Outdoor Photography

18 Outdoor Photography February 2018

The reason for this rhetorical question is that

despite his enviable success as a professional

photographer, gallery owner and book

publisher, Christian is constantly aware of the

tension between what he wants to shoot as an

artist and what he needs to shoot to maintain

a sustainable business model based on sales of

his work. He says that over the two decades he’s

been doing this as a full-time pro, he’s developed

an unscientifi c hunch for what sells. ‘It tends

to be those pictures that remind people of the

Australia they are familiar with.’ He’s talking

about those beach shots where the sand is coral

white, the sea is royal blue and the sky is, well,

sky blue. ‘You can’t blame people for wanting

that, but it drives me a bit insane, because there

is so much interesting stuff to choose from.’

But, by recognising that the customer is

always right, Christian has reached a good-

natured compromise. ‘You earn the right to do

what you want to do by doing stuff that you

don’t.’ He’s very careful to explain that he has

a strongly positive attitude towards the clients

that put the dollars in his bank, but he also

needs to express himself. So, over the years he

has left the business side of the arrangement

to – at various times – his assistants, brother,

wife...anyone but himself. ‘I’m a terrible

businessman. If I was left to my own devices

I’d go out and blow the cash on every shiny

new toy there was.’

Despite being reined in on the capital

expenditure front by his business managers,

Christian did manage to get the funds released

for his Phase One medium format digital

camera, which by any yardstick is a considerable

Above Bilbunya dunes, south coast of West Aust ralia.

Opposite Spinifex-covered hills, Karijini National Park, Pilbara, West Aust ralia.

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