13 March to 19 April 2026
JAPAN:
Photos by Australians
Selected by Japanese
Julie Barratt, Sophie Breckenridge, Dean Constable, Luke David ,Mark Davidson, George El Hajj, E.F.P., Scott Gould, Jem Hargreaves, Joseph Hixson, Miracle Mak,Mark Munro,
Sara Nash, Desmond Ong, Nick Orloff, Michaela Ottone, Rosalind Pach, Helen Phillippou, Hayden Phoenix, Riley Purcell, Elizabeth Reeder, Andrew Tan, Jonny Tanoto, Marty Walker, Darcy Welbourn and Asher Woods.
This exhibition highlights the work of some of the Melbourne-based photographic talent. Each is responding to the theme, present (performance) in their own way. Each start at the point of their gay desire for other males and lets personality, history and emotion take them on a journey which has manifested these images on XYZ Photo Gallery's walls.
An Introduction
By garrie maguire
In her book A Small Place, Jamaica Kincaid describes a tourist’s view of her home of Antigua in the Caribbean, and how warped it is from the experience of a local. She sees the tourists coming admiring the natural beauty, but also the mansions, that were constructed with money corruptly or criminally obtained. She describes the power struggle between the remnants of the colonial families and the locals and how nostalgia for the past is present. In effect what she sees is that the tourists explore more of the colonial structures whether buildings, clubs, hotels, tourist sites, than Antigua as experienced by a local.
This book resinates with me, as I have been aware of this dynamic in tourism. In my travels, since 1991, I have met locals and hung with them for what is normal for them. I have done this in the USA, Cambodia and even Japan. This has been very easy as a under 45 year old gay, but as ages moves on, my ability to interact this way has declined. I keep asking myself why am I going to these places. China and the Philippines I stayed years, other places less than a month. Often with a project in mind, the temples of the Khmer empire, or Chongqing as the built version of Western writers vision of the future. When I, or you, travel to another place what are we seeking? What interests us? How close to we get to the locals?
This exhibition came about as so many of my acquaintances had been to Japan since the end of covid. I reasoned that this was a good place to start an investigation of what outsiders (Australians) see as fascinating about a country/culture and let people from that culture (Japanese) choose their vision of their country/culture. Japan resisted colonialism until the victors of World War 2 took charge. Its history with Europe and the USA is complex. Japan has a strong sense of self. Japanese culture’s dealing with the loss of the war and the American take over is very interesting area of study.
I tasked the selection to Minako Kanda and Ewerthon Tobace. I had wanted a third selector but unfortunately the graphic designer I had in mind was not able to help. Minako is art photographer who is based in Melbourne. She has books to her name and studied with ICP. Ewerthon Tobace is a journalist based in greater Tokyo and has worked with many photographers as well as making images himself. Ewerthon was born in Brazil to Japanese parents and has lived in Japan for near 20 years. Both understand cultural difference and what makes Japan, Japan. Both are ideally placed for the task of finding a Japanese understanding of Japan from the images put forward by Australians. This does not mean their selections would be the same as another Japanese. One interesting fact about the selection is they there is not Ven diagram overlap.
This is an exercise, it is not a contest. Those that were picked, were pick because they have a resonance with the selectors. The screen will show visitors all the images that were submitted. This exhibition is an opportunity to look at what an insider choose from an outsiders work. The gallery hopes this will start a conversation about how we visit other places and what we seek to experience and to photograph.
