Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) 2008 - Slide Show

Just uploaded a slide show to YouTube. It contains most of the pics already posted plus more. It is my first post at YouTube. All feedback welcome but please be kind. After all, this is my first attempt at fashion photography.

Thanks and enjoy!

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) 2008 - RMIT

Work by 4th Year RMIT Design (Fashion) students.

Shooting the models as well as the projector screens showing name of the designer in between proved to be a real challenge. Different white balance (yes, I was using manual white balance), different shutter speed (yes, manual also). I hit myself for getting it wrong a couple of times.

Perhaps I will try at least automatic white balance next time... unless I want to spend lots of time in front of the computer afterward correcting each one.

There is no repeats like the official parades so there is no second chance.

This concludes my week long experience with the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2008.

Hope to do it again in 2009. Thank you to all the photographers and videographers I crossed path with (Thank you Brett, Gary, Julian, Rob, Meg, Wayne, Matt, Christine, David and those I am sorry I didn't catch your name). Thank you Arts Events for the fantastic opportunity. Caz, Paul, Yolanda, Darien and Meg. Thank you. You guys were all wonderful. Julian, thanks for the beer.

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) 2008 - Girls Day Out

Decjuba Fashion Marquee at the Flemington Racecourse.

Managed to get a quick snap of Race 7 where jockey Michael Rodd took the winning spot. Congratulations.

It was my first time shooting at a race and my first time at the Flemington Racecourse so I didn't know what I was doing or where to go for a good shot (well I could have worked it out if I wasn't rushing to the next parade). This one was taken just outside the marqee... Checkout Mark Dadswell's much better pics here. Amazing job, Mark. This amateur got much to learn. :P

Everyone (models and guests alike) were all frogged up and looking great.

This girl below laughed so much I took several pics of her. Her laugh is contagious and lifts my spirit every time I look at her. I hope you feel the same too. Doh, I didn't get her name or number... Anyway, Thank you very much!




This is Amy Pearson from the UK performing. I killed rolls of film (not really because I shoot digital but you know what I mean) photographing her. Great hat/hatinator, dress, shoes, wonderful performance and very photogenic (aka pretty). She lives in Australia now according to wikipedia.

Go Amy!

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) 2008 - Catwalk

Do I even need to say anything??

....and the photographers (and videographers)! Gary Richardson, sat at my spot in this pic.

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) 2008 - Runway

The runway was very beautiful. While it wasn't exactly very long, it was not a simple one length runway but there are 4 levels (include the floor) and models walk everywhere on the runway and around it also. Austage did an impressive job putting it together.

For Kaleidescape, the runway was transformed into a garden with loads of flowers and pedals everywhere. Stage set up is indeed a very elaborate exercise, setting up the lights, projectors, sound system, speakers, runway, tiered floor, chairs, and show bags and more show bags just to name a few. Even the dressing rooms were set up from scratch.

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) 2008 - Backstage

Make up, hair styling and choreography...
This is Kevin Murphy, responsible for hair styling. He has a whole army of people following him, taking instructions from him and learning from him. Likewise for make up, Napoleon. They only have a couple of hours (between 4pm and 6pm) to get both the hair and make up done before the parades.

First picture is Sally Graham, the face of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and Kevin Murphy.

The choreographer (the one writing on her notepad) is hard at work in the last photo. Sorry, I don't know her name. I think she must have dancing background and her work is amazing.

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) 2008 - Opening Party

Spent a week photographing the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. It was an unreal experience. I am still trying to work through the mountain of pictures I took.

These shots were taken at the exclusive VIP opening party at Silk Road, a very beautiful venue indeed. So much was happening I almost missed the first picture (and the food). I love the costumes, the colours and the flowers.

I felt so small standing amongst really great photographers. Thank you everyone who shared the platform with me and Caz for giving me such a fantastic opportunity. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.


This picture was taken across the bar which must have been at least 20m away. Thank God that it is still sharp. It is cropped obviously.

Don't they look absolutely stunning!

NAB Gala Ball 2008

This is the NAB annual ball I was invited to and thought I was to attend as a photographer... Thank you Jill for the invitation! What a great experience. It was much much better lit than the last time I was there (for the NAB's All Teams Event). All the tables are wired with optical fibre lights and they all light up together and changed colour together (or in waves), just like my optical Xmas tree, in a gigantic scale. Very nice. Just to show you the white balance on the camera was correct, here are a few photos taken at the same place.

The band was great. With four big subwoofers coupled in pairs on each side. There was an array of colourful stage lights, very hot colours, very electric - fantastic and led many to let their hair down and dance to their tunes on the dance floor. A wonderful photographer's playground.

I started shooting in front of the band at the start, then on the sides in front of the subs (and went partially deaf and physically shaking because of the earthshaking thumping bass) and eventually on the stage with the band... This was definitely the highlight to me for the evening.

She is perfect wife material. Just look at how she prepares the food for her partner as he quietly wait.
Very sorry to people who shared table with me because I was hardly there during the whole evening. I only managed to have the main course - Beef Wellington stew I think it was. Skipped entree, desert and everything else. Boy, the desert looked great but I had so much fun on the dance floor (photographing), I didn't even take a picture of it.

Who thought working for a bank can be so much fun?