The Perfect Christmas Gift

If you are looking for the perfect gift for Christmas, why not come down to the Photo Studio for a family portrait?
As well as being award winning fashion and commercial photographers, the Photo Studio specialises in getting great pictures of families and kids. North loves working with kids and babies to get those special shots that you will treasure forever.

The Photo Studio offers a range of great packages, and don't forget that beautiful family portraits can make great gifts for grandparents and family members that live overseas. You can come into the studio to get fantastic pictures that will be with your family for years, and at the same time pick up a range of smaller pictures that are just perfect as gifts and mementos.

If you have young children, make sure that you book in for gorgeous family portraits so that you can have amazing pictures of your children at that age that you can look back on for years to come. Kids grow up so fast, and with a family portrait session at the Photo Studio, you will have a lasting image to treasure.

Not only will a family portrait session give you beautiful images of your family, but they are also great fun! North and the Photo Studio crew truly believe in capturing the moment, and they like to make family photo shoots fun and lively affairs. Everyone, from the youngest tyke to the grandparents invariably end up getting involved, not only in the family photo shoot itself, but also looking through the pictures from the day, picking their favourites and deciding what kind of look they would like applied by our Photoshop experts. So don't delay, book yourself a fun family portrait session at the Photo Studio today!

Glebe's 150th birthday celebrations are finishing up in just a couple of days, so if you haven't yet, make sure you check out the outdoor photography exhibits. The large outdoor portraits, taken by Tom Psomotragos and our own North Sullivan, have been printed out on 1600mm x 1000mm canvas sheets and displayed throughout Glebe for the month. Hurry though, you only have a couple more days to tour the 'Glebe outdoor gallery' before the pictures come down on the 28th of November.

Fashion Weekend Summer with the Photo Studio

The Photo Studio, armed with our mobile studio and contingent of photographers and photo editors, returned to Fashion Weekend, determined to make it as big a success as last time.

North and the crew are old hands at Fashion Weekend now, and it's always great to check out the excitement and buzz of the event. We took a lot of great portraits over the weekend, and it was really rewarding to see the joy and amazement on some people's faces when they saw what we could do in just ten minutes.

We partnered up once more with Fashion Weekend and Vivien's Model Management for the Face of Fashion Weekend Summer competition. Everyone who entered went into the draw to win a professional magazine style model portfolio worth $2000, plus the chance to be represented by Vivien's, internationally recognised as Australia's leading modeling agency.

The Photo Studio booth was the place to be over the weekend, buzzing with models, mums and many more. We had interviewers for Channel V and Unseen TV come down to check out the action, and even they couldn't resist getting involved, jumping in front of the camera for photoshoots of their own.

We are giving away thousands of dollars worth of prizes from the weekend, and the chances to win don't stop with the weekend! Not only are we giving away a $2000 professional modeling portfolio which includes a 2 hour studio photo shoot with Make-up & Hair, Wardrobe Styling and prints, but all of the pictures we took over the weekend will go up online on our website. You can log on to register and vote for your favourite, and the person who receives the most votes will win the People's Choice Award, a professional magazine style photo shoot valued at $1000. If that's not enough, one lucky voter will receive a 2 hour Magazine Style Photo Session valued at $450. The session also includes makeup, hair styling and wardrobe direction, and a voucher for $100 to go towards any portrait package.
We are also giving away a huge amount of runner up prizes, including photo sessions, hair, makeup and styling, and vouchers for prints and portrait packages, so make sure that you go online to vote for your chance to win!

It was also exciting this week to see one of North's photographs spread across the top of a highway. Qantas have decided to reuse one of North's most enduring and iconic photographs, that of the Children's Choir performing on top of the Great Wall of China. The image was shot back in 1998 and has since become one of the most well known symbols for Qantas. It has been seen all around the world in Qantas advertising campaigns, and can now be seen adorning a bridge along Military Road in Neutral Bay. And remember, if you would like to have your portrait taken by perhaps Australia's most respected advertising photographer, all you have to do is get in touch with the Photo Studio!

