About Vicki

This is really long......

It all started when I was about 8. My Dad had a darkroom under the stairs in our two story house. It was small, cramped, dark and smelt of photographic chemicals. But the magic that came out of that darkroom was amazing.

I used to sit beside him and watch. Within seconds I was intrigued, within minutes I was in awe and in hours I was captivated.

Images stared back at me from watery developing trays revealing themselves more clearly every second. I would watch one, then another, and with everyone my enchantment grew.

It was right then and there that I decided that “I want to do that”, I want to be a photographer.

However I more than tripled in age before the opportunity to really chase this dream arose.

When I first started photographing seriously I used to take photos of landscapes. I was experimenting with light, shape and space. I would often rise at 4.30am to capture the perfect sunrise, and then, at 5pm go scouting again for a great vantage point to record yet again another stunning sunset.

I was lucky enough to travel around America, Canada, Mexico and Hawaii honing my skills on many and varied landscapes. I am sure my traveling companions used to rue my alarm going off at such unknown hours of the morning! Especially if they hadn't long crawled into bed after a night out!

Gradually as my understanding of photography improved I began to see beyond the light, the shape and the space and began to see the intangible.....the inner light and allure in people.

As I traveled, every day I would 'load' my camera with film (yes, this was the pre-digital era!), attach my lens with a 'bayonet' mount, then set off on the hunt for some poor victims to 'shoot' and 'capture'. God help anyone who was in my sights.

I was taking 'nice' photos but they lacked something. I soon realised that they weren't the intimate sort of photographs that I was after.

I have learned that you need to take the time getting to know a particular someone in order to create a picture truly unique. You are in effect photographing more than just the texture of their skin, more than just the light falling on their face, you are photographing your relationship with that person.

Making a good portrait means taking pictures that say as much about you as they do the sitter.

People often ask me about how to take great people photos. The best advice I can give it to just have fun, especially with children. Children are so creative, they make up a story before you eyes, all you need to do is be there to capture it. I find my favourite pictures are often the ones when I am just hanging out having fun.

When I first started out in my photography career, which was not all that long ago, I was so afraid that I would fail!

I remember photographing my first wedding, the first assignment that I have ever accepted where there was going to be no chance of a re do if it all went pear shaped!

The day was perfect, the bride beautiful and the location stunning. I kept telling myself if I couldn't nail this then I shouldn't be a photographer. .....

At the end of my shooting I went back to the reception and enjoyed a champagne, well, photography is thirsty work, then I went home and downloaded the images.......

I was giddy with delight when I saw not only had they turned out, but they actually turned out well!!

“I was a real photographer”!

Every assignment has it's challenges and I continue to learn a great deal about photography and life, as I work my way through them.

Before shooting the very first shot for the Yamba Uncovered Calender I lay awake all night praying for rain and wondering what have I got myself into???

The day dawned bright and sunny, with not a cloud insight. With a lady in her underwear at Turners Beach at 6 am in the morning, this was not the time to get a creative block! The photo shoot went off fine and we all had a great time with a lot of giggles. I still wonder if the council workers have ever arrived to clean the toilets to such an amazing sight again!

The inspiration for my work comes from photographers from all over the world and from all walks of life. There is some work out there that is really amazing. I follow a lot of photographers 'blogs' which are like online journals of ideas and inspiration. Of course I have the standard big name influences, however I find that more than anything, I just love spending my down time surfing the around and looking at all the talented stuff going on out there in cyberspace.

My photography has introduced to me to people I would have never met otherwise. Tanis Parkin in Maclean, a lady who grows naturally coloured cotton graced the cover of Grassroots magazine with one of my photographs a short while back. I must say it was very exciting to get your first cover of a national magazine! This has lead to one of my photographs being painted by a well regarded artist in Cowra for his series on Aussie Battlers.

There are the ladies who allow me the honour of photographing their tiny newborns and the glowing women who entrust me to take their photographs in the final stages of their pregnancies. None of these people are professional models, but all of them end up looking like they should grace the pages of glossy magazines.

And not to mention the courageous and beautiful nudes, who, without hesitation, or maybe a little bit of hesitation, are prepared to share such a unique beauty with the me.

I want my photographs to reflect a positive light, something that others find inspiring and beautiful. I want my photos to define the spirit of the person who is in front of my lens.

My people photos for me are the most rewarding aspect of photography. I do still get a buzz out of taking a stunning landscape shot, but when you make a great connection with someone the photos turn out extraordinary and meaningful. It reminds me that what I do, what I am passionate about and what I love is important.

When I look through my photographs I see more than just the places I've been and the people I've met. I see my place and my purpose in this great jigsaw of life.

So I guess it is fair to say that if being a photographer has taught me anything it is that no matter how scared or how overwhelmed you are, you just have to burst out and be the person you were always meant to be!