As a young artist, I dazzled the locals during my photographic expeditions, cruising the city with my old man's camera. By the end of high school I'd photographed old-school Queenslander alcoholics, council workers, policemen and many of their surroundings. I'd transformed from a wholesome youngster into a snap-happy voyeur of the streets. Having a camera was a good device for going places and meeting people. I managed to sneak into various gigs, mental institutions and bowls clubs. I've since shot Jon Spencer, Girl Guides, ballerinas and the odd village idiot. I was accepted into Visual Arts at college and Illustrative Photography at University, then later worked with established photographers and managed studios. As time went on, I became increasingly interested in creating imagery for the fashion industry. After shooting a line of fashion editorials for magazines such as Vogue, Black + White and Australian Style, I felt that to maintain a consistent standard, I'd need to collaborate with other crews and see what might evolve from a new environment. Earlier this year, I moved to London. Many shots created for the fashion industry evolve from practicality. A handful of photographers have used this avenue to create some iconic imagery. This is one of my goals, and a great challenge to myself as a photographer. My main objective now is to create fashion editorials and advertising that can be seen as fine art. This concept is not original or new, though it is still broadly unaccepted. It's become apparent to me that fashion photography can provide as accurate and accessible a definition of our times as any other form of documentation. My work has a consistent aesthetic vision. My images transform people and their environments into an epic visual that makes a strong graphic statement. Generally, I'm interested in portraying my own slant on reality. The images featured on Neumu were taken around central London during the past month. I've found many parts of London to be quite neglected, and this series focuses on some of them. I've aimed to visualize the beauty found in rubbish, vandalism and poverty. (August 2001)