Commercial Photography by Rod Pilbeam
Shannon and I would like to welcome to the world Lucy Agnes Pilbeam, born 1st of November 2020. She is a happy little bundle of joy and light of our lives and we love her! She has been the source of a lot of inspiration recently and it would be a shame not to share the photos.
It is October 2020, a long time between updates and I apologise for that. What a confusing time we have all been through! I feel like writing a summary of the year already, in the vain hope that it may bring on December sooner. My experience of 2020 so far..
Everything was going well until March, that was when the calendar cleared out and the phone went silent. I busied myself with projects around the house which included construction of a small garage dark-room. It’s ok, needs a bit of work to completely black out though and it’s already on the backburner now.
I’ve been rewiring and restoring some old film lights. Shooting video is a service I have provided for my clients a few times over the years. While I haven’t been chasing that kind of work specifically, it has been fun to dabble in. Up until now I have been restricted to ambient lighting only, and I hope to have a few more tools in the kit for the next video shoot. Nothing can quite replace the light from a tungsten fresnel, and some of these have been sourced from the famous Culver Studios in LA.
Another way I have been adapting to the slowing market through Covid is by helping friends and family to sell their cars. My iconic and beloved Suzuki van has been moved on and replaced with an old BMW. I’ve spent more time under it than actually driving it but I hope to change that soon.
The phone is starting to ring again, and I have had additional shoots here and there with Matt Hsu and Owen Smith that I’ve been itching to share with you. I will update the site now with some fresh photos. As always, make sure you click through for the full galleries!
This year has been frustrating and painful for a lot of us, but living in Queensland has admittedly made it easier. I really feel for all of my Melbourne friends in lock down, and if you’re reading this, stay strong and stay healthy and we’ll get through this. Love and miss you all!
PS. My wife Shannon and I will have some exciting news to share in the coming days, stay tuned!
After almost 4 years living in Melbourne, I have made the move back to Brisbane to be closer to family. I’m going to miss all my Melbourne friends and clients so much, the amazing food and public radio. Looking forward to what the future has in store. Bring on 2019!
Carmel Gohar and I have become good friends during my tenure at Decent Exposure.
She is a master at finding props, an expert chef and has a fantastic eye for styling.
Our themed shoots are always a lot of fun and we have lots of ideas for the future – stay tuned!
You can contact Carmel through her website here.
In late 2016 I collaborated with Cassie Byrnes on her latest Variety Hour look book and only just found the time to make a post about it – slack, I know. These thrillz certainly aren’t daily are they.
Cassie and I spent a day in Decent Exposure creating her background mural from scratch, and knocked over the shoot the next day. Not a bad way to spend a weekend. 🙂
The collection is called Mesozoic Garden and I think it’s her best work yet. That girl is truly an inspiration!
Check out the making of video below and you can find the rest of the pics here.
Gondwanaland is the latest instalment of Cassie Byrne’s personal label – Variety Hour. I’ve worked with Cassie a few times now, she is a fellow QLDer and we’ve been mates for years. She has been extra busy lately and everyone from Kuwaii to Country Road have been keen to get their hands on her unique patterns and designs. Shooting her latest range of products was a blur of painting backgrounds and creating sets, all in one day at Decent Exposure Studios. Her natural flair for styling and knack for colour pallets really shows in the photos, which can be seen on a Design Files post this week.
Thanks Cassie, I’m really looking forward to see what you come up with next as it will no doubt be inspiring.
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited to shoot Ellaspede’s 2015 Dust Hustle in Brisbane. The Dust Hustle is the second running of the anything goes, dirt track event and had at least doubled in size since last year. Spectators were treated to all kinds of sideways action from scooters and minibikes to Harley Davidsons and specially modified machines including a practice bike from the latest installation of Mad Max. Pics can be found here and in this month’s issue of Just Bikes magazine. Bring on 2016!
I now work out of Decent Exposure photographic studio in Prahran! A unique warehouse with 3 cycs, a daylight studio and lots of interesting walls and textures. It has been a Melbourne photographic icon for decades. Check out the website here. It is an amazing space and I can’t wait to shoot there. 🙂
After spending a quarter of a lifetime in Brisbane, it was time for something different. I have visited Melbourne a number of times over the years and always loved it for its thriving design community and inspired cuisine. So I packed up my stuff, said goodbye to my friends and made the drive across two states. In some ways it feels like a chance for a fresh start. I have been living in Fitzroy North for two weeks now and haven’t looked back. Here’s to new beginnings!
University can be a scary place when you first arrive. I can’t imagine how much more difficult it would be when you’re in a foreign country. That why I enjoy shooting for the IES Foundation Year. It’s a great program and there is always a happy, friendly vibe around the campus. Congratulations to all the students who graduated today. 🙂
