21:07.833
I was photographing people out on the driveways,
550
00:21:07.833 --> 00:21:09.330
so from a distance with a long lens.
551
00:21:09.330 --> 00:21:10.280
Yeah.
552
00:21:10.280 --> 00:21:11.113
Yeah.
553
00:21:12.066 --> 00:21:15.322
Yeah, but it hasn't actually,
554
00:21:15.322 --> 00:21:17.776
well, I have an essential workers permit,
555
00:21:17.776 --> 00:21:20.294
so there's a lot more paperwork
556
00:21:20.294 --> 00:21:23.274
and I'm just working on a big shoot at the moment
557
00:21:23.274 --> 00:21:25.416
for Ashire on gender equity,
558
00:21:25.416 --> 00:21:27.990
and I've had to provide proof of,
559
00:21:27.990 --> 00:21:29.619
you know, double vaccination.
560
00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:32.051
So there's those things like that,
561
00:21:32.051 --> 00:21:34.116
but it hasn't affected the way
562
00:21:34.116 --> 00:21:36.759
I actually physically take photos,
563
00:21:36.759 --> 00:21:39.100
other than the fact that half the time I can't see.
564
00:21:39.100 --> 00:21:40.666
(women laughing)
565
00:21:40.666 --> 00:21:42.541
'Cause my glasses are fogged up.
566
00:21:42.541 --> 00:21:44.450
So it makes me even more nervous
567
00:21:44.450 --> 00:21:46.087
that I'm not gonna be able to get.
568
00:21:46.087 --> 00:21:49.006
(women laughing)
Be magic.
569
00:21:49.006 --> 00:21:51.455
Anyway, you seem to capture it anyway.
570
00:21:51.455 --> 00:21:53.101
Just the auto focus.
571
00:21:53.101 --> 00:21:54.234
(women laughing)
572
00:21:54.234 --> 00:21:56.532
Your finger on auto focus.
573
00:21:56.532 --> 00:21:57.386
What about,
574
00:21:57.386 --> 00:21:59.135
we know we always get asked by
575
00:21:59.135 --> 00:22:01.343
on social media and stuff as well
576
00:22:01.343 --> 00:22:03.282
about the photographers that get in,
577
00:22:03.282 --> 00:22:04.822
you know, what equipment do they use?
578
00:22:04.822 --> 00:22:06.406
What camera do they use?
579
00:22:06.406 --> 00:22:09.601
So what's your go-to selected equipment?
580
00:22:09.601 --> 00:22:13.015
Well, I've never been in a very sort of technical person,
581
00:22:13.015 --> 00:22:15.576
but when I worked at The Age,
582
00:22:15.576 --> 00:22:17.116
we kind of use Nikons
583
00:22:17.116 --> 00:22:18.696
and then we use Cannons,
584
00:22:18.696 --> 00:22:20.627
And when I left The Age,
585
00:22:20.627 --> 00:22:23.162
I think they swapped from Nikons to Canons,
586
00:22:23.162 --> 00:22:25.969
so I purchased a lot of the old Nikons
587
00:22:25.969 --> 00:22:28.142
So I used like a B3 body.
588
00:22:28.142 --> 00:22:29.462
Nikon B3,
589
00:22:29.462 --> 00:22:31.205
the wide angle lens.
590
00:22:31.205 --> 00:22:33.986
It's like a 17 to 35 mil,
591
00:22:33.986 --> 00:22:34.819
80 to 200,
592
00:22:35.735 --> 00:22:37.030
and a macro lens.
593
00:22:37.030 --> 00:22:39.468
And that's basically all I ever have in my kit,
594
00:22:39.468 --> 00:22:41.923
plus a couple of fade lights.
595
00:22:41.923 --> 00:22:44.473
Little flash lights that I try not to use
596
00:22:44.473 --> 00:22:45.848
unless I have to.
597
00:22:45.848 --> 00:22:47.406
So when I was shooting in the hospital,
598
00:22:47.406 --> 00:22:49.273
it was horrible, fluorescent light.
599
00:22:49.273 --> 00:22:51.711
I might bounce a flash off the ceiling
600
00:22:51.711 --> 00:22:53.805
to try and get rid of that.
601
00:22:53.805 --> 00:22:56.900
And then I have a 300 mil lens.
