Six Months in Brisbane: Conversations, Film Portraits, and Finding My Way Back to What I Love
Six months ago, I landed in Brisbane with a camera bag, a head full of questions I wanted to ask strangers, and absolutely no idea how much this city would end up shaping the way I create.
I'm a documentary photographer, born and raised in New York City, now calling Brisbane home. And if you'd asked me a year ago what my work would look like today, I don't think I would have guessed it would come down to two very simple things: having real conversations with people, and photographing them in a way that actually feels true.
Why I Started Interviewing People
The interview series wasn't something I planned. It started because I got tired of small talk, the kind that fills a room but never actually connects anyone in it. I wanted to know what people were really thinking, what they were proud of, what scared them, what they wished someone would ask them.
So I started asking. On the street, at events, in quiet corners of cafes around Brisbane. I'd bring a camera, sit someone down, and ask one honest question. Sometimes it was as simple as "what's one word you'd want to be remembered by." The answers I got back were never simple. People lit up. They got quiet. Some got emotional. Almost all of them said some version of "no one's ever asked me that before."
That reaction is what keeps me doing this. Not the follower count, not the aesthetic of a well shot Reel. It's the moment right after the question lands, when someone drops the version of themselves they usually perform and gives you the real one instead.
Why I Shoot Portraits on Film
Alongside the interviews, I've been shooting portraits on film, and it's changed how I photograph people entirely.
There's no instant preview with film. No chance to check the shot and reshoot until it's perfect. You have to actually be present with the person in front of you, pay attention to the light, trust the moment, and let it happen once. It's forced me to slow down in a way digital never did, and honestly, it's made my portraits more honest. Less performed. More like the person actually looked and felt in that second, not the best of fifty takes.
Brisbane has been generous with light for this kind of work. Something about the quality of it here, especially in the late afternoon along the river or spilling through old Queenslander windows, has genuinely changed the way I see portraits.
Building Content That's Actually True to Me
I've spent enough time online to know how easy it is to create content that looks good but says nothing. That's never been the goal for me. Whether it's a photo, an interview clip, or a short piece of writing like this one, I want it to reflect who I actually am: someone who's endlessly curious about people, who believes a genuine conversation is one of the most underrated things a person can offer another, and who'd rather shoot one honest frame on film than a hundred polished ones on a phone.
Six months into building a life in Brisbane, that's the thread running through everything I make: interviews, portraits, content, all of it in service of connection that actually means something.
What I'm Looking for Next
Here's the honest part. Six months in, I'm still building, and I'm actively looking for casual and part time opportunities here in Brisbane that let me keep doing exactly this: having conversations with people, interviewing others, shooting photography, and creating content that means something.
If you run a studio, a business, a gallery, or a brand here in Brisbane and think there might be a way to work together, whether that's photography, an interview series, content creation, or something we dream up together, I'd genuinely love to hear from you. This city has already given me so much material and so many good conversations. I'd love the chance to keep building here.
If any of this resonates, or you just want to talk about film photography, interviewing strangers, or Brisbane's best afternoon light, reach out. I'd love to connect.