We understand that sometimes it can be difficult or intimidating deciding how to prepare when coming in for a portrait session here at the Photo Studio. We encourage everyone to come with a few different outfits, and various looks and styles, so we can try a few different things and come up with a whole range of great photographs for you.
If you're interested in learning how to dress for success, not only for your portrait session but for the rest of your life, the Photo Studio recommends that you have a look at Izziana Image Consultants.
Izziana was started by two sisters who believe that image plays an important part in our overall happiness and confidence. They are keen to share their knowledge and experiences on how to look good and feel good without undergoing radical body surgery. They are passionate about assisting individuals to enhance their personal image and confidence through their fashion style.
If you are after a fabulous outfit for your photo shoot but you are not sure what to wear, don’t despair. There are many different clothing styles and colours to choose from so it can be difficult to know how to select the most flattering ones for you. The advice given to you by Izziana Image is designed to last your lifetime and will benefit you not only for your photo shoot but in every aspect of your life. Izziana Image Consultants provide Image and Style consultations that are tailored specifically to each individual to help you look your best and be confident with who you are. They give you the tools to define your style, increase your confidence and shop with authority.
We recommend that you start with their Colour Analysis and Style Workshops to instantly gain an understanding on the clothing colours and styles that best suit you. This is information that you can use immediately to update your image and wardrobe. Check out their website to find out more information on how they can help you.

150 Locals for Glebe

The end of October saw the start of an exciting new exhibition - a collaboration between our own North Sullivan and portrait photographer Tom Psomotragos. North and Tom, as respected artists as well as proud Glebe residents, were approached by the Glebe Chamber of Commerce to commemorate the suburb's 150th birthday. They hit on the idea to do this through 150 portraits of locals, displayed throughout Glebe both inside and out.

The range of photographs reflect the vibrancy and diversity of the suburb, with the portrait subjects ranging from artist and musician Reg Mombassa (top) to Sister Xavier from Saint Scholastica's College (above) and local personality Mitch the Bike Man (below). The portraits were printed on large canvasses and displayed at nearly sixty locations throughout Glebe, including public parks and spaces, cafes, and building facades. Over one hundred of the portraits will be displayed outside throughout Glebe, transforming the suburb into an outdoor art gallery for the month.

150 Locals will run from October 24 to November 28, so if you haven't seen it yet, make sure you head to Glebe to check it out. You can download the official map from the Glebe website. This exhibition was created not only to celebrate the suburb's 150th birthday, but also to kick off the Glebe Chamber of Commerce's new initiative - the Grand Tour Gallery. The idea is to take art out of the galleries and onto the streets, providing a forum for Australian photographers to showcase their work and allowing people to view great photography outside of a conventional setting.

North and Tom began shooting for the project last December, and although it has taken almost a year to come to fruition, North is very happy with the results. 150 Locals was launched here at the Photo Studio on October 22. The studio was packed out with an eclectic mix of Glebe locals and photography fans, here to view portraits, including those of artist John Ogburn (below) and pianist Bridie King (above), who performed on the evening.

The evening was a great success, and we look forward to seeing what the Glebe Chamber of Commerce cooks up for the Grand Tour Gallery in the future. In the meantime, 150 Locals will continue exhibiting throughout Glebe until the 28th of November, so if you have a chance you should definitely check it out for yourself.

A week in Wolgan Valley

North and the Photo Studio crew just got back from eight days doing a commercial photo shoot for Emirates' new resort in the Blue Mountains. The $2000 per night 6-star resort and spa has every luxury imginable, but is unique in being Australia's first conservation led resort.
Is it any wonder that with such an exciting project, Emirates wanted the very best that Australia has to offer? The Photo Studio, voted Sydney's best, was the only option. North's philosophy of using the camera to reflect 'the Art of You' extends to multimillion dollar developments as well as individuals. Over the eight days the Photo Studio spent in Wolgan Valley, the crew took an astounding array of photos that show the breath taking scenery of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.