602
00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:57.940
It's ancient.
603
00:22:57.940 --> 00:23:01.048
It's about 30 years old, but it's still beautiful.
604
00:23:01.048 --> 00:23:02.773
It's like an old, classic car.
605
00:23:02.773 --> 00:23:04.286
Yeah, made to last.
606
00:23:04.286 --> 00:23:05.586
Yeah, they're made to last.
607
00:23:05.586 --> 00:23:06.997
They're 2.8.
608
00:23:06.997 --> 00:23:09.336
I keep thinking, you know,
609
00:23:09.336 --> 00:23:11.043
they're very expensive those lenses.
610
00:23:11.043 --> 00:23:13.031
Yeah.
But it works really well,
611
00:23:13.031 --> 00:23:14.297
but it's incredibly heavy,
612
00:23:14.297 --> 00:23:16.833
and so if I'm just trying to be a bit,
613
00:23:16.833 --> 00:23:17.666
you know?
614
00:23:18.560 --> 00:23:21.795
It's a different way of working.
615
00:23:21.795 --> 00:23:24.371
So I usually just have the little kit,
616
00:23:24.371 --> 00:23:27.281
then that's what I've used all the time
617
00:23:27.281 --> 00:23:28.980
and seems to work well.
618
00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:30.165
Yeah.
619
00:23:30.165 --> 00:23:32.701
And so what about tips for aspiring photographers?
620
00:23:32.701 --> 00:23:34.451
Do you have any tips?
621
00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:39.997
I think for me, it's about getting to know,
622
00:23:39.997 --> 00:23:44.607
because I interested in photographing people mainly.
623
00:23:44.607 --> 00:23:48.103
So it's about developing the relationship with the people
624
00:23:48.103 --> 00:23:51.802
or making those people feel comfortable with you.
625
00:23:51.802 --> 00:23:54.301
And sometimes that can take a while
626
00:23:54.301 --> 00:23:56.528
and sometimes it can be quick.
627
00:23:56.528 --> 00:23:59.986
So it's just about developing a relationship with someone
628
00:23:59.986 --> 00:24:01.790
and making them feel,
629
00:24:01.790 --> 00:24:05.064
trust you enough to take their image.
630
00:24:05.064 --> 00:24:08.064
And then what I try and do,
631
00:24:08.064 --> 00:24:10.957
'cause I sorta, if I'm going to photograph someone,
632
00:24:10.957 --> 00:24:13.230
I want to figure out where I'm gonna put them
633
00:24:13.230 --> 00:24:15.888
before I've actually got them with me
634
00:24:15.888 --> 00:24:17.999
because it's a bit hard,
635
00:24:17.999 --> 00:24:20.631
you know, I get distracted if I'm trying to talk to them
636
00:24:20.631 --> 00:24:21.931
and think about the background,
637
00:24:21.931 --> 00:24:23.684
or the lighting.
638
00:24:23.684 --> 00:24:25.224
And so much of it, again,
639
00:24:25.224 --> 00:24:26.615
so I'll try and figure out
640
00:24:26.615 --> 00:24:27.548
if I can get there 10 minutes
641
00:24:27.548 --> 00:24:30.358
before then I'll try and find, oh, this spot,
642
00:24:30.358 --> 00:24:31.311
and just walk around,
643
00:24:31.311 --> 00:24:32.914
or turn around the corner
644
00:24:32.914 --> 00:24:34.762
and there's often somewhere a bit better
645
00:24:34.762 --> 00:24:37.698
than what I see first.
(woman laughing)
646
00:24:37.698 --> 00:24:39.180
In fact, the longer you spend on that,
647
00:24:39.180 --> 00:24:41.538
I find sometimes you can't do that,
648
00:24:41.538 --> 00:24:44.583
but if you have the luxury of time.
649
00:24:44.583 --> 00:24:46.684
And then the light, of course,
650
00:24:46.684 --> 00:24:49.201
you know, that's what photography's all about.
651
00:24:49.201 --> 00:24:50.294
Yeah.
652
00:24:50.294 --> 00:24:51.211
So, yeah,
653
00:24:53.206 --> 00:24:54.429
that's crucial,
654
00:24:54.429 --> 00:24:55.405
being aware of it
655
00:24:55.405 --> 00:24:56.798
and how it falls on your subject,
656
00:24:56.798 --> 00:24:58.965
or too harsh, or soft, or.
