Photography Studies College - Blog

PSC Alumni Ivan Kemp is about to launch his first solo exhibition. Ivan transitioned his career from IT Software to photography. It was his love of portrait photography and music that led him to this exciting project.
We caught up with Ivan to ask about his exhibition, his journey and to share some of his valuable music photography tips!

'Cutting the Chord - The Exhibition is an intimate exploration of Melbourne’s vibrant, dynamic, live music scene and is part of the Midsumma Festival. The images were taken over the last 18 months and capture moments in performance that cross genre, gender and venues.

Normally in an exhibition, photographs have the same colour palette to create uniformity. The images in this exhibition are anything but uniform. They are created to reflect the character of the performer, gig and the venue. Hence, black and white images and different colour palettes are used to highlight the diversity. Some of the musicians are well known but others are just starting their musical careers. All of them play to please their audience and to create their own style of music.' 

How did the opportunity to exhibit at the Midsumma Festival come about?

Last year, through a contact I was asked if I wanted the opportunity to photograph publicity shots for the production of Antigone X which was part of the Midsumma Festival 2018. I photographed the cast using the studios at PSC. This was followed up by photographs of the dress rehearsal. This was a great experience and introduced me to other opportunities since that event.

This year I took publicity photographs for Aidan Rolfe (singer / songwriter and guitarist) who has a show Kado Warehouse in Cremorne. After discussions with Aidan and Matthew Grant (owner of Kado Warehouse) we decided to combine a photography exhibition built around live musical performance around Melbourne with Aidan’s performance.

"The most rewarding moment at PSC was probably when I realised that my work could contribute to something bigger than just making an image.
It could tell a story, create emotion and feeling."

PSC Alumni, Teagan Glenane shares how she turned her creativity into a career.

 What inspired you to study photography?

Since I can remember I loved making things, and all things creative bought me so much joy. I love art, magazines, books, movies, all things visual, but it turned out I was actually pretty crap at painting and drawing. My studio arts teacher in year 11 took the paints away and lent me an old film camera instead. The first photos I took were pretty crappy, but they felt good to make. Watching those images form from nothing but light and chemicals in front of my eyes, was magic. 

"I wanted recognition. Proof that I could be a photographer. A degree gives you that and it also opens doors in the future. It could be the one deciding factor to getting a job."

Did you have a career change? If so, what were you doing prior to photography?  

Yes, it was a career change. But not a massive leap from what I have already done in the past. I’ve always been a creative. I’m a qualified graphic designer and I’ve made a living through photography and video in the past. Before going to PSC I was 50% owner of a design agency with 15 staff and a studio in Southbank. But the bigger the company grew the less happy I became. I wasn’t creating anymore. I was managing mundane issues, dealing with finances and fixing IT problems. So, I sold my shares to my business partner and went travelling. I took my family back to my homeland in Wales, and we spent 6 weeks hiking mountains and trying to rekindle my grasp of the Welsh language. 

"Photography nourishes your soul. That’s essentially what it has done for me. You can’t place a monetary value on your creative soul. I am so glad to see Melbourne grow as a creative hub and really happy to be on my creative journey at PSC."

"Every day I get up and do something I love which is pretty amazing."

Sean McDonald decided to study photography part time just to learn the basics. 10 years on he now runs a rocking portrait /wedding/commercial /documentary photography business in Melbourne ! 

Did you have a career change? If so what were you doing prior to photography?

Sure did! I went from working in a marketing team at a big corporate company, doing 10 hour days while sitting at the same desk every day. Now I work all sorts of strange hours but it’s for myself and I love it. Very different lifestyle! 

"The sense of community is just awesome. Everyone knows everyone and they are all really supportive and encouraging. It’s unlike anything I've ever experienced elsewhere"

We sat down with Final Year Bachelor student Kaitlyn Church, to ask her why she chose to study Photography over Law?

Was photography the only thing you were considering to study? Or did you have other things in mind?

It was a toss up between law and photography for me. Although I'm still very interested in law and politics, I decided to follow my passion for photography. I don’t regret my decision, I think it’s the best decision I’ve made.

What made you decide to choose photography?

 For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed taking photos. I used to always ‘borrow' my Dad's cameras. It was just something I always did. When I was in high school I used photography as a means of relaxation. But in my later years of high school I became  more and more passionate about the medium. I don’t remember exactly what the reason was that made me change from Law to Photography . But I’m glad I did.

We caught up with  final year BA student, Sally Kaack in between preparing for her final folio and getting the wheels in motion for the end of year graduate year exhibition, "INLIGHT" scheduled for November! We asked Sally a few questions about her journey to date.

Since graduating from Photography Studies College in 2005 Tom’s career has spanned art, portraiture, documentary and commercial projects. In 2014 Tom founded The Fox Darkroom to share his love for film photography and darkroom printing. Rather than focusing on nostalgia or trends, Tom’s practice explores the relevance of traditional processes in the contemporary landscape of photography. In 2016 Fox was extended to include a gallery which has become an outpost for photographers and the broader public to engage with photographic works. 

PSC is proud to present Leigh Henningham, former Pictorial Editor for The Age newspaper. Leigh has worked as a professional photographer  in and around Melbourne for over 30 years. From 1978 in the darkroom at the Melbourne Herald to then more recently the Age (as Pictorial Editor) and now as  a  freelancer. Over that period he has photographed  Melbourne, its seasons, characters, and changing  landscape, while riding the changes in technology.  See his photos and hear  some of his experiences about how photography has also changed so much over that  time.