The Eleventh Soldier

Sometimes photographs are unplanned and unpredictable. And sometimes portrait subjects spring from left field. The unobservant photographer often misses these opportunities. Here is an unusual link between mother and son. A small dose of initiative has provided lifelong memories and friendships.

Dale Jackson

In 2006 I organised two teams of photographers to shoot stills on the set of the war fim The Eleventh Soldier written and directed by Perth boy Danny Parry. Fourteen acres were laboriously transformed into an Australian military base in Vietnam. A dozen buildings were constructed, sandbags filled, barbed wire strung out and a virtual army assembled on a property near Forrestfield.

One of the young soldiers I photographed looked as though he was still school age, much like some of our WW1 veterans. Coincidentally, he bore my name, Dale. Another soldier posed for me after succumbing to war wounds in the field of battle. Despite the fact it was 'just a movie' being on the set had a profound effect on me, especially the address to the troops before they headed into battle. The address was delivered by a real Vietnam vet and had a chillingly realistic ring to it.

Pam Pettit Jackson 

Danny Parry

I was fortunate enough to get an invite to the premiere of The Eleventh Soldier at the Astor Theatre. As a guest I engaged paparazzi to photograph the guests. Among the glitterati one woman stood out.  An attractive, poised brunette who glided in the crowd. She was there to see her son Dale on the big screen. Two weeks later, as I reviewed the proofs I spotted her image and invited her to be a portrait subject for my UWA Portrait Workshop. Her name was Pam Pettit Jackson .

Since the movie premiere Pam has modelled for my students a number of times. Pam and I have also embarked on a number of unusual photographic projects together and in 2013 Pam won the WA chapter of the ABC's Miss Fisher contest and was runner-up nationally. Pam is a dyed-in-the wool Collingwood supporter, a successful professional model for Chadwicks and still manages to flit off to Paris to celebrate special occasions. More than anything else Pam wins the prize for coming up with the most creative visual ideas for photo shoots of any model I've ever photographed.

oOo

To see what Photography Workshops I'm running at UWA Extension click HERE.
To Book a Portrait Shoot at FACEZ Studio  for you and your family with Dale, Tom or Angelique enquire HERE.

Seven Year Hitch

Seven years and eleven cancelled appointments.

I'd almost given up, but not quite.

On the twelfth appointment I was expecting a cancellation and that meant I could go for my river bike ride and a macchiato in the strip in Fremantle. But this time Helen showed up complete with her mandolin ........ almost ready to be photographed. I say almost because I sensed her anxiety level was a tad higher than normal.  I guess if someone had postponed their visit to the dentist or accountant eleven times they might be anxious. As soon as I fired off the first half dozen shots I descended the staircase and let Helen look at this image on the camera screen.

I first met Helen in July 2001 when she joined a portrait workshop at UWA Extension. Although I demonstrate portrait techniques during the workshop I make a practice of never offering to photograph students outside class. In Helen's case she asked for a portrait and I happily agreed. But it wasn't until April 2008  that we made an image together. It was a case of sympatico on hold for seven years.

In those seven years Helen and I chatted several times. Appointments were made, appointments were postponed.  In that time I learned two things about Helen. First, that she was one of the most interesting and disarmingly honest and down to earth women I had ever met. Something of a rarity these days. I always felt totally relaxed chatting around Helen. Armed with dark sense of humour and sharp intellect the conversation was always energetic and inviting. Fortunately, our politics were in congruence.  Helen also demonstrated a  strong sense of heritage and a dedication to family. Her frankness was refreshing and invigorating. With Helen I learned that I was dealing with a genuine human being and a proud Australian.

The second thing I learned about Helen was that I had sort of met my match in terms of story telling. People often comment on the fluent nature of the stories I tell and interweave with my photographs. Helen had an uncanny ability  and relate a story to take me from a relaxed state and keep me on the edge of my seat for half an hour.

But perhaps the major revelation was in the shoot itself on 13 April 2008.
When I reached the bottom of the staircase after just five minutes shooting Helen looked nervous. She  immediately focused on the image I showed her. I think I saw a slight glistening in her eyes, then a small sigh of  relief.
She quietly whispered 'I never realised I would look this good'.

I knew from July 2001 that she would look that good. Helen realxed immediately and the rest of the shoot was a breeze.

Entries to the 2017 Fremantle International Portrait Prize close on Friday 11 August. Click HERE for details.

Cloud Walker

Thirty years ago at Easter 1985, assisted by wife Margaret  I carried an English steel tripod, a Pentax 67 medium format camera, three lenses and three rolls of Fuji Provia 120 film to the top of Mount Toolbrunup in teh Stirling Ranges

We also carried our sleeping bags and a  ground sheet and food for the evening. My first surprise was the top of Toolbrunup is not flattish like Bluff Knoll but pointy with no real room to camp. There was not enough space to erect our tent so we pulled our sleeping bags under the low bushes for protection from wind and moisture.

I'd planned this carefully, studying the locations of landforms and lakes and the magnetic direction of the sunrise. In particular I wanted to include Bluff Knoll in any landscape I was hoping to get the sunrise reflecting in the lakes. Male a plan and God is sure to have his say and provide you with a few challenges.

I was awake before dawn and snuggled into my down bag listening to small birds telling me it was time to get up. When I did expose my body to the mountain chill  I saw to my disdainthere was no sunrise or lakes. The nocturnal cloud bank covered the entire scene. I stood, as in those religious biblical paintings, like Jesus in a sea of clouds.

Margaret declined to leave her sleeping bag despite my rapture about the scene. I laid on my stomach, shivering and took a frame of the cloud bank on the Pentax. The audible clunk sounded like a gunshot in the wilderness. Bluff Knoll poked his dark mysterious head through the cotton wool clouds. I drifted into a world of my own. Here alone on a mountain top with just my camera. The ache in my legs and back meant nothing for this experience.

I learned that what you get in life is sometimes not what you aimed for. It may be better or perhaps not as good. But its important to have an aim and to strive.

Mount Toolbrunup at 3451 feet is the second highest mountains in the Stirling Ranges.

Learn Landscape Techniques, Depth of Field, steepened perspective and aperture priority control in Practical Photography (Intermediate) at UWA Extesnion.

footnote: After scrambling over scree on the descent to the park we invited the wrath of the Park Ranger. We had left son and daughter alone in their own little tent for the night to fare for themselves. The ranger viewed them as 'abandoned' children and us as irresponsible parents. Margaret and I thought we were extending their education and preparing them for life. Little wonder they both ended up working for Outward Bound Australia!