657
00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:04.110
Speaking about it all the time.
658
00:25:04.110 --> 00:25:05.203
And it annoys me,
659
00:25:05.203 --> 00:25:07.447
'cause everyone says, oh, we should do photos today.
660
00:25:07.447 --> 00:25:08.327
It's a sunny day.
661
00:25:08.327 --> 00:25:10.227
What? Oh, I hate sunny days.
662
00:25:10.227 --> 00:25:12.015
(woman laughing)
663
00:25:12.015 --> 00:25:13.676
In photography.
664
00:25:13.676 --> 00:25:14.843
Yeah.
665
00:25:15.994 --> 00:25:16.911
So, time,
666
00:25:18.041 --> 00:25:19.787
spending the time with the subject.
667
00:25:19.787 --> 00:25:22.568
So just always, if someone's interested,
668
00:25:22.568 --> 00:25:25.265
having a camera on you, I think.
669
00:25:25.265 --> 00:25:28.842
Like no use poking around and living your life
670
00:25:28.842 --> 00:25:30.664
and being interested in photography,
671
00:25:30.664 --> 00:25:32.922
then if you just always have it on you,
672
00:25:32.922 --> 00:25:34.201
then when you see that thing.
673
00:25:34.201 --> 00:25:36.692
I mean, people do that with mobile phones now.
674
00:25:36.692 --> 00:25:38.714
You can do it.
Yeah.
675
00:25:38.714 --> 00:25:39.972
Perfectly well.
676
00:25:39.972 --> 00:25:42.884
Just always going for it,
677
00:25:42.884 --> 00:25:44.269
taking it.
678
00:25:44.269 --> 00:25:45.219
Yeah.
679
00:25:45.219 --> 00:25:46.264
Cool.
680
00:25:46.264 --> 00:25:49.371
What about photographers or artists
681
00:25:49.371 --> 00:25:52.602
that you look up to, or that inspire you?
682
00:25:52.602 --> 00:25:53.516
Well, I think
683
00:25:53.516 --> 00:25:56.060
I'm a bit sort of old fashioned, traditionalist
684
00:25:56.060 --> 00:26:00.839
and I got motivated by some of the photographers
685
00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:02.552
like, Dorothea Lange.
686
00:26:02.552 --> 00:26:04.471
She was working in,
687
00:26:04.471 --> 00:26:08.196
she was sort of precursor to photojournalism,
688
00:26:08.196 --> 00:26:10.533
that beautiful sort of social documentary style
689
00:26:10.533 --> 00:26:12.481
of black and white photography,
690
00:26:12.481 --> 00:26:14.065
telling a story, you know?
691
00:26:14.065 --> 00:26:17.573
That beautiful photo, what's it called?
692
00:26:17.573 --> 00:26:18.500
"The Migrant Mother,"
693
00:26:18.500 --> 00:26:21.559
where she's just this worn out mother,
694
00:26:21.559 --> 00:26:22.725
black and white,
695
00:26:22.725 --> 00:26:25.048
and her face says everything
696
00:26:25.048 --> 00:26:27.800
you could write about the Great Depression book.
697
00:26:27.800 --> 00:26:28.823
Pages and pages,
698
00:26:28.823 --> 00:26:30.184
but you look at that photo
699
00:26:30.184 --> 00:26:32.630
and it sums up that woman's life
700
00:26:32.630 --> 00:26:34.552
and the challenges.
701
00:26:34.552 --> 00:26:38.809
And I just thought her work was incredibly beautiful,
702
00:26:38.809 --> 00:26:42.309
and so descriptive of that period of time.
703
00:26:44.466 --> 00:26:47.426
And then there was another photographer in the seventies,
704
00:26:47.426 --> 00:26:49.509
he was Sebastião Salgado.
705
00:26:50.577 --> 00:26:53.303
He was a Brazilian, he's still alive,
706
00:26:53.303 --> 00:26:54.711
Brazilian photographer.
707
00:26:54.711 --> 00:26:55.979
Did this very gritty,
708
00:26:55.979 --> 00:26:59.878
sort of human toil, like the gold fields,
709
00:26:59.878 --> 00:27:01.409
the gold mines in Brazil.
