Describe yourself in ten words …
Creative, intense, honest, silly, heartfelt, mindful, juvenile, loving, blessed, courageous.

What influences and inspires your work?
I believe there’s more amazing, inspiring content being produced today than ever before. There’s a constant stream of inspiration coming from every corner of the globe and it’s so accessible. For me, I love being exposed to this on a daily basis, but I find the biggest influence comes from nature.

You’ve captured some incredible moments and people – what’s been your favourite subject to shoot?
A portrait image of my grandpa is certainly one of my favourites. For me, it’s really about my connection to the subject. Whether it’s a person or a place, my favourite pieces always have an emotive aspect to it. When we deeply care about something, it shows.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
My first real aspiration as a child was to be a special effects artist. I think this formed the basis for my love of visual intoxication.

What first drew you to photography and videography?
My initial fascination with photography was drawn from the idea that I could push a button on a camera and some time later I was able to look upon that moment in a new way – a photo! Regardless of whether an image is still or moving, both have the capacity to ignite an emotive response, and this continues to be a great exploration for me today.

Can you remember your first paid project?
I think the first paid project I did was a wedding, which I charged about $200 for. That was so long ago!

What was your biggest challenge when breaking in to the industry?
Staying in the industry! After an initial three to four years of photography, I became completely obsessed with rock climbing, so much so that I ended up selling all of my camera gear to buy climbing gear. This of course led to a very long and enjoyable career in the climbing industry, before returning at a later date to photography. Both have played a significant role in where I am today.

You joined the Breeder team last year. Can you share some of the projects you’ve been working on?
Joining the crew at Breeder has been nothing short of awesome! I feel lucky to be collaborating with an incredibly diverse team of creatives to produce inspiring content. A highlight from 2013 has been all the love our Analogue/Digital titles received. It went on to win Desktop’s Create for Motion award and the Australian Production Design Guild award for Title Design – and we’re also a finalist in SXSW’s Excellence in Title Design category to be announced in a couple of weeks, which is insane! Through the massive exposure generated from Analogue/Digital, we had the absolute pleasure of working closely with Patrick Clair from Antibody on the titles for the latest HBO series, True Detective. It’s been a crazy 12 months and I couldn’t be prouder of what Breeder has achieved.

What’s next for the studio?
We’ve kicked the year off with some great projects, including a new showreel soon to be released alongside our new website, as well as our third title sequence for Analogue/Digital 2014. Not to mention our good buddies at Josephmark – we have some really exciting projects coming up based in LA, so a lot is going on and that’s how we like it.

If you could photograph any person or place in the world, what would be your dream project?
Antarctica has been top of my list for a while.

If you could give your teenage self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Travel sooner.

You’ve worked in photography and videography for more than a decade, what’s the greatest lesson you’ve learnt so far?
A little faith can go a long way. I’ve always done my best to do what I love. At times I’ve found this extremely difficult and doubted myself a lot, but if I stay committed to doing what I love, the doubt and uncertainty will dissolve and in its place emerges the good stuff – the rewards for risks taken. I’m continually learning this lesson.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
Creating Urban Climb was definitely a career highlight for me. But outside of work, my biggest achievements have been finding love, making wonderful friends and experiencing parts of the world and myself that I could never have imagined.

How do you define ‘success’?
The extent to which we exceed our own expectations. Success should never be measured against anyone or anything other than what is true for ourselves.

Who are some other local creatives we should keep an eye on?
As always, Brissie is bursting with rad talent. There’s so much happening in so many areas it’s hard to keep up! Kevin Finn of The Sum Of is doing some really cool things with DESIGNerd, and Brodie Rocca, who’s a young director we’ve been working with of late, is also making waves and is worth keeping an eye on.

What are you listening to at the moment?
I’m really digging Alabaster. He’s the amazing artist who writes the tracks for Analogue/Digital’s opening titles and we’ve had the pleasure of working with him again this year. His beats are sublime.

What are you reading?
I’ve recently joined the Substation Book Club with some pals from work, and although my attendance has been a bit slack, I’ve managed to read a couple of great books: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

You’re a keen rock climber – where are some of your favourite local spots?
I think my favourite local crag would have to be Frog Buttress. It’s where I learnt to climb, and while I certainly don’t get out there as often as I used to, I have very fond (terrifying) memories of this magical place.

What are your essentials for a well-spent weekend?
Sunshine, friends and great food.

What are your words of wisdom?
Never stop playing!

Only a Brisbane local would know … the only place to get Rainbow beer on tap is The End.

FAVOURITE WEEKEND SPOT TO:
Perk up … Ugees, West End.
Relax … Camping, Broken Head.
Dine … Chop Chop Chang’s, West End.
Indulge … Gerard’s Bistro, Fortitude Valley.
Shop … Presents of Mind, Paddington.
Catch-up … The End, West End.
Be inspired … Gallery of Modern Art, South Bank.