Favourite 12 Images of 2021

20/12/2021 In Venture Blog By sengmah

2021 has been a particularly challenging year for many. A raft of pandemic-induced restrictions meant that travel was very limited. On top of this, there was the ever present spectre of a snap lockdown here in Western Australia (our State has opted to try and remain Covid-free for all of this year), which meant that trying to run a business that relies on future planning of events was particularly “interesting” (and not in a good way). I’ll admit that I laboured under a great deal of stress this year and that there were moments when I wondered if it was worthwhile persevering.

Thankfully, I did, and there were some highlights in the year — some of it due to photography, but mostly due to friendships and the discovery of new interests.

While I struggled with my own personal work this year — somehow, all that stress made it difficult to find photographic inspiration – I still managed to create a number of images that I’m particularly pleased with and proud of. They’re a mix of portraits and landscapes that I felt showed a spark or two of creativity, and I enjoyed taking and making them.

I hope you enjoy them too.

In no particular order, here are my favourite 12 images taken in 2021.

Coogee Beach Hair Flick — Summer fun at one of my favourite beaches — Coogee Beach, south of Fremantle.

Noir portrait of Max — Trying out a dramatic lighting style using a combination of softbox and MagMasks. Model: Max Maujean

Sith Shoot with Kieran — More lighting fun with model, Kieran Wallace. I really enjoy using MagMasks for creative lighting effects (gelled), and an LED light with a CTO gel for the main light on the subject.

Shearing shed portrait with Drew Blake — One of my favourite portraits from the photography weekend in Balingup that I ran in May. Model is Drew Blake, and we shot in a great shearing shed with awesome directional light.

Balingup lake reflections — Another from the same Balingup Photography Weekend, shooting at a local wetland reserve. I like playing with light, space and shadows. Can you work out what this is?

Aerial shot of flight over Bucaneer Archipelago — I love this image, taken while flying over the Buccaneer Archipelago in the North West of WA. We were flying en route to the Horizontal Falls.

Portrait of Christopher Gerken at train musesum — A portrait of Christopher Gerken, taken at the Railway Museum during a fun shoot.

More dramatic lighting and MagMasks — a portrait of Daz Bevington who is one of my go-to character models this year.

Blow holes, Christmas Island — In July this year, I made a short reconnaissance trip to Christmas Island in preparation for the photo tour I’m running there in 2022. This was at the blowholes on the cusp of sunset; the light, shadows and mist from sea spray gave the landscape a primeval appearance.

Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island — The beautiful Flying Fish Cove at Christmas Island at sunrise.

Cocos Island lagoon — My island in the sun. The lagoons at West Island, Cocos Keeling Islands is just wonderful to photograph.

Ben Helleur cosplay Batman — I did a cosplay shoot with Batman cosplayer, Ben Helleur. It was a good opportunity to try out some very feathered side lighting.

And there you have it.

You’ll notice that I have a pretty dramatic look to my photography, and I tend to avoid “picture postcard” images. I believe that it’s important to shoot what you like and to shoot in a way that creates images that resonate with you. That’s the best way to develop a style that reflects your “photographic eye”.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and my very best wishes to you for a kinder, more inspiring 2022.