Despite the high profile of this campaign, the Photo Studio kept the shoot a family affair. Tim and Lisa Ditchfield are a young couple that we took some family portraits with around 18 months ago. The images of Tim, Lisa and their young children were some of our favourite family photographs. We've had one great family photo of the four of them, plus the family dog, hanging in the front office of The Photo Studio for a while.
Here at The Photo Studio, we like to form great relationships with our clients. We believe that to get really great photos that reflect 'the Art of You' we need to work together with our clients and form a relationship that we can base great family and individual portraits on. So when we needed a couple to come and stay at a luxury resort for a week, we gave our old friends the Ditchfields a call. Tim and Lisa loved the chance to stay in the resort before it officially opens later this month, and also loved the chance to be professional models again - something they had been missing since The Photo Studio last took their family portraits eighteen months earlier!

The whole weeks worth of photography was a Photo Studio family affair, with the shoot's stylist and several other models all being a part of the extended Photo Studio family. North refelcted that he could think of worse ways to spend a week than shooting gorgeous photos amidst incredible scenery while surrounded with good friends.

Introducing your photographers - North Sullivan

We like to think here at the Photo Studio that what makes us different from a lot of other commercial photography studios is the relationship that we form with our clients. As North has told us time and time again, the Photo Studio is about 'the Art of You'. That means that our job, as photographers, producers and editors is to work together with the client to create something that they are truly happy with, something that really represents them.
Well, we think that can go both ways, so over the coming few months you'll see some mini biographies of the Photo Studio staff popping up on this blog. Seeing as North (above, with Erin Collett outside the studio in Glebe) is in the Blue Mountains at the moment photographing a campaign for Emirates, we thought we would take the opportunity to do a piece on him that he can't influence!

North has been a professional photographer for over thirty years. As one of Australia's most esteemed advertising photographers, he has been involved in some iconic campaigns, including the first Qantas Children's Choir photographs (see the blog entry on the subject below), the AMP Olympic Torch relay, launching the new GMC Envoy and many others.
Despite his famed commercial work, North also has a passion for photographing people, from the well known, such as Sydney intellectual, writer and radio personality, Phillip Adams, to the average person on the street, seen in his portraits of the Glebe Girls and Glebe Boys near the Photo Studio. His 2004 exhibition 'Local Heroes' celebrated the known and lesser known champions of the local Balmain community. He is currently executing a new series of portraits based around Glebe.

North has been a finalist two years running in the AGNSW Australian Photographic Portrait Prize and was a runner-up in SMH’s Shoot the Chef. North was responsible for founding The Australian Photographers’ Collection, is the past President of The Association of Australian Commercial and Media Photographers and was the inaugural Director of The Australian Photographers’ Gallery. He is currently Australia’s representative with the newly formed Imagery Alliance based in the USA.

North was just over a mile from Ground Zero on September 11, and took many powerful images in the days following. He founded one of Australia's most respected photography collections, the Fuji ACMP Australian Photographers' Collection and is also a guest lecturer on photography at The Art Gallery of NSW. Last but not least, North has the most modern tribute to his importance as a photographer and Sydney personality in the form of his own Wikipedia entry!

Lastly, the 'Face of the Baby Show' competition is up and running and we're starting to see the results come in. Everyone here at the Photo Studio has their favourite image, what's yours? Make sure you vote for your chance to win!
We would like to thanks all the families that came in to our mobile studio and took pictures with us over the Baby Show weekend. It was a huge success and we really enjoyed the energy and enthuasism which we got from the parents and babies. The fantastic expression and adorable smiles we got on the day made the whole experience very enjoyable for us here at the studio. With such a large number of entries it really is going to be a tough competition
Each entrant has the opportunity to take away the fabulous prize of an hour long fun-filled Magazine Style Studio Photo Shoot for the whole family. Plus 4 x A5 hand crafted fine art prints of your choice valued at over $1,200.
All you have to do is get your friends and family voting for you by the corresponding number on our image gallery.
The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges from our studio along with the organisers of The Baby Show. Also you are entered into the ‘Peoples Choice Award’ where you can get your friends and family to vote on line where you could both also win one of the additional free family Photo-Shoot Prize Packages.