Julie Barratt
I am a visual artist and arts producer whose mixed media cross disciplinary practice encompasses printmaking, photography, artist books, stitching, weaving and installation. Predominant themes in my work lie in narrative explorations of the environment and place histories. My work is often site-specific, responding to environmental energetics. I am interested in the artist’s intervention in a specific locale, that is creating work that is integrated with its surroundings and explores its relationship to the topography and materials inherent within the immediate environment to support the making of the work. My art works often include elements that are labour intensive, repetitive, contemplative and meditative. I am also a passionate community arts facilitator and have worked on projects both nationally and internationally in places as diverse as Korea, UK, Scotland, Nepal and in regional and remote Australia. I graduated from the visual arts (Hons) program at Southern Cross University in Lismore, NSW in 2011 and in 2012 was awarded the alumni of the year award for outstanding student for the schools of arts and social sciences. Currently working as Director of Art Strategies at DADAA in Fremantle, Western Australia. For nearly 30 years, DADAA has been at the forefront of disability arts in Western Australia. From arts mentoring and workshops through to collaborating with disadvantaged communities on large scale projects, providing access to arts and culture for people with disability is at the heart of everything they do. I am responsible for over 300 artists and 80 arts workers and manages arts projects, locally, regionally, Nationally and Internationally. My works are housed in many National and International collections including the National Gallery in Australia and the State Libraries of Queensland and Victoria amongst others.
Sophie Breckenridge
Between the intensity of Tokyo’s streets, I found stillness in Arashiyama. Japanese culture invites slowness. I visited in November 2025 when the autumn leaves were nearly at peak. The Arashiyama river was surrounded by vibrant transitioning colours. Although I take international trips to step away from my commercial photography practice, I still carry my camera. With it, I see things differently. Photography becomes the art of noticing – revealing details that are we missed when we move too quickly. In Japan, the concept of ikigai speaks about a reason for being – where passion, skill and contribution intersect. For me, photography sits within that space. It is not simply image making, but an invitation to pause. In a culture increasingly driven by speed and spectacle, this work offers an alternative; to slow down, observe and find meaning in what might otherwise be overlooked. Sophie Breckenridge is a Gold Coast–based commercial and editorial photographer. Her practice focuses on uncovering beauty that often goes unnoticed. Her journey began in Year 9 (2019) during a self-directed project called Flexible Learning, where she created a manual on the exposure triangle. This project sparked her love for photography. By Year 10 and 11, Sophie was taking photos at school events and working as the school’s photographer for promotional content. She was also selling her landscape images as photography cards at local cafes and markets. In 2023 Sophie completed a Diploma of Photography and Digital Imaging, boosting her technical skills. She also opened her own commercial business whilst continuing to develop a fine art practice shaped by travel and residency experiences. Supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund and selected for programs including the Level Up Residency and Creative Control Incubator, her work reflects both technical precision and contemplative intent. Whether photographing people or place, her work is driven by a desire to capture details that might otherwise be overlooked. Through her images, she invites viewers to slow down and uncover beauty that is easily overlooked. https://www.sophbreckophotography.com.au
Dean Constable
Dean Constable is a street photographer drawn to quiet tension and understated moments within in the urban landscape. Working in a minimalist style, he strips scenes back to their essential forms - light, shadow, gesture, and space - allowing subtle human presence. His photographs are not crowded with spectacle; instead, they are composed with restraint, often isolating a single figure or detail against clean architectural lines or expanses of negative space. He rarely raises his camera and never without intent. Each shot begins with a genuine curiosity - a person’s posture, the rhythm of passing commuters, or the way light settles across concrete and steel. This deliberate approach creates images that feel contemplative rather than reactive. Patience is central to his practice; he observes first, waiting for alignment between subject and setting before shooting. Japan provides an ideal palette - ordered streets, graphic signage, and fleeting human gestures unfolding within structured environments. Within this balance, Dean seeks moments of quiet ambiguity - scenes that invite viewers to pause and project their own narratives. His work is less about documenting place and more about distilling atmosphere.
