10 Collectable Australian Photographers You Should Know
Collectable photography is sought after now more than ever. While it may be a fairly new medium compared to the likes of sculpture and painting, its presence in exhibitions, art fairs and homes is ever-increasing, mirroring its growth in popularity and prestige.
The ten collectable photographers below are no strangers to recognition in their craft. Whether it’s by their impressive number of exhibitions home and away, awards in various prestigious prizes, academic achievements or all of the above, these photographic artists are the perfect way to add fine art photography to your collection.
Ebony Finck: Photography Exploring Fragility
Untitled 1, Blue by Ebony Finck
Emerging photo media artist Ebony Finck has built her practice divided between Australia and the USA. What sets her work apart is its deep dive into the fragility of human existence and psyche. In this exploration, Ebony examines the transient nature of life and our emotional landscape via landscape, animal and human form.
Untitled 1, Juncture beautifully captures a tender moment with the subject.
With an Advanced Diploma in Photography and work exhibited around the world, including the National Portrait Gallery London and Copenhagen Photo Festival, Ebony’s work offers a delicate insight into a complex and thoughtful concept. Visit her Bluethumb profile for more of her exquisite work.
Ali Choudhry: Identity Intersected & Deconstructed
three bed, two bath, two and a half car garage. #B11 is part of a carousel of coloured frames of dolls’ clothing. The series comments on the detrimental effect corporate culture has had on a global scale. #B11 was Ali’s finalist entry to last year’s Bluethumb Art Prize.
The unique inter-sectional perspective from which Ali Choudhry works aims to answer two big questions: who are we, and what makes us, us? With photography shortlisted in the Incinerator Art Prize and the Bowness Prize, Ali’s body of work can be defined by its consistently clean, minimal composition and a selective use of colour and form. The individual facets of identity rarely exist exclusively; through a contemporary stance on photography, Ali Choudhry explores how these facets translate into our own personal stories.
“Identity isn’t a singular thing. It is all the little things which make you, YOU. It even includes things as small as, ‘What is your favourite kind of donut?'” Featured: DONