I am a professional photographer specializing in portraiture and commercial photography. I love all aspects of photography, of chasing beautiful light, spectacular moments, and those intricate details that mesmerize us all. I love grabbing my cameras and the rest of my gear and setting off for photo-shoots. I thrive on these opportunities of meeting new and interesting people. The images I capture
although they tell the story of my clients, it is through my eyes and my interpretation - the inner artist. It may sound cliché but photography has really opened up a new world for me. I lived much of my life in Italy in the little town of Poggibonsi between Siena and Florence surrounded by the beautiful hills of the Chianti region. I was an artist who had studied at the state Institute of Art in Siena, specializing in painting but also sculpture, pottery, print, and unforgettably, the developing of black-and-white photographs in the darkroom. When I reflect on my life I have always been surrounded by beautiful landscapes and art. The fields of poppies and sunflowers; the golden of wheat; the twisted country lanes; the cobblestone streets; the olive trees and those endless vineyards were marvelous inspiration for my paintings and photographs. And yet in 2007 I moved to a foreign land for love…to the beautiful shores of Australia. After my daughter Megan was born, like so many mums trying to find a piece of their former self in those early years of motherhood where time for yourself is almost non-existent, I yearned for some creative outlet. Picking up a paint brush and losing myself in a painting was not going to be an option, but photography I could see as a possibility in this busy yet precious time. With this in mind I had my mum post over my old Yashica SLR camera and, once here, I finished the roll that had been tucked inside it for years. It was a double delight to discover when I developed the film, not only did I have images of my beautiful blue-eyed baby girl, but also those of Tuscan fields carpeted in sunflowers that I so dearly missed. Needless to say one thing often leads to another and that same year I was introduced to my first digital SLR and discovered the world of pixels. My thirst for photographic knowledge and what opportunities I could draw on from other professionals in the industry took my work in many leaps and bounds and exciting directions from weddings, maternity and family photos, to proms, commercial work and even photojournalism. Yet there has always been an undeniable nostalgia for film photography. The film captures portraits in a way that is hard to match with digital photography and from this adoration of film photography I have been thrown back into the life of an emerging artist again. It’s funny how life goes about in circles and so in recent years I’ve found myself in my dark room developing my images on film taken on vintage cameras. My hobby of collecting vintage cameras and photographing and developing the film has resulted in my projects A Life Behind (2013) and Foreign Land (2015). These projects have been exhibited in the Bundaberg and Brisbane regions and the images of the latter project are now in a published book of which I’m very proud. At the same time I also feel very blessed for these opportunities and the humbling experience of meeting, listening to the stories of, and photographing all the people portrayed in my projects. It’s hard looking back to believe the journey that I have taken thus far with photography and I’m truly excited about the adventure and possibilities that lie ahead. I look forward to continuing capturing and sharing those special moments in people’s lives and meeting with new and old clients. Till our paths cross
Sabrina x
