During the past 30 years or so, I have had my photos sell for many uses such as: calendars, books, marketing campaigns, TV (such as on Australia Day), billboards, coasters, souvenirs, postcards, corporate, hotels etc. Highlights for me are occasions such as a number of my Sydney photos were used for the printed submission from the Australian Olympic Committee given to the IOC, for what became the successful bid for the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics games. Additionally, with any of my fine-art photos that adorn walls, everyday they are selling the beauty of this planet we call home, and at a conscious or even a sub-conscious level, that can’t be a bad thing.
I have won some awards in the past, such as the gold award for poster prints printed in Australia in 1999. I did win some photography competitions from around this period as well, resulting in camera equipment etc. These days however, it is more than enough just to see people enjoy my work. Doesn’t have to mean a purchase, but simply more about showing me that we can still very much connect with nature.
Regarding my photos, authenticity is the key. I do not manipulate images on the computer, in respect to turning a bad photo into something better. For me, I want the camera doing most of the work, and then the photo editing software then to be used if need be to simply clean up the image, or indeed change something like coverting a colour photo into black & white.
For me, real content is my photographic journey. I have spoken with photographers that have proudly told me how they have with their own photography done things like pasting in amazing clouds from a previous photo, into another. For me, this is going too far. I do use camera techniques like long exposure times to show water or cloud movement, but at least the water or cloud are there to start with. Also, with several full moon photos, I have used a double exposure technique on the night (or very early morning), to put in a darker looking full moon, as typically the full moon is just too bright to start with. The moon is however, from that same shoot.
I love previsualising for when the light will be at it’s best for a particular composition in mind. The weather of course can be very frustrating, but that’s part of the amazing journey of photography. A lot of patience can go a long way towards finding something special in a photo. It’s like waiting for all the different elements to combine. With hard work and patience, I very much connect to those occasional winners that represent a truly magic moment in time.
Going forward regarding new photography – well it’s more of the same. People love and connect with photos that have authenticity and mood. I also have some different genres of photos in mind – so will pursue these as well.
Lastly, I love my job! Yes, it’s hard work to get the occasional good image, but the passion is always there to at least try. I’m working with and around the world’s most beautiful woman ‘Mother Nature’, and regardless of photographic results, I cherish every moment. It’s a privilege to do what I do.
Jonathan
