I’m one of three, my father
is Italian and my mother is South American. Dad was a massive Elvis Presley
fan, so that’s where I got the name, I grew up on the outskirts of Sydney in
the western suburbs where I studied fine arts.
Where does your interest
in photography come from? Do you think that your childhood played an important
role in what you do now?
Ever since I was a kid I
just LOVED pictures wherever I could find them, in any kind of magazine or
posters – basically, anything I could cut and collage. If I really look into
it, I have a genuine interest in people and characters, I love the idea of
being able to capture the essence of a person and for that image to be
immortalized. A lot of the time a subject will come into my life and I will
create a world around their look and that brings me a lot of joy.
I’ve always loved to
people-watch from an early age and I have a great memory that goes back to the
age of 2 (if you can believe that.) I reference all sorts of things I’ve seen
along the way in my work. The world of High Fashion seemed so unattainable
growing up in a middle class family far from the metropolitan lifestyle. This
imagery in vintage vogue magazines fascinated me more than then the art I was
studying in my course, I wanted to know how I could create something to that
effect and I suppose that’s how I got to where I am today.
Which is your favorite
quote?
I don’t really have a
favorite quote but I read Dale Wimbrow’s poem Man in the mirror the other day
and it resonated with me.
It’s all about following
your passion without seeking the approval of others, I think it’s the best
advice anyone could take. The last stanza of the poem illustrates this
perfectly:
“You can fool the whole
world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as
you pass
But your final reward will
be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the man
in the glass.”
Tell us about your first
photoshoot.
My first big fashion shoot
was for GRAZIA Magazine. The Art Director loved my social photography work and
invited me to shoot a story replicating the moments captured in my social
shootings in a high-fashion format. They loved the story so much they had me In
the studio shooting another project only 2 weeks later, consequently I was
invited back many times.
Which photographers do
you admire? Who are/were your influences?
I admire Helmut Newton,
Melvin Sokolsky and a young Terry Richardson. To be honest, I’ve only recently
been looking at the photo credits of all the stories I have admired. In the
past I had more been inspired by particular publications or a genre and time.
In all honestly (not just flattering you here) I have a massive collection of
vintage penthouse magazines from the late 70’s and 80’s that I reference from
time to time - the photography and concepts just blow my mind.
What kind of music do
you usually listen during your shootings?
I have such an eclectic
taste in music, all that matters is that it’s fun and you haven’t heard all the
tracks a million times before. My mate in Greece (Filep Motwary) makes
hour-long mixes every few months and I have the whole collection – they’re
always on my playlist.
I go through phases though,
the last two were disco and Aussie 80’s power ballads.
How would you describe
your work?
My work right now is a
twisted parody of things you love and hate. I like to make people see the good
in the things they hate and vice versa. I love studying subculture and work it
into my art. I feel like that’s a more honest expression than the 2 dimensional
illusion we are saturated with in the mainstream media.
Tell us your most
exciting tale of girls, connected to photo,
fashion and you.
Once I had a girl at a
night club insist that I go to her house and shoot racy photos of her on her
own photography equipment. She was an aspiring photographer who loved my work,
but the batteries in her external flash were dead. Being a gentleman, I went to
the corner store to get some new ones and by the time I got back she was in a
bright red lacy thong and bra set. The whole thing was a bit of a drunk haze
but those photos were pretty pornographic. She had never done anything like
that before so the experience was very liberating for her… Needless to say,
those photos are just sitting on my hard-drive where they will stay. And
seriously, I’ve had some of my subjects try to seduce me in the past - don’t
let anyone tell you that it’s the photographer who is the pervert. I’m sure the
subjects had some kind of fantasy of being shot in a sexual way; I find it bit fascinating
and hilarious. I’m way too professional to take advantage though, it’s both a
blessing and a curse, haha.
What does a typical
workday look like for you? Could you describe
it in details? From dawn
till dusk.
I can’t go without my
morning juice - banana, orange and ginger, then either meetings about future
shoots, a shoot or some kind or outdoor activity that involves getting fit and
some sun. I’m either extremely busy or relaxing but I wouldn’t have it any
other way. My downtime is good for reflection and stops me getting stuck in a
rut.
What do you know about
Russia? Do you ever come to Moscow?
I don’t know enough about
Russia! I really would love to visit and see the people and places with my own
eyes. After I read this question it reminded me of this song “Dschinghis Khan –
Moskau” and I’m listening to it now on repeat. I’ll add to one of my play lists
for a future shoot haha
How would you describe
yourself? Which is the worst side of your
personality?
I’m a Gemini so I like to blame
that for the two sides of my personality. Masculine/feminine, good/bad - I can
be dark, but all the comedy and fun on the flip side evens that all out. Also,
I’m both spiritual but very logical at the same time.
There is no happy medium
with me, it’s a rollercoaster ride for those how are closest to me. I’m very inquisitive,
honest and gentle and I show a lot of genuine interest in people. I know what I
want and I will make it happen regardless of the support of the people around
me or lack there of.
I have a habit of taking things too seriously but I can talk myself out of that pretty quickly - like a said, a rollercoaster ride. haha
Do you plan to make a
full-length film? If so, what the story will
be about?
I haven’t planned to make a full length film but you never know, I love to make art from the footage I make. My dream is to sample my own footage and do some live VJ work at a festival or rave.
What are you working on currently? And which are your projects for
the near future?
Right now I have a site
dedicated to the subcultural youth of Australia. I often go to the subjects’
houses and shoot them ‘doing their thing’ surrounded by their favorite things.
The site is
www.crunksociety.com
I feel like these days everything is a
throwback to something else, whereas this will have nostalgic feel for people
in the future. You learn a lot from other people, so it brings me a lot of joy
to take my time to capture and enhance what makes them unique. It’s always a
collaboration, we tell the story together.
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