"My
grandfather was a photographer" says Beau, but being brought up in the harshness
of the Australian Bush, and a lifetime of poverty, meant that most of his
equipment was hand made, painstakingly over months, and his decision to actually
capture an image was hindered by the cost of the film, rather than his ability
to see the beauty of an image.
However, he saw photography as a factual recording instrument,
and not as an artists tool, although oddly enough, he was a painter, and created
some wonderful images in oils. He wanted to be a 'purist' photographer, but
struggled financially and was never able to have the right equipment. I have
some remnants of his darkrooms and studios, and they were nearly all items,
refashioned from the local tip, to make equipment.
So the real thing that he left me was this legacy - a single
statement.
"Don't bother pressing the shutter,
until you can't see the image, because of the tears in your eyes."
My father took over the old studio, added some money and went
into partnership with a couple of well known photographers, Athol Shmith and
John Cato. As a photographer, my father was a technician - intent, like his
father on the science, the logic and the accuracy of his technical knowledge.
He came from a time of rigid rules and fear of change, so he was always the one
to photograph the workings of a watch, but rarely the one to photograph people.
The late Athol Shmith left an image to me, a single 16 x 20 print of Sir
Laurence Olivier, one of two in existence, because Athol would only ever print
two, and then destroy the negative to maintain the value of the print.
Along came colour.... my father resisted the change as
dramatically as he could - for a long time he refused to believe it was actually
happening - and when it was obvious, he put his camera down - never to pick it
up again. I vowed to accept change.
I had spent boyhood years in my grandfather's darkrooms, and
later, in my youth making pocket money churning out prints in my father's
darkroom - but cameras were things I had been rarely allowed to touch.
I got my first 'real' job in a studio that was experimenting
with colour, and although I was still officially only the darkroom assistant, I
was able to setup lighting and go out on the country runs in a huge removalist's
van that was part sleeping quarters, part darkroom and part studio; to
photograph whole townships of people. As was the fashion at the time (and
because of available film speed and lack of portable lights) most of the
portraits were done "In studio" and of course that was the real advantage of the
van. We then processed film and printed in the mobile darkroom, slept overnight
in the van and emerged in the morning to sell the prints to the townspeople
before heading off to the next stop.
Hot lights and reflectors, huge cast iron and wooden stands,
and enough electricity to power the Queen Mary and we were under way. No flash
lights, rarely colour, and fewer and fewer orders. The hand held 35mm cameras
were making their impact. Peter Fox Studios quietly slid away to be taken over
by Milverson's Camera Stores. This at least gave me the opportunity to buy into
the newly emerging 35mm SLR market at wholesale prices.
Counter hopping at Peter Fox, selling film to the people that
were putting me out of work didn't really appeal. But I was asked to join the
technical crew at Wagner's Industrial Photographic's by the late, great Ern
Wagner.
Learning about the top quality Lab and Studio Equipment
allowed me the opportunity of visiting the best photographers and colour labs in
the country and to be able to work on a variety of trouble shooting techniques
to assist them to produce images more efficiently. The knowledge gained was
invaluable and eventually gave me the opportunity to do a number of cadetships.
One was at Durst (High Speed Lab Equipment) in Italy, and the other was at Rodenstock (Large Format Lenses) in Germany.
This opened my eyes to the world - my first overseas trips and
a whole world that my camera needed to capture. I bought Hasselblad cameras and
started selling my images to magazines. On my return to Australia a year later,
Wagner's were in financial difficulties, and I took another offer to move to
Mark's Industrial Photographics, a move that saw the end of my Sales career.
I maintained the 'day job' while acting in local theatre
productions at night, and then working on underground films while I attempted to
finish a university course. I also gained extra work in legitimate film, and did
many short appearances in the local TV productions; Carson's Law, Prisoner, A
Country Practice, Neighbours etc...
I looked at the movie industry, and made a number of training
films, and a documentary for VicTour. But I found out, I don't have the
attention span to get a feature film in the can... so back to work!
A client called in and asked for some Lab work to be done
(which had never been performed at Mark's) and so I referred him to the nearby
LaTrobe Colour Lab. The client returned and said that it would be too long a
delay - was there anywhere else - he needed 36 - 8x10 Black and White prints -
from slides. A multi stage process. I conferred with my superiors and then
agreed to do the job as a 'foreigner'. Backyarding to assist the client.