710
00:27:01.409 --> 00:27:03.231
I don't know if you're familiar with his work,
711
00:27:03.231 --> 00:27:04.903
but it's incredibly strong.
712
00:27:04.903 --> 00:27:07.755
I'll have to look it up.
713
00:27:07.755 --> 00:27:09.496
His work's amazing.
714
00:27:09.496 --> 00:27:11.087
He's published a lot of books
715
00:27:11.087 --> 00:27:12.670
and it's just very,
716
00:27:15.613 --> 00:27:18.747
instantly takes you into the subject of what's happening.
717
00:27:18.747 --> 00:27:20.030
So he, I was,
718
00:27:20.030 --> 00:27:21.680
you know, when I look at his work,
719
00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:23.465
I almost want to stop taking photos.
720
00:27:23.465 --> 00:27:25.723
(women laughing)
I think he's so good!
721
00:27:25.723 --> 00:27:27.730
I think, I could never!
722
00:27:27.730 --> 00:27:30.431
He inspires inspires me.
723
00:27:30.431 --> 00:27:32.783
And I think when I was photographing a lot of things
724
00:27:32.783 --> 00:27:34.507
like child labour in India,
725
00:27:34.507 --> 00:27:37.424
and child soldiers, there was that,
726
00:27:38.402 --> 00:27:40.263
you know, he was trying to use these images
727
00:27:40.263 --> 00:27:42.438
to talk about this human condition,
728
00:27:42.438 --> 00:27:45.274
and that's what, I guess, inspired me.
729
00:27:45.274 --> 00:27:46.107
And then of course,
730
00:27:46.107 --> 00:27:48.992
you know, the classic, Henri Cartier-Bresson,
731
00:27:48.992 --> 00:27:51.320
with his beautiful, decisive moments.
732
00:27:51.320 --> 00:27:52.754
Street photography,
733
00:27:52.754 --> 00:27:55.473
and just capture that moment.
734
00:27:55.473 --> 00:27:58.338
Yeah.
And so probably,
735
00:27:58.338 --> 00:28:00.045
oh, there's so many,
736
00:28:00.045 --> 00:28:04.527
but the current photographers now I really like are,
737
00:28:04.527 --> 00:28:06.891
actually they're all photojournalists,
738
00:28:06.891 --> 00:28:08.549
or ex-photojournalists.
739
00:28:08.549 --> 00:28:10.332
There's Kate Geraghty
740
00:28:10.332 --> 00:28:11.854
the female photographer,
741
00:28:11.854 --> 00:28:15.187
obviously, at the Sydney Morning Herald,
742
00:28:16.162 --> 00:28:18.245
who's won so many awards,
743
00:28:19.246 --> 00:28:21.802
and beautiful work in Syria,
744
00:28:21.802 --> 00:28:23.641
and the fires,
745
00:28:23.641 --> 00:28:26.224
and very sensitive storyteller,
746
00:28:27.205 --> 00:28:30.096
and I really admire her work.
747
00:28:30.096 --> 00:28:31.714
And Nick Moore,
748
00:28:31.714 --> 00:28:34.047
who does beautiful work too.
749
00:28:36.522 --> 00:28:38.320
Yeah, sometimes when I look at their work,
750
00:28:38.320 --> 00:28:40.735
I think I just have to stop for awhile.
751
00:28:40.735 --> 00:28:42.047
(women laughing)
752
00:28:42.047 --> 00:28:43.205
He sort of does that,
753
00:28:43.205 --> 00:28:45.064
he takes photos of what I'm interested in,
754
00:28:45.064 --> 00:28:49.012
the sort of environmental, weather type things
755
00:28:49.012 --> 00:28:50.595
really beautifully.
756
00:28:52.013 --> 00:28:55.013
Tamara Dean who's work is exquisite.
757
00:28:57.067 --> 00:28:59.150
Really, really beautiful,
758
00:29:01.364 --> 00:29:02.697
sort of sensual,
759
00:29:03.607 --> 00:29:07.641
all about the light and very evocative.
760
00:29:07.641 --> 00:29:11.403
With that series she's done called, "Endangered."
761
00:29:11.403 --> 00:29:13.736
We can maybe take a look at.
762
00:29:15.513 --> 00:29:16.692
Yeah, it's amazing.
763
00:29:16.692 --> 00:29:19.442
And she's in the Living Memory with you.