Luke David
For Melbourne-based photographer Luke David, photography is both a creative practice and a way of understanding place. Through his work at lukedavidphotos.com, he has developed a portfolio spanning architecture, travel and landscape — from regional Victoria to Lisbon and Tokyo. His images have been recognised in national competitions, but more importantly, they reflect an ongoing curiosity about how environments shape experience. Whether documenting major civic infrastructure or intimate urban corners, Luke approaches each subject with patience, precision and respect for design. At the heart of his practice is a fascination with structure, geometry and atmosphere. He is drawn to strong lines, carefully balanced compositions and moments of quiet human presence within expansive spaces. In this exhibition, that sensibility is evident in the twisting curves of the Yoyogi National Gymnasium roof line framing with the Japanese flag, a solitary security guard moving through the ground floor of the Tokyo International Forum, and the cinematic blend of culture in Fish Bar Uonami. Across these works, architecture becomes both subject and stage — a place where scale, light and movement intersect. Japan holds a special resonance in Luke’s photographic journey. He is captivated by its balance of tradition and futurism, stillness and motion, meticulous design and everyday ritual. From bold modernist icons to layered city streets, Japan offers endless opportunities for visual discovery. To have these images selected by a Japanese journalist and photographer is a meaningful honour — a dialogue between cultures connected through the shared language of photography.
Mark Davidson
I made this photograph in Akihabara, Tokyo, while on a work trip, finding some time after my radio broadcast to wander the backstreets with my camera. In a district globally synonymous with circuitry, noise and neon, I found this quiet, compressed world: a woman framed by shelves of densely packed books, held gently within the architecture of knowledge and time. My practice is rooted in candid documentary photography, shaped by a long-standing interest in the quiet dignity of everyday existence. Whether in a Hungarian village or an electronics quarter in Tokyo, I’m drawn to self-contained human spaces; places where identity is formed through environment. Here, the repetition of spines, the ordered geometry, and her steady gaze create a portrait that feels both intimate and archival. This image sits within my broader exploration of belonging and memory, themes I continue to pursue in my ongoing work and forthcoming photobook Life Was Good Here. Even on a brief work trip, I am searching for moments that feel timeless, grounded, and quietly human.
Scott Gould
I’ve been photographing trains for around 40 years, and working in the rail industry for almost that long. I like to photograph trains and railways, and imagine where they’re going - it’s all about the journey. I wonder what the people are going to do when they get there. Are they going to meet friends and family, or off on a travel adventure? What are the trains carrying? Rail travel is a journey, and at the end of that journey, is the start of a new experience. Capturing thoughtful images of trains and railways in place, rather than just the train always being the dominating object in the image is my passion. It can be the architecture of stations, and the people gathered there, or the expanse of landscapes with railways running through them. Some of my favourite shots, the train or railway is not centre stage, but is still a piece of the scene. I’m not the type of railway photographer who will only shoot when the light is just right, trains run when they run. It’s important to me to work with what’s available, exploring interesting locations and angles and turning that from something that might be overlooked into an eye catching image. My two images that were selected were taken in May 2025, on our first visit to Japan. The frequency of train services, and precise manner in which trains arriving in Tokyo arrived, were cleaned, and turned around was mind-blowing.
Jem Hargreaves
Jeremy is a photographer based in Melbourne. His work is deeply rooted in the traditional process- all work is developed and scanned in his room. These images were taken through travels in 2025. The thought behind these mainly lies in photographing a place that has been so thoroughly documented, especially by westerners. How do you steer away from stereotypes and absorb what you’re seeing in a less biased way?
