Above: Australian entertainers, Hamish and Andy photographed using my classic 4 light setup. When I was a kid, if someone asked me “And what do you want to do when you grow up Gina?” my answer was always the same. “I’m going to be an artist.” I always got the same response, a small knowing smile, that I interpreted as “Wow, how cool. Everyone should be an artist. It’s like, the best thing ever!” It wasn’t until I was in my mid-to-late teens that well-meaning friends and family started to comment on my career choice. “Yes, but what are you going to do to make money dear? Art isn’t a real job. It’s a hobby.” Or… “Don’t become an artist, you’ll end up starving in a garret.” This confused me because I didn’t know what a garret was. (It’s a small living space, like an attic.) Luckily for me, I’m a rebel...
Above: Siracusa,Sicily, Canon 5D MK111 F4@1/1000th sec Love this quote! “The one thing you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can. The moment that you feel that just possibly you are walking down the street naked… that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.” – Neil Gaiman, Make Good Art
Above: Old school Yashica edited in Lightroom using a preset from my Black and White preset collection. There are many bargains available online when buying used camera gear, but always do your research before you part with your hard earned cash so you don’t end up with someone else’s junk. 1. Safety Beware of shonky dealers. Check their online rating and feedback and where possible try and meet them in person. Trust your gut. Ask questions like: What was the camera used for?Where and how was it stored?Are you the first owner?Why are you selling?Any mould, scratches, chips on the lens or sensor? 2. Check under the hood. Ask about how many actuations the camera has (this is a fancy way of saying shutter clicks). The shutter clicks (actuations) on a camera tell you how many times it has been used, much like the kms or miles a car has...
Above: I photographed the Colosseum in Rome at sunrise using my 5DMK111 ISO 400 @ 1/1000th sec F4 “Follow your heart but take your brain with you.” – Anon An artist and a scientist walk into a bar. The scientist carefully studies the wine list and chooses a wine based on all the data he is given, including the region the grapes are grown in, the history of the wineries and the reviews of each bottle. The artist orders the same bottle the people on a nearby table are drinking because that’s exactly what he feels like. I believe the way a photographer orders wine, or chooses anything in life, is directly related to how they approach their photography, and the way a photographer works, influences the way their work is perceived. The photographer that orders like a scientist is guaranteed to always take consistently good photos. There is very little...
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” –Maya Angelou
Above: The Footy Show Cast / Courtesy Nine Network Australia Here is a really simple way to make photos look old and worn using photoshop. I created this image as part of a promotion for the Nine Network’s coverage of the Ashes. The cast of the footy show had dressed up as cricketers from last century and I wanted to make the image look old and worn too. Here’s how I did it in three easy steps. 1. Start with a colour image you would like to turn into an old worn image and convert it to a Black and White image Image>adjust>Black and White 2. Make or download a textured background. I bought mine from a stock library but you could easily wrinkle a piece of textured card and stain it with an iron and coffee. 3. Open both the black and white image and the textured paper image...
Above: Image by Gina Milicia It was thirty years ago this week that I made the decision to become a photographer. To make it official I went out and got business cards printed that said: Gina MiliciaPhotographer … and my home phone number. I then spent the next 30 years making it up as I went along. It’s been a roller coaster of a ride and I’ve loved every minute of it but there have been times when I doubted my decision and wondered if I was really any good, or would be better off “getting a real job”. Starting out is never easy and, sometimes, all we really need is someone to tell us to keep going. It’s worth it and everything is going to be ok. So I decided to write my younger photographer a letter and share some of the things I know for sure now –...
Above: Image by Gina Milicia “Inside of me, there are two dogs. One is mean and evil, and the other is good, and they fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins I answer, the one I feed the most.” – Sitting Bull Imagine if you invited guests into your home and they spent the whole time reminding you about all the mistakes you’ve made in your life and telling you not to attempt a new challenge because it’s too tricky and you will probably fail. I call these house guests “Worry” and “Fear” and the home they visit is my mind. They swagger in uninvited, put their feet up on my furniture, and eat all my Nutella. I hate them, hate how small they make me feel, but at 3am when my defences are down they sneak into my mind, wake me up and proceed to scare...
Above: Image by Gina Milicia “We live in a world of images. Images have replaced language — and reading. The responsibility to your role in history in whatever is going to happen to human beings— you are the new writers. And we can no longer be sloppy about what we do with a camera. You have this weapon in your hands which is a camera, and it is going to teach the world, it’s going to record the world, it is going to explain to the world and to the children that are coming — what this world was like. It is an incredible responsibility.” – Richard Avedon
Gina Milicia is one of the most widely known and respected photographers in Australia. She is the master of capturing that ‘magical moment’... READ MORE