764
00:29:19.442 --> 00:29:20.322
Yeah!
765
00:29:20.322 --> 00:29:21.308
Yeah. That's what I mean,
766
00:29:21.308 --> 00:29:22.627
it's just such an honour.
767
00:29:22.627 --> 00:29:23.807
I would of just sort of loved
768
00:29:23.807 --> 00:29:25.435
to have met all these people.
769
00:29:25.435 --> 00:29:27.973
That's what I was most excited about.
770
00:29:27.973 --> 00:29:29.099
Yeah.
771
00:29:29.099 --> 00:29:30.394
Everyone's been the same.
772
00:29:30.394 --> 00:29:31.394
Everyone is,
773
00:29:32.251 --> 00:29:34.852
'cause we really sorta try and foster that connection
774
00:29:34.852 --> 00:29:36.396
with photographers,
775
00:29:36.396 --> 00:29:37.768
you know, we have the party
776
00:29:37.768 --> 00:29:38.938
and everyone has a chat
777
00:29:38.938 --> 00:29:41.077
and then has brekkie the next day.
778
00:29:41.077 --> 00:29:41.910
Yeah.
779
00:29:41.910 --> 00:29:43.592
And it's just talking shop really
780
00:29:43.592 --> 00:29:45.041
and making connections,
781
00:29:45.041 --> 00:29:47.620
and you know, some people meeting your heroes
782
00:29:47.620 --> 00:29:48.586
and other people,
783
00:29:48.586 --> 00:29:51.330
you know, people to mentor.
784
00:29:51.330 --> 00:29:52.663
It's incredible.
785
00:29:53.673 --> 00:29:55.998
Yeah, that's what I was most disappointed.
786
00:29:55.998 --> 00:29:57.656
'Cause you sort of,
787
00:29:57.656 --> 00:30:00.406
I think that when I was working in newspapers,
788
00:30:00.406 --> 00:30:02.100
you know, you have this big community
789
00:30:02.100 --> 00:30:04.147
that you're bouncing ideas off of,
790
00:30:04.147 --> 00:30:07.002
but as a freelancer it can be a bit,
791
00:30:07.002 --> 00:30:08.749
you know?
Yeah.
792
00:30:08.749 --> 00:30:09.809
You're not part of as much,
793
00:30:09.809 --> 00:30:12.281
so it would have been fantastic.
794
00:30:12.281 --> 00:30:13.114
Yeah.
795
00:30:13.114 --> 00:30:16.026
Hopefully we can still do something
796
00:30:16.026 --> 00:30:17.702
if the borders open.
797
00:30:17.702 --> 00:30:19.529
We just have to wait and see.
798
00:30:19.529 --> 00:30:22.441
In the hands of fate at the moment, unfortunately.
799
00:30:22.441 --> 00:30:24.492
Maybe a closing party.
800
00:30:24.492 --> 00:30:25.694
Yeah, well we're hoping that!
801
00:30:25.694 --> 00:30:27.698
To do like, a closing artist party,
802
00:30:27.698 --> 00:30:30.212
but we want to ensure that everyone can come
803
00:30:30.212 --> 00:30:31.409
like, you know,
804
00:30:31.409 --> 00:30:32.825
if Victoria is still in lockdown,
805
00:30:32.825 --> 00:30:35.851
or SA's still banning people from ACT.
806
00:30:35.851 --> 00:30:37.188
So we're really hoping.
807
00:30:37.188 --> 00:30:39.527
Otherwise we're just gonna have to have a big Zoom party,
808
00:30:39.527 --> 00:30:42.180
which will be messy I'm sure.
809
00:30:42.180 --> 00:30:43.855
(woman laughing)
That'll be challenging.
810
00:30:43.855 --> 00:30:44.688
Yeah.
811
00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:48.203
Can you remember the first photo you ever took?
812
00:30:48.203 --> 00:30:49.334
Do you have a conscious memory
813
00:30:49.334 --> 00:30:51.245
of the first photo you ever took?
814
00:30:51.245 --> 00:30:52.156
No!
815
00:30:52.156 --> 00:30:54.761
I don't. Actually, not the first photo.
816
00:30:54.761 --> 00:30:55.644
Or any photo,
817
00:30:55.644 --> 00:30:57.052
sort of back where you're like,
818
00:30:57.052 --> 00:30:59.969
oh, I like this, you know, this is.
