Like thousands of businesses all over the world, my business endured its share of covid highs and lows. The lows were the worries not only for my business, but for businesses that were (in Melbourne metro area) forced to shut down for months on end, including my clients. The highs, personally and professionally, were successfully adapting my business to these ‘new normals’ and focusing on a different approach to the way I do things.
I could no longer visit cafes or restaurants for shoots, and my tiny home studio was just not enough for serious product and studio food photography, so it was time Willow Creative grew up and moved out. I joined friend and artist Sophie Perez in her space and took on the corner studio in her building. The light is vast and beautiful (especially wonderful in Winter) and the camaraderie in the space with other creatives food for my soul.
There were periods of time where I could shoot with clients, and plenty of shoots I did solo or with the help of my daughter and partner to hand model, pour cocktails or simply assist with the washing up. How fortunate I am to have such a supportive family.
What’s more all of the hundreds of photos I’ve taken of our family dinners (and eye rolls from said family) over the past two years finally paid off as clients increasingly sought my services to cook and style as well as shoot for their brands. It was an incredibly fulfilling year in that sense. I was both terrified and thrilled to be asked to cook, style and shoot some recipes by celebrity chefs I so admire including Julia Busuttil Nishimura, Peter Gilmore, Manu Fiedel and Matt Stone & Jo Barrett and I have absolutely loved building a great relationship with the wonderful Dani Venn, two-time MasterChef alumni.
2021 promises to be a different kind of year for creative and business growth. A new home studio is being built in the first quarter which will connect a new kitchen, essential for the food shoots. New gear has also been acquired by way of a Canon R5 camera, an Epsom printer (print shop coming soon) and new Elinchrom flashes. To say I invested back into my business this year is an understatement, but I have finally found the belief I needed in myself to do so.
And 2020 wasn’t just a year for photography either. I rolled out some logos, websites, menus and brochures too, although admittedly photography took the driver’s seat this year. One of my biggest achievements was a beautiful book I designed with Sophie Perez, featuring her paintings and my photography chronicling her Covid-19 project ‘Landscapes in Between’ due for release in January. I’ll be sure to write about that when it’s launched.
To all my clients, thank you so much. To those already enquiring about 2021 I cannot wait to work with you. Here’s just a snippet of some of my work over the past year.