The prints were on his desk the following morning at LaTrobe's
5 day pricing, and the client was very pleased.
He then handed me 30 rolls of film and asked me to process
them and to perform similar work at the same price. But he wanted 30 - 8x10
prints of each usable slide. Approximately 32,500 prints!!!! Within ten days
all prints were delivered and paid for. I had a business.
I was then commissioned by the same person to go around
Australia taking photographs of all the "Hairdressing Shows". This meant some
almost candid photography in the low light of runways, as well as shots in a
mini studio that I set up to capture each style as it was finished. These shots
were used in books as training material for apprentices, and some of
them were purchased by the large hair-care companies for salon displays.
I was subsequently hired by many of the hairdressers to
produce in-store folios, and display posters.
While many of the hairdressing models were friends of the
hairdressers, many were also supplied by the legitimate modelling agencies.
Some of these shots went into their portfolios, and I was then commissioned by
the modelling agencies to supply portfolios for their models.
A fill in job came up for a clothing supplier, I was to supply
the models and fell back onto my contacts through the agencies. The shots were
great - better than I expected, and the client's designs were taken up by Myer.
Although the client had paid extra for models - (he originally wanted me to use
his nieces) he could see the value in the professionalism of the models that I
supplied.
Following up on my win at the PhotoKina
Exhibition in Germany, Myer offered me a second camera position with them - the fall
back guy in case their normal photographer didn't show. For two months, the
phone didn't ring... and then - their chief photographer was having marriage
problems and had become unreliable. I scored the job.
Seven million negatives later, I was a fairly qualified
fashion photographer. I had done the odd wedding - one model or another would
decide to tie the knot, and had shot many magazines and other fashion layouts as
well as countless jewellery, and accessory Ads. I had the opportunity of working
along side film crews and video crews, art directors and directors etc...
travelling around the world and meeting a wide variety of people. Mostly in the
High Fashion and Consumer Fashion area, but some Avante Garde and Glamour work
as well.
For 14 years I kept up this mad pace, chasing deadlines and
travelling. A very exciting world, shots by the Eiffel Tower, a runway show in
Madrid, a studio shoot in Rome and back to Melbourne to shoot Nightclubs for the
local singles magazine, before racing off to a Rally to take photographs on a
hairpin bend or a hairdressing show at "Leonda".
I met my partner when she walked in the studio door with a
cardboard box full of fashion wear (naughty nickers to be precise!) She needed
to have them photographed - for a catalogue. I organised the models, she
organised the wardrobe, and within two weeks she was working with me full time.
Four years later we decided to start a family, and realising
the possible dangers of having a partner nine months pregnant, and me arriving
home two hours late from a Glamour shoot, I retired from Fashion Photography and
concentrated on Product, Landscapes and Architecture while I also started an IT
business. Both were enormously successful, photographs ending up in National
Geographic and others, while the IT business seemed to take on a life of its
own, but there was always a background desire to complete the Glamour
Photographic chapter of my life.
I continued on with both businesses for 15 years, before
having the opportunity of selling out the IT business to a US based
Multi-National. I had filled some time with property investment and that has
been a major part of my financial strategy.
Those two investments gave me the finances to decide exactly
what I wanted to do, and having split with my partner along the way, and having
children now old enough to encourage my work, there was no feeling of
restriction.
So this time round, the driving force is the image that I want
to capture, not what my client wants. If they coincide, then I have a client, if
they don't - then no client and I take the shots I wish to anyway. The aim is
simply to enjoy the experience, achieve beauty and hopefully give some people a
kick start... if they want to listen.
These days, I am travelling a fair amount - but taking people
that want to learn on the journey. Sometimes other photographers, sometimes
aspiring models - sometimes both. I found out - there's no fun without sharing.
Oh - and the name "Beau".....???
When I was little - maybe 6 or 7, I read a book, and acted the character out
(perhaps for too many years).
There were so many kid's at my school with the same name - and so when I was
playing at home, I apparently said, "Don't call me anything else - I'm Beau!"
and it stuck. The book - "Beau Geste". Smile if you've read it.....!
Perhaps I have done my apprenticeship,
but... perhaps that's all we ever do....
But now I can achieve the twin aims I have been striving for -
'A moment in time' and 'a
point of view'.
And when it boils down to it... that's all we ever have
anyway.