819
00:31:01.007 --> 00:31:04.061
Yeah, there's some photos that have stood out
820
00:31:04.061 --> 00:31:05.663
to me that I liked.
821
00:31:05.663 --> 00:31:06.496
One was,
822
00:31:07.775 --> 00:31:10.740
so I was on assignment for the Fred Hollows Foundation
823
00:31:10.740 --> 00:31:14.040
photographing the sight restoration in the little village
824
00:31:14.040 --> 00:31:15.399
and I kept seeing these people
825
00:31:15.399 --> 00:31:18.399
that were like really incapacitated,
826
00:31:21.042 --> 00:31:22.292
and then I saw,
827
00:31:23.292 --> 00:31:25.630
I started talking to the people in the village
828
00:31:25.630 --> 00:31:28.047
and it was an area from where
829
00:31:30.534 --> 00:31:32.800
people who have been affected by Agent Orange.
830
00:31:32.800 --> 00:31:34.555
It was like second and third generation
831
00:31:34.555 --> 00:31:37.697
and they just simply concentrated in that area.
832
00:31:37.697 --> 00:31:41.530
And so I sort of went off tandem a little bit.
833
00:31:42.607 --> 00:31:44.332
I was still doing the Fred Hollows work
834
00:31:44.332 --> 00:31:47.138
that I went in to this village
835
00:31:47.138 --> 00:31:49.334
and I asked somebody if I could photograph.
836
00:31:49.334 --> 00:31:51.500
There was a man who needs about 30
837
00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:53.951
in planting, basically.
838
00:31:53.951 --> 00:31:57.158
And that's where he completely twisted
839
00:31:57.158 --> 00:31:58.386
and his body didn't work,
840
00:31:58.386 --> 00:32:01.469
and his mother was looking after him,
841
00:32:02.839 --> 00:32:06.183
and it just kind of encapsulated to me
842
00:32:06.183 --> 00:32:08.541
the horror of what had happened.
843
00:32:08.541 --> 00:32:09.610
And then when I came back,
844
00:32:09.610 --> 00:32:12.637
I showed The Age and they ran it on the cover
845
00:32:12.637 --> 00:32:14.018
with a big story about,
846
00:32:14.018 --> 00:32:15.932
you know, Vietnam, 30 years on.
847
00:32:15.932 --> 00:32:20.252
This kind of hidden thing that was happening.
848
00:32:20.252 --> 00:32:23.355
And yeah, so that one to me,
849
00:32:23.355 --> 00:32:26.796
I felt like I was telling a story
850
00:32:26.796 --> 00:32:29.239
and people hopefully think about it
851
00:32:29.239 --> 00:32:31.183
through viewing that image.
852
00:32:31.183 --> 00:32:33.232
That one in particular
853
00:32:33.232 --> 00:32:38.232
felt like I did what I tried to do through my photography.
854
00:32:38.404 --> 00:32:40.097
And then another one I love,
855
00:32:40.097 --> 00:32:41.765
just 'cause it was a funny moment,
856
00:32:41.765 --> 00:32:43.598
was with World Vision.
857
00:32:45.212 --> 00:32:46.578
I was a little bit concerned
858
00:32:46.578 --> 00:32:49.147
about the sort of photos I had to take sometimes for them,
859
00:32:49.147 --> 00:32:52.248
and so one day we were in some incredibly poor place
860
00:32:52.248 --> 00:32:53.939
and all the kids were running around
861
00:32:53.939 --> 00:32:57.996
with one shoe or shoes with holes in them,
862
00:32:57.996 --> 00:33:01.089
and so I started photographing their shoes
863
00:33:01.089 --> 00:33:04.957
and their feet that had toes poking out everywhere
864
00:33:04.957 --> 00:33:06.919
and they all thought that was hilarious.
865
00:33:06.919 --> 00:33:08.723
(women laughing)
866
00:33:08.723 --> 00:33:11.492
To me that just sort of summed up.
867
00:33:11.492 --> 00:33:12.481
I just loved the photo.
868
00:33:12.481 --> 00:33:13.708
It was just nice.
869
00:33:13.708 --> 00:33:15.609
Yeah.
That's life and everything.
