6 questions with Jessica Kirby, photographer

Jessica Kirby is a Melbourne-based fine art and fashion photographer that only recently moved here from Brisbane. Her captivating work, which is mostly shot outdoors, explores fear, romance and feminism. You can follow Jessica here, here and here.



1.When did you realise you wanted to pursue photography? 

When it became more about creating art for the purpose of making people see something in a different light. It occurred to me that I am able to materialise my dreams in a platform that I can control artistically - from there I can effect people, tell them a story, inform them on a subject, all of which I find powerful.

2. Which mistakes did you make in the beginning and what did you take away from them? 

All of the retouching mistakes. All of them. I look back on my first images and cringe! It does continue to remind me how far I have come and that is comforting for the future.

6 questions with Timothy Treasure, Photographer

I met Timothy in 2012, and have shot with him a few times since- it's great to see how he developed his style over the years! You can like his Facebook page here, check out his tumblr here and this is his instagram.

1.What did you want to be as a child?
I wanted to be a scientist, believe it or not.

2.Do you remember your first camera?
My first camera was this plastic film camera my sister bought me when I was 10.

3.Who is your favourite photographer?
Oh, that is a hard one. But I have always been inspired by Melbourne-photographer, Jordan Drysdale.

4.What is your biggest source of inspiration at the moment?
Tumblr! It has always been Tumblr! Hashtag TECHNOLOGY KILLED REALITY.

5.Name 3 places you would love to do a photoshoots at
Camden Markets, London. Rue Cambon, Paris. & Budapest.

6.Name 3 people you would love to photograph, dead or alive!
Dame Maggie Smith because I hope to be as sassy as her one day. My Aunt Dawn who I love.
And Florence Welch; she such a siren.

6 questions with Mia Zielinski, Fashion Designer

Having modelled for Mia's label launch runway a few months back was such a great experience, and I was curious to find out more about how she started her own label, Mimi-Zikki. Check out her instagram if you want to see more of her work!

What did you want to be as a child? 
The first thing I ever wanted to be was a singer. I loved singing, and I was good at it too! I was one of those tiny little 7 year olds who got up on stage and sang solo at Estefords! Looking back I can’t believe how brave I was, I had no fear then. Singing on stage now for me is a massive deal. I departed from the singing stage and moved onto being a die hard Ranger Stacy fan from Agros Cartoon Connection! So for many years I wanted to be a national parks and wildlife ranger, but then in high school I discovered art, and then wearable art..that all eventually lead to fashion. I still love animals and they have a strong presence in my work, if for some reason I couldn’t do art anymore I think that’s what I’d go back to. 

What was the decision process for finding the right degree like? 
After high school I won a scholarship to study the course of my choice at TAFE, so I chose a fashion course. That was great and gave me my base knowledge, but then when I was 19, I took off overseas with grand ideas of becoming a fashion designer over there. I learned very quickly how big the world is and how small I was, so I became disillusioned with the industry and turned my back on it and once coming back to Australia after a year, I chose to study technical theater production, and majored in costume design. This degree played an important role in my current practice as I’m all about the presentation of the work now. After that degree I moved to Melbourne and studied the BA of fashion design degree for 4 years and honed my skills, vision and, I guess, ethos. It took me a while to embrace both theater and fashion as one. 

Is there something you wish your teachers had told or taught you as a student that would have made launching your career easier? 
Yes, so much more about the business side of things! It’s ridiculously tough, I’ve had to take business courses just to get a grasp on the whole concept of starting albel. You graduate as a dreamer, with amazing, unique ideas and the best intentions and passion to design, but then are quickly shut down when you realize that there are almost zero graduate jobs available. And it’s very soul destroying. I speak with fellow graduates who have only just now, two years later, gotten an industry job! But today after attenting seminar after seminar on international trade logistics with Asia, I thought to myself- if they had have exposed us to all this intence factual information whilst in uni, it would have crushed our spirits and tainted the learning experience! So perhaps they structure the degree that way for a reason.

What are the 3 pieces of clothing every woman should own, in your opinion? 
A good fitting, adjustable/ convertable bra, basis of any successful outfit! I’m a huge fan of caps and think they look great on most chicks and a pair of butt lifting jeans! And then a clean, stylish and cool pair of sneakers. High heels can be so bad for your legs. 

What is an achievement in your career you're very proud of?
Gaining an internship with Bernhard willhelm. That was one of the happiest moments since getting into rmit! Having an excuse to travel and live overseas somewhere new whilst interning for one of my most beloved and admired designers of all time was just awesome. And yes, it was a great experience and is part of the reason I am now doing what I’m doing with starting a label. I know that internship will impact and influence the way I design and view fashion for many years to come.

What's next with your label Mimi-Zikki as well as with your other projects?
I’m currently curating the runway show within the Semplesize and Hessian magazine block party that’s happening at Howler on the 7th of December, my collection will also be showcased which is cool. And I was asked to exhibit in a group show at the Brunswick street art gallery during VAMFF15 curated, demonstrating my cross/multi-disciplinary technique and style, so I think an interesting installation is on the cards for that one. This will be close to my second collection showcase, also a part of VAMFF15 curated. I am collaborating with the talented Jeweler Ana Öström to devise accessories for a more adventurous collection! Very exciting actually. Maia Lillford will also be showcasing her new collection in my production, her work is super quirky, colourful and daring so very happy to be staging a show with these two delightful designers.

6 questions with Yasitha Amarasinghe, Photographer

Yasitha Amarasinghe is a Melbourne based photographer. Having worked with this talented individual before, I suggest you take a look at his portfolio here and follow his instagram @yasithaphoto.

1. When did you get your first camera?

The first camera that I'd really consider my own was a 5 megapixel Sony Cybershot. It was my family's first digital camera and we bought it to replace my mum's broken film one because we were travelling to visit family in Sri Lanka. I'm still amazed at how many photos I managed to stick onto a 32 megabyte card back in the day.

2. If there was one piece of advice you could give to your younger self, what would it be?
Stop trying to please everyone. And stop trying to be everyone else.

It's really hard to get caught up in, not only the photographers that are around you, but also the photographers that you idolise. I wish I could go back and just tell myself that I needn't worry about trying to be too much like James White, Patrick Demarchelier or Lara Jade - that I should just focus on my own style, no matter how much that changes.


3. Where do you like to photgraph the most?
I don't really have any particular place that I like to shoot mostly. I do like travelling to different places and photographing while I'm out of my comfort zone though. It really pushes you to be a little more creative and not to fall back on things you already know.

4. Name some sources of inspiration or motivation behind your work as a photographer
I actually really, really love cinema and video games. The art direction and framing that some directors use to visually tell a story is really different to the way I feel some still photographers view things. There are very few photographers that I've seen who've translated a moving visual story into a singular frame, but Joey L, for example, is one such photographer where some of the frames he takes make me feel like I'm watching a short clip out of a documentary, even though nothing's moving.

5. 3 items you would take to a lonely island
Ah, that would depend on where the island was - I hate the heat, so can we make it like a temperate one? I'd go with my PlayStation, my camera and Bear Grylls. Gotta be prepared somehow.

6. If you could change one thing about the world we live in, what would it be?
People taking things so one sided-ly, then jumping to conclusions. That's probably not a word, but people need to realise that everything's a spectrum of grey - agreeing with one aspect of something doesn't mean you disagree with others. I'm a bit of an idealist though.