“Dave, It is inspiring to meet someone so willing to follow their creativity. Keep doing it. You will succeed. All my Best.”
Russell was kind enough to write a few words in my copy of Angels.
Hi all, hope you've been well! So March and April have seen me super busy and travelling between Brisbane and Sydney and even as far as Western Australia (Perth & Margaret River) to do some shooting, and attend a technical workshop with one of my photographer inspirations, Victoria's Secret Photographer Russell James at Emergence Creative Festival in Margaret River, WA.
It was rather surreal for me to meet someone that's been on my vision board for some time, and in true Dave style, I don't even have a single photo of Russell or myself to remember the workshop, although he was kind enough to sign my Angels book with an inspiring message.
A few key take-aways from spending time with someone that's gone from apprentice metal worker, to police constable, to ultimately living in NYC and shooting for the likes of Victoria's Secret, Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. Russell:
- has worked hard and hustled hard to be where he is today, in the beginning getting down to zero dollars in the bank, and saving up each time to travel to NYC to show his book,
- is true to his creative craft, shooting what inspires him,
- builds relationships with the people that he works with,
- gives back to the causes that matter to him such as preservation of indigenous cultures,
- assisted many of the greats such as Mario Sorrenti & Patrick Demarchelier,
- jokes that his first assistants are renowned for being poached by Mario Testino,
- when delivering a job to clients he prints his work on 20x24" 500gsm fine art paper to demonstrate realization of his vision and suggested grading,
- admits that sometimes the team is flown to St Barts, only to shoot in a doorway ... in St Barts (wouldn't that be nice! :)
In all, it was just a really nice experience to be around someone that operates at a creative and energetic level that encapsulates the lofty goals that I have for my life.
Hopefully some of this will inspire you to follow your dreams, no matter how silly they may seem to anyone else. You want it? Work hard. Go get it.
folio updates ~ daveblake.com.au