870
00:33:15.609 --> 00:33:16.967
So, yeah.
871
00:33:16.967 --> 00:33:19.116
Yeah. And I don't know,
872
00:33:19.116 --> 00:33:21.087
there was one from the pandemic
873
00:33:21.087 --> 00:33:25.087
of a young mother being swabbed for a COVID test
874
00:33:26.033 --> 00:33:27.950
and she'd lost her job.
875
00:33:28.923 --> 00:33:31.844
Her husband had lost a job and,
876
00:33:31.844 --> 00:33:33.684
you know, things were really bad,
877
00:33:33.684 --> 00:33:35.976
and this little girl was just looking up at her
878
00:33:35.976 --> 00:33:37.889
and something about that child's face
879
00:33:37.889 --> 00:33:40.556
of this strange world, you know?
880
00:33:41.578 --> 00:33:43.971
To me captured what was going on.
881
00:33:43.971 --> 00:33:45.199
Yeah.
882
00:33:45.199 --> 00:33:46.632
So, yeah.
883
00:33:46.632 --> 00:33:49.226
Yeah, there's been lots of photos of different things.
884
00:33:49.226 --> 00:33:51.497
One of my sons playing the violin.
885
00:33:51.497 --> 00:33:53.453
Yeah.
(woman chuckling)
886
00:33:53.453 --> 00:33:55.209
What about a dream subject?
887
00:33:55.209 --> 00:33:57.958
If you could get anyone behind your camera?
888
00:33:57.958 --> 00:33:59.048
Oh,
889
00:33:59.048 --> 00:34:02.353
you know, I like the ordinary, everyday people.
890
00:34:02.353 --> 00:34:04.748
Just the people that are so humble
891
00:34:04.748 --> 00:34:07.161
doing incredible things.
892
00:34:07.161 --> 00:34:10.666
Like, part of this "Stories Of The Storm" series
893
00:34:10.666 --> 00:34:12.045
I'm doing at the moment,
894
00:34:12.045 --> 00:34:14.411
the head of the aged care centre.
895
00:34:14.411 --> 00:34:16.531
All the roads were blocked in White Town
896
00:34:16.531 --> 00:34:17.850
'cause we had this terrible storm
897
00:34:17.850 --> 00:34:19.286
and we had to,
898
00:34:19.286 --> 00:34:20.953
you couldn't drive it in,
899
00:34:20.953 --> 00:34:22.823
or ambulances couldn't get in.
900
00:34:22.823 --> 00:34:23.758
Nobody could get in,
901
00:34:23.758 --> 00:34:25.608
but he wanted to get to his patients.
902
00:34:25.608 --> 00:34:29.515
And so he carried his bicycle over the through road,
903
00:34:29.515 --> 00:34:31.690
over all these piles of logs,
904
00:34:31.690 --> 00:34:32.576
and through and under,
905
00:34:32.576 --> 00:34:35.147
and just did this incredible thing.
906
00:34:35.147 --> 00:34:37.752
And he didn't really want me to take his photo
907
00:34:37.752 --> 00:34:40.252
and spend a lot of time talking to him,
908
00:34:40.252 --> 00:34:42.599
telling him I said that was important.
909
00:34:42.599 --> 00:34:43.599
(women chuckling)
910
00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:45.957
And then we went out to the logs with his bicycle,
911
00:34:45.957 --> 00:34:48.650
and yeah, people like that.
912
00:34:48.650 --> 00:34:50.639
I just find it amazing.
913
00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:53.465
It's such an honour, you know?
914
00:34:53.465 --> 00:34:55.361
Yeah, people sharing a bit of themselves
915
00:34:55.361 --> 00:34:56.749
with you, right?
916
00:34:56.749 --> 00:34:57.920
Yeah, yeah.
917
00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:00.613
Trying to capture what it is they are,
918
00:35:00.613 --> 00:35:02.707
or what they've done.
919
00:35:02.707 --> 00:35:05.506
You feel very privileged to do that,
920
00:35:05.506 --> 00:35:06.642
or I do anyway.
921
00:35:06.642 --> 00:35:07.508
But I also get nervous
922
00:35:07.508 --> 00:35:10.232
because I like I've got to do this properly.
923
00:35:10.232 --> 00:35:12.982
(women laughing)
924
00:35:14.952 --> 00:35:15.869
Yeah. Yeah.
