My parents gave me my first camera at age ten. No, they didn’t know what they were doing. Or maybe they did, and were far more devious than I gave them credit for. Another possibility is that they were tired of my making off with their SLRs and decided that if I was going to take a thousand pictures of the gorges, rivers, and mudflats around the Kimberley, I’d darn well be using my own camera. Luckily for me, they still supplied me with most of my film!
I received informal training in the early 90s from a pair of photographers. She photographed weddings and portraits, and couldn’t capture a motorbike if her life depended on it. He did landscapes that broke your heart, & motorsports, but couldn’t get a person to come out right. Take your person and stick them on a motorbike, though? Perfect middle ground. They taught me to learn from my mistakes, see the perspective in every potential shot, and never, ever, destroy a negative.
Since that first camera, I have used a variety of camera makes & models including Canon, Miranda, Kodak, Sony, Practica, Olympus, Olympia, Nikon, Pentax, Diana, & Polaroid across both film & digital varieties. My current equipment of choice includes:
– Nikon D7000 Digital SLR
– Pentax K20D Digital SLR
– Pentax K10D Digital SLR
– Pentax MZ60 35mm (film) SLR
– Diana F+ (120 medium format film)
With my background in visual & performing arts, I specialise in Event photography. I am the official photographer for 4 annual Western Australian events:
– Zig Zag Festival (Kalamunda, October)
– Balingup Medieval Carnivale (Balingup, August)
– Perth Medieval Fayre (Perth, March)
– Goldfields SES Challenge (Goldfields region, June)
However, my work also encompasses Weddings, Fine Art, Commercial Advertising, Portrait/Glamour, Modelling portfolios, and Travel photography. I’ll even travel interstate/internationally for any combination of the above. Or for cookies. Cookies are good too.
I am a published photojournalist, with work in Perth Suburban Newspapers, Community Newspaper Group, DFES 24/7 Magazine, Drum Media, Xpress Magazine, & Kalamunda Community Matters.
After more than 15 years of practical application in the industry, I received my Cert 2 in Make Up Artistry & International Diploma in Make Up for Film, Media & Theatre in 2009. I also have experience in evening, wedding & special occasion makeups, high fashion, stage production & film. This includes the more gruesome dead-zombie look – wait, are there live zombies? Undead. He’s dead, Jim, but not as we know it.
Photo credits! Above left to right: Ben Ren, Jennifer McCool, Brendan Bird. Below: Jennifer McCool
What’s in a Name?
(Why Gillian B Photography became Dragancaor Creative)
F.A.Q
(Frequently Asked Questions)