Joseph Hixson
I am an amateur photographer originally from the UK and now based in Melbourne. I enjoy combining my love of photography with my love of travel, particularly to Japan. My photos tend to focus on people within a street landscape. I am always interested in being able to capture the scenes where a composition or subject can emerge and disappear in a moment. The energetic nature of Japanese cities provides an amazing backdrop for photography and continues to draw me back again and again. Gion (above) was made while on a trip to Kyoto in 2023. I arranged a photo walk in Gion with a local photographer and expert on Geisha. It had been raining all day and I was concerned that the photo walk would be called off, or that the rain would limit the opportunity to see the Geiko walking to their appointments. Fortunately, the rain kept the crowds of tourists away, which made photographing much easier and created a different scene with the use of traditional style umbrellas and the reflections from the rain-soaked streets. This shot owes a lot to luck. One of a number of frames taken while the Geisha walked past. Without realising, I had captured a moment where the face was partially obscured by the umbrella, creating an unexpected image. Takoyaki (on display) was taken near Otsuka Station on the Yamanote Line while on a trip to Tokyo in 2023. While wandering around the neighbourhood with my family we spotted this very inviting looking restaurant full of diners. With the photo, I wanted to capture the warmth of the scene created by the lights and the wooden facade. In post-production I have used a fill gradient to mask distracting elements above the restaurant awning to focus on the activity in the restaurant. The image was made in September 2023 while on a family holiday.
Miracle Mak
Miracle Mak is a multidisciplinary artist based in Narrm (Melbourne). She likes to explore the private/public spaces of vulnerability, revealing fragments of her emotions and memories mainly in the forms of moving images, performance works and paintings. She started her film photography journey in 2022 as a hobby, occasionally taking her point and shoot cameras while travelling. Compared to digital format, she finds herself to be more present and conscious about her surroundings with film. The surprise elements, the anticipation, and the unpredictability is her drive to continue shooting in film. She likes to describe her images like a trinket box: full of memories of her favourite things, with many silly little whimsical bits and pieces she has collected and documented during her travels. It is to be shared, as if everything has its part of a story in the past. Her father’s passion in photography and capturing candid moments in the family photo albums sparked the inspiration for her to create her own memories. In her childhood, Japan was one of the places that was often visited and kept in the photo albums. The nostalgia echoes within her when she walks through the small alleys of Japan, allowing her to finally slow down and notice the details of everyday life.
Mark Munro
Mark Munro is a Melbourne-based commercial photographer working in numerous fields including Advertising, Corporate, Editorial & Fine Art photography. He has been commissioned by and continues to work for many of Australia’s biggest Institutions including ANZ bank, Bank of Melbourne, Bendigo Bank, Bayer, Origin Energy, Australian Catholic University, Chisholm TAFE, Worksafe, Victoria Police, Transport Accident Commission, Melbourne Health, The King David School & numerous design firms and advertising agencies; and for editorial clients including Wallpaper* magazine, Monument, Architectural Review UK, Arquitectura Viva Spain & Architecture Australia. He is a past-vice president of the Society of Australian Commercial & Magazine Photographers (ACMP) and currently sits on the Curriculum Review Board at Photography Studies College, Melbourne.
Sara Nash
“Sara Nash is a multidisciplinary artist based in Ballarat, Victoria, whose practice spans photography, printmaking, painting and mixed media. At the centre of her practice lies Japan - a place that has become both her compass and anchor. Since her first visit in 2019, Sara has returned to Japan twice yearly, drawn by a deep and enduring fascination with its culture, aesthetic restraint and sense of contemplative serenity. What began as curiosity has evolved into an ongoing artistic dialogue. Japan is not simply subject matter; it is a framework through which she explores belonging, impermanence and the subtle tension between movement and stillness. Her black and white street photography captures the dynamic pulse of the big cities through fleeting gestures, shifting crowds, moments of isolation within density. Yet equally present is the sense of stillness with the hush of early morning shrines and the spatial poetry of traditional architecture. In these contrasting environments, Sara finds visual metaphors for the human condition: momentum and pause, connection and solitude, chaos and calm. Working across disciplines, she often extends her photographic imagery into layered mixed-media works, allowing texture and materiality to echo the layered histories she encounters abroad. Through her evolving practice, Sara continues to navigate the space between Australia and Japan, presence and memory, documenting not only a place but an enduring relationship with it.”
