frmefest 25’

I arrived at FRMEFEST with zero intention of shooting — just to breathe and reset after a week on set. The plan was simple: enjoy the talks, play around with gear, and soak in creative energy.

Vérité has a way of pulling you back in though.

Observation eventually turned to instinct, and instinct into momentum. This became a spontaneous study in chaos, craft, and human energy.

When the eye switches back on, the present turns into a story.

This was almost exclusively captured on the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II.

Being an event — and staying true to my vérité ethos — I leaned on the 70-200 to keep distance between the subject and I. This allowed me to weave in and out of booths without intrusion.

Most of this was created around the studio lighting setups scattered throughout the event.

This gallery revolves around the details most other attendees weren’t focused on.

Candid expressions, gestures, and small moments that subtly tell the viewer “this is surrounded by studio lights and cameras.'“

You’ll notice that the subject is rarely looking directly at the camera.

With creatives running the booths, the lighting was naturally cinematic — lots of short-lit setups with smooth roll-off.

It didn’t take much to make the photos flattering. The contrast generally leaned into crushed blacks, and a smooth highlight-roll off, creating a filmic look.

My vérité approach meant leaning into the “behind-the-scenes” look — sometimes showing the studio lighting in the background to keep things truthful.

As mentioned earlier, this project was intended to carry a subtle “behind-the-scenes” quality.

I intentionally used foreground and background elements to reinforce the idea of “lights, camera, action.”

The aesthetic was chosen to showcase the emerging creative community of Australia — and to think a little outside the box.

In an era where UGC creators, influencers, and hype-edits dominate our attention spans, it’s becoming easier than ever to drown out the quieter stories.

This set was my attempt to capture FRMEFEST from a vérité, human-first angle — showcasing community, curiosity, and culture in a way that felt honest and unpolished. This event revealed the quiet generosity of creatives — teaching, listening, learning, helping.

My approach was simple: focus on the details most people wouldn’t be capturing.

Shoulders of other shooters in the foreground, studio lighting in the background, the creatives themselves, the keynote speakers — the small rituals, gestures, and transitions that reveal the character of an event.

I wanted to honour the essence of what happens behind the spectacle.

This shoot reinforced my ability to extract emotion from chaos — a skill which translates directly to my work. It sharpened my eye and Vérité ethos — consistently searching for those micro-details, and perspectives others might overlook.

Look deeper, look outward, and focus in again.