I’ve been visiting the suburb of Cremorne in Melbourne over several years for a project documenting the suburb's rapid rate of change. Many of my projects are long term ranging from weeks, months and even decades.
Reviewing my current photographic collection for the Cremorne project I have amassed in excess of 20,000 photographs and countless visits (this number only includes those keyworded with “Cremorne” and doesn’t include files I’ve yet to keyword!) Repeatedly exploring a given location forms part of my creative process. How the light changes throughout the day and seasons means the opportunities to create photography are constantly variable. Mix this with a suburb under immense change due to redevelopment, Cremorne provides a rich playground for documentary photography.
All these visits and photographs got me thinking as to why I go back again and again. I remember once when I was out photographing in Launceston for my Tasmanian Art Deco and Modernism project a passerby struck up a conversation with me and jokingly said haven't you got everything already, mentioning this as I had said I had been shooting the project for over two decades.
For me I think it’s about the chase for perfection. The irony is there can never be perfect, but how the light shapes the built environment plays a pivotal role in how I make images that I’m happy with. The time of day and/or season are central in keeping me coming back again and again in the pursuit of finding the “best” conditions to represent my vision. I guess having an archive of photographs of the same scene allows me to look back and choose a particular mood I’m after, or think about how a series of photographs will work as a series side by side to tell the story of this suburb's dramatic change.
Here I share a few photos explaining my process of how I go about making and selecting photos, of a subject I’ve photographed many times over.
The sun had just started to hit the corner of the building, not what I was after…
Success! Coming back around half hour later clouds blocked the sun…and still no cars parked!
This former manufacturing/industrial building is typical of the once booming era of manufacturing in Melbourne and is typical of many of designs in Cremorne. They are fast becoming a memory being demolished for new offices, this one pictured above has recently been slated for demolition. Capturing these buildings before they are lost forever is paramount to me for there to be a record for posterity when such places are long forgotten. There are several things that go into planning for a photoshoot, and for this scene (and many others) includes how the light is hitting the building and traffic. I wanted even light and overcast days are of course great for this. The forecast was for a cloudy morning with cloud breaking in late morning. Of course, as is often the case, the weather didn’t play good and there was more sun than cloud. The other major challenge is car parking which is in front of this building. I want a building with no obstructions and this building is very difficult to capture without cars, it involves many trips back for success. I won’t photograph scenes if there’s a car parked out front, preferring to return when there are none. It lets the architecture speak without distraction.
As the sun was rising it was hitting the top corner of the building, to me this was distracting so whilst there were no cars I needed no sun on the building. Thankfully some large clouds from the south were moving over and I was able to make photographs some time later with the sun obscured. This gave me even lighting and only requiring a single exposure.
Coming back some time later when some clouds came over momentarily blocked the sun providing even light which is what I was after
The next photograph typifies Cremorne and it’s highrise change. Down come suburban homes of old for new tower blocks. I love the juxtaposition of small and large in my photos, a kind of unsettling feel of chance as well showing in a visually striking way the changes that are occurring in this once sleepy neighbourhood. With the clouds coming over I was able to make photographs on evenly lit light. Whilst I don’t mind the version with the sun out, it’s a little too harsh for my liking. Sure it emphasises the shapes of the high-rise concrete, but I feel I lose detail/attention in the cottages in the foreground. The clouds only lasted for 10 or so minutes, allowing me to capture a variety of lighting conditions.
Reflected light is beautiful to work with when making photographs
This is a relatively new building in Cremorne, and I love its rusty patina and a nod to the industrial architecture and history that was once prominent in the suburb. Here I shot the scene backlit, the sun is reflecting on the building behind me bouncing light back onto the subject creating interesting light patterns giving it depth and pop. This is just part of my process and thinking when I’m making photos out int the field. I feel like I’ve made progress on my Cremorne project after many years of shooting, and I look forward to sharing photographs on my website and social media. I have starte an Instagram page dedicated to my Cremorne project here