Desmond Ong
Desmond is a practicing landscape architect and urbanist currently based in Melbourne. He has also established himself as a documentary photographer from participation in photo festivals, curated exhibitions and photographic prizes. His works focus on urban space and human experience, and he aims to use his muti-disciplinary approach to generate dialogue between urbanism, design and photographic practice. Desmond’s art practice is to use photo making as a means of visual urban practice, which can be connected to the acts of planning, design, research and better understanding of urban life and cities. Desmond’s approach of visual urban practice is to look for ‘wabi-sabi’ in everyday lived experience in urban spaces. Wabi-sabi in urban spaces is to be felt and experienced, not just physical layers of imperfection. Cities, just like human life, are complex and incomplete. City is also a holder of memories, a place of resilience and sustainable solution of urban living. It is about looking at these values in the imperfect and temporary beyond the physical. It is through this consciousness that makes us human. The traffic mirror in Japan is the on-going works following Desmond’s first series ‘Attention: The landscape of Japan’, which was the result of his 88 Temples Pilgrimage in Shikoku in spring 2024 and has been exhibited in Ballarat International Foto Biennale. In February 2025, Desmond returned to Japan and explored the winter landscape in the northern Honshu. Just as the traffic mirror asks him to pay ‘attention’, he captured the everyday landscape of Japan depicted in different time of the year. Similarly, the vending machine is archetypal of the everyday urban life in Japan.
Nick Orloff
Working across portraiture and architectural photography, Nick Orloff’s practice focuses on creating small, cohesive image sequences. Often presented as short photo essays, these works explore the relationship between people and the spaces they occupy, using form, light, and composition to quietly guide the narrative. He is particularly drawn to the built environment – its textures, lines, and imperfections – and how it shapes presence and mood. Portraiture sits at the centre of my work, approached with a documentary sensitivity that values restraint, atmosphere, and honesty over overt direction. Much of Orloff’s photography is made using older cameras and film processes. This slower, more deliberate way of working informs both the rhythm of my shoots and the way stories unfold across images, allowing space for intuition, imperfection, and moments that might otherwise be overlooked.
Michaela Ottone
Michaela Ottone is a queer, neurodivergent artist based in Naarm/Melbourne, working predominantly with long form, expanded documentary photography and experimental dance. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Photography Studies College in 2025. Michaela’s photography examines identity, belonging, connection, intimacy, and vulnerability, through a late diagnosed neurodivergent lens. This largely takes form through candid images of her community on 35mm and medium format film. Working from a decolonial feminist lens, she endeavours to empower others through collaborative image making, and hopefully in the future, educational workshops. Michaela makes prints, photobooks and personal projects about what she loves, to raise awareness of issues that are important to her, and to increase the accessibility of art to a wider audience. Her solo exhibition On Being was part of Ballarat International Foto Biennale’s Open Program in 2021. Her work has featured in group shows at the Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP x Hahnemüle Summer Salon, 2023), Yarra Sculpture Gallery (Unfold, 2025), and Hillvale Gallery (Photo Trophy, 2025). In 2023 Michaela won the Spicers & CCP #hahnemuhleportrait photography competition with an image of Sonny, a young person she supports. She recently launched her second photobook, Thank you for letting me be myself, in collaboration with the people that she has photographed for the past 14 years. The series won Highly Commended in the Ballarat International Foto Biennale Gradfoto.
Rosalind Pach
Japan is one of my favourite places, shaped by childhood memories and revisited many times in recent years. Tokyo, in particular, never stops fascinating me. Its train system feels like a living maze. Complex, overwhelming and sometimes, maddening. Yet the Japanese move through it effortlessly, with little fuss and almost no sound. What I love most is that decisions are already made for you; where to stand, where to sit or not(!), even where to eat. One learns to trust their peculiarities once you learn their logic. Even at rush hour, queues remain beautifully ordered. Being crushed onto a train is not for the faint hearted, but it’s an experience unlike anything in Australia. I travel often and I’ve come to embrace my phone as a quiet companion for capturing moments. In my hand, it feels less like a device and more like an extension of my eye. For street photography especially, the phone is perfect - small, unobtrusive, and always ready. I am a photographer based in Melbourne. I shoot both on film and digital mediums. I have a Diploma in Photography as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree. Away from the mainstream, I like to experiment and explore interesting, unique and various ways of developing my photographic processes and practices. Collaborating with other artists as well as solo work, I have exhibited my work at galleries and venues around Melbourne.
