Gage Roads: tasty beers (if you ask us) brewed in Perth’s most chilled southern sibling – Fremantle – and the passage of sea that marks the entry/exit point to that same town.
We’re launching into the eighth instalment of our ‘By The Sea’ photo series with this being our final winter editions (super-yay!), we can only get warmer weather from here. We’ll continue profiling some of Australia’s best and brightest lens men and women, asking them to show us Gage Roads from their perspective.
Next up in our series is Maegan Brown. Maegan moved from Perth to Melbourne almost 3 years ago. After working as a graphic designer for the last six years, she took a break to slow down, step away from the screen to pursue other creative avenues and explore more parts of the world. Now living a balanced lifestyle, she gets to travel often, design at a freelance capacity, and spend more time and energy on other creative projects.
What is it that you do for work, outside of taking sweet photos?
I have a few different avenues of work at the moment – I’m freelancing in graphic design and am doing a bit of styling here and there for photoshoots. I also create fine art (photography) so I’m often busy preparing pieces for interior designers and architects. It’s a good diverse mix and keeps things interesting.
You’ve been working within the creative industry for a while now, how do you like it?
I love it, I’ve had the opportunity to work across a few different creative fields (advertising, branding, packaging, styling, VM etc) so I’m constantly learning and meeting new people.
You’re currently living in Melbourne, what’s your favourite activity to do around town?
I actually prefer to get out of town! It’s so easy to escape the city here, within a 1 – 3 hour drive you can be in the snow or a rainforest. I have a favourite camping spot in Apollo Bay and the drive along the Great Ocean Road to get there is so nice.
How long have you been shooting stuff?
I travelled a lot with family growing up and have visited really interesting parts of the world. I was 14 when I started to shoot and document these adventures. I wanted to share how beautiful and fascinating these new places and cultures were. This prompted me to study photography at uni and I haven’t put the camera down since!
Do you scout locations, or simply wing it?
A bit of both. I’m always scouting new locations and places to visit, but when I’m shooting it’s always spontaneous.
Out of the lot, which is your favourite and why?
I’d have to go with the one of the two guys paddling out on their surf boards. I like this shot for its simplicity and stillness. Although a familiar scene, the infinite horizon and minimal composition makes it feel different and a little eerie.
What elements do you look for in your environment to create a great photo?
This changes depending on the type of mood I want to create, but I’m naturally drawn to minimal compositions and look for ways to capture a sense of calm. I love vast landscapes, textures and noticing things that might usually go unnoticed.
Most of your shots are of beautiful landscapes, do you also enjoy shooting urban landscapes?
I like shooting architecture and portraits in an urban setting. I prefer shooting landscapes for personal work though, mostly because it means I get to travel somewhere and that’s exciting.
Where’s on the bucket list of places to shoot, and why?
I love travelling to places that throw me out of my comfort zone – lesser known or harder to get to locations where the environment is dramatic and the landscape seems untouched from civilisation. I’d love to shoot Greenland one day, that place looks unreal. Storytelling can become so much more powerful when shooting in these conditions.