925
00:35:17.303 --> 00:35:18.530
What about any shout outs
926
00:35:18.530 --> 00:35:19.697
or thank yous?
927
00:35:20.770 --> 00:35:22.012
To?
928
00:35:22.012 --> 00:35:23.049
Anyone in general,
929
00:35:23.049 --> 00:35:24.848
like you were working on a grant, you said,
930
00:35:24.848 --> 00:35:26.151
I guess that's one to start,
931
00:35:26.151 --> 00:35:27.933
or your subjects, or fam,
932
00:35:27.933 --> 00:35:28.989
whoever you want.
933
00:35:28.989 --> 00:35:33.612
Oh, everybody for funding me to do the work.
934
00:35:33.612 --> 00:35:37.871
Everyone for allowing me to take their photos.
935
00:35:37.871 --> 00:35:38.954
Yeah. I mean,
936
00:35:39.866 --> 00:35:43.533
people like the gallery putting the work up,
937
00:35:44.704 --> 00:35:46.879
or Ballarat Photo Biannual
938
00:35:46.879 --> 00:35:48.336
is showing some stuff too,
939
00:35:48.336 --> 00:35:50.469
and it's just, yeah.
940
00:35:50.469 --> 00:35:52.071
Yeah, my kids for putting up with me
941
00:35:52.071 --> 00:35:54.064
when I come home.
(woman laughing)
942
00:35:54.064 --> 00:35:56.669
Tired from taking photos of them.
943
00:35:56.669 --> 00:35:59.186
That's very good.
Yeah, yeah.
944
00:35:59.186 --> 00:36:00.019
Yeah.
All right.
945
00:36:00.019 --> 00:36:01.016
Last one is,
946
00:36:01.016 --> 00:36:03.602
what would be your parting words of wisdom?
947
00:36:03.602 --> 00:36:05.412
Sandy's parting words of wisdom,
948
00:36:05.412 --> 00:36:06.552
can be about art,
949
00:36:06.552 --> 00:36:07.779
life,
950
00:36:07.779 --> 00:36:09.170
whatever you want.
951
00:36:09.170 --> 00:36:10.503
Oh.
Any gems.
952
00:36:11.620 --> 00:36:13.086
That's a tough one.
953
00:36:13.086 --> 00:36:14.194
(woman chuckling)
You've been
954
00:36:14.194 --> 00:36:17.015
pretty amazing the whole interview, so.
955
00:36:17.015 --> 00:36:19.182
Parting words of wisdom.
956
00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:23.907
Just live every day.
957
00:36:23.907 --> 00:36:26.341
Every day is so special, you know?
958
00:36:26.341 --> 00:36:28.622
And this pandemic has taught us
959
00:36:28.622 --> 00:36:30.352
all those things we take for granted,
960
00:36:30.352 --> 00:36:33.022
all those just ordinary moments
961
00:36:33.022 --> 00:36:35.722
of being with family, and community, and friends,
962
00:36:35.722 --> 00:36:37.550
and, you know,
963
00:36:37.550 --> 00:36:39.300
cherish those moments
964
00:36:40.176 --> 00:36:44.955
because that's what life's all about really, to me.
965
00:36:44.955 --> 00:36:48.396
And sometimes I think we just take it all for granted,
966
00:36:48.396 --> 00:36:50.266
and if anything comes out of this pandemic,
967
00:36:50.266 --> 00:36:53.086
I think it'll be to make us realise
968
00:36:53.086 --> 00:36:54.516
that those simple things
969
00:36:54.516 --> 00:36:56.562
are often the most important.
970
00:36:56.562 --> 00:36:57.552
To me anyway.
Yeah,
971
00:36:57.552 --> 00:36:58.928
life is fleeting, right?
972
00:36:58.928 --> 00:37:00.078
Yeah. Yeah.
973
00:37:00.078 --> 00:37:01.428
Just those human connections,
974
00:37:01.428 --> 00:37:02.748
those,
975
00:37:02.748 --> 00:37:04.359
the way we are to each other,
976
00:37:04.359 --> 00:37:07.891
and we've got to stop stressing about the little things
977
00:37:07.891 --> 00:37:10.339
so much.
(woman laughing)
978
00:37:10.339 --> 00:37:13.006
Easier said than done of course.