Helen Phillippou
I am a Melbourne/Naarm-based creative consultant, trend forecaster, homeware product developer, and amateur photographer. Working in a very fast-paced commercial space, photography is my personal creative outlet, a place where clients, briefs, and deadlines don’t exist. My photography practice is based on quiet observation of ordinary moments. As a respite from an overwhelming digital world and a rebellion against AI, I have returned to my first love of analogue photography. Having picked up my first camera circa ’86, there is a lot of nostalgia attached to this. I’m currently experimenting with various “toy” cameras, instant film, rangefinders, and my beloved Nikon FM2. I have a deep love of Japan and have travelled there five times so far. My recent trip was to Tokyo, Osaka, Takamatsu, Naoshima, Teshima and Kanazawa. I travelled with a Nikon FM2 and 50mm lens loaded with Kodak Portra 400, plus an Olympus 35DC rangefinder loaded with Cinestill 800… basically one for day, one for night. From there, I sought out quiet spaces and overlooked moments that resonated in terms of emotion, light, and colour.
Hayden Phoenix
My love affair with photographing Japan began at the same time as my love of concrete architecture, when I was living in Harajuku, Tokyo, in 1997. I would spend hours getting lost in the alleys of Harajuku, Aoyama and Omotesando, marvelling at the concrete buildings and residential homes tucked between the busier city streets. There was something magnetic and magical about the quiet strength of those structures — minimal, functional, yet deeply expressive. It was because of my experiences during those years that I began creating concrete sculptures of my own. I am now represented by 19 Karen Gallery on the Gold Coast. At the same time, I was constantly photographing the streets of Tokyo and the aspects of Japanese life and culture that fascinated me. I was drawn to both the quiet residential corners and the chaos of Takeshita Dori — the street I walked through every day on my way home. I became obsessed with the subtle details that revealed how seamlessly tradition and modernity coexisted. My camera became my way of understanding the city — its rhythm, restraint and beauty. Many years later, while shooting a wedding in Takamatsu, a friend told me about a group of islands in the Seto Inland Sea known for their contemporary art museums, architecture and outdoor sculptures. When I saw a photograph of the Benesse Art Museum on Naoshima Island, I immediately booked a ferry ticket. The museum and its sprawling concrete complex were designed by Tadao Ando, the Japanese master of concrete architecture. I later discovered he had designed many of the buildings I had admired during my time wandering around Tokyo. I spent days roaming Naoshima with my camera, absorbing the island’s atmosphere and photographing its architecture, art and landscapes. I always look forward to my next trip to Japan and the opportunity to capture its unique beauty and aesthetic.
Riley Purcell
‘Riley Purcell is a photographer based in Brisbane, Australia, focused on documenting life as it unfolds—unguarded, intimate, and often fleeting. Inspired first by the atmospheric work of Greg Girard and later shaped by the candid, confrontational approaches of Martin Parr, Bruce Gilden, and Daniel Arnold, Riley’s practice blends curiosity with careful observation. Riley’s images are rooted in everyday encounters, drawn to the tension between humour and vulnerability, stillness and spectacle. In 2025, Riley was a finalist in the Olive Cotton Award, and has exhibited three times in Tokyo through an artist group. Riley is currently working toward their first photobook, bringing together ongoing bodies of work into a cohesive long-form narrative.’
Elizabeth Reeder
Elizabeth Reeder is a photographer and filmmaker based in Melbourne/Naarm. Through a narrative lens, Elizabeth explores themes of contemporary society and identity through sub-cultures. Witnessing what resides between our personal and public lives; where extreme, uncanny, gentle and humorous moments can coexist. These photos are part of an ongoing documentary street photography project exploring stories of Tokyo. Documenting un-staged moments of spectacle and candid obsession. Navigating the interplay between the inner self and outer life.
Andrew Tan
Captured near Tanukikoji Shopping Street in Sapporo, late on a summer night in 2023. Signage, reflections, people in motion — the frame compresses it all into something that feels less like documentation and more like a memory of the place. Distance collapses. The street becomes a shallow stage. Andrew Tan is a self-taught urban photographer based in Naarm/Melbourne. His work finds the hidden geometries of city life: colour, rhythm, the quiet charge of public space after dark. He has received recognition for a practice built entirely on paying close attention.
Jonny Tanoto
Jonny is an architect who channels his eye for structure and precision into photography. In his spare time and on his travels, he captures images that celebrate details, lines, and symmetry. His compositions are intentionally impersonal, stripping away context, faces, and narrative cues to create a sense of neutrality. This deliberate distance invites viewers to engage with the work on their own terms, allowing each person to project their own emotions, interpretations, and stories onto the scene. A photograph of a bustling crossing with a train rushing past at high speed might evoke exhilaration, urgency, or fleeting transience to some, while to others it may simply present a study of movement, lines, and light—each viewer brings their own meaning to the moment.
Marty Walker
Marty J. Walker is a Blue Mountains-based photographer who resides in Katoomba, Australia. He is an observational photographer who likes to capture the environment, both built and natural. The three pieces in this exhibition are from a 2023 visit to Kyoto. Having not travelled for quite a few years I was keen to make the most of ‘non-family time’. It was important for me to slow down, breathe and make work, and not overshoot. What I found fascinating about Kyoto (and Japan in general) is that as a Westerner, it’s entirely possible to feel invisible. For a street photographer this is a gift. ‘On Time, Kyoto’ and ‘Delivered, Kyoto’ are somewhat cliche: the train driver looking diligently at his watch, keen to respect his departure time, the taxi driver writing in his logbook after delivering a client to their destination. Both show the Japanese respect for punctuality. ‘Out in Kyoto #2’ was a serene moment in an alleyway meters away from the quiet chaos of one of Kyoto’s many temples.
Darcy Welbourn
I grew up in the west of Brisbane, Queensland, in a small farming town called Laidley. But spent much of adolescence travelling around Australia with my mother and father as he played Rugby League and worked as a Blacksmith. I took this photograph around 8:00am on the way to Osaka Castle with a Canon AE-1 Program with common Kodak Ultramax iso 400 film stock. It’s a simple joy to go around a new city for the first time, on foot, and look for photos that capture that moment. The beauty of 35mm photography is imperfection, and you can’t know if what you took was good or not; until later. You must trust yourself.
Asher Woods
I fell into photography 5 years ago through a disposable camera I brought to my Year 12 formal. Over the years since then, I’ve fallen into deeper and deeper love with this medium. It truly is the purest hobby I have; I hold no ambition to achieve anything beyond just documenting how I see the world. My first love in life is filmmaking, but photography has quickly sidled up to become an equally fulfilling creative outlet. I mainly shoot film but enjoy utilising every photographic format I can. Japan was a big part of my journey of falling in love with photography. Over two trips in January 2024 and January 2025 I spent a month each time with my heavy, barely functioning SRT101 around my neck. Having a camera on you that often perfectly lends itself to creative exploration, and both my trips were massive growing moments for my photographic eye. What I love about analogue photography is the limitations it imposes. As a chronic over-thinker, the 90c price tag on every individual image allows me to forget about composing the perfect image and just take the damn photo. In that way, photography to me is a form of meditation. Pursuing it has helped me learn to slow down and observe the world around me with all its inherent beauty. The photo of mine that was selected for this exhibition was taken on Lomo Turquoise, a colour shift film. I often choose to lean into surrealism in all my creative work, augmenting the familiar into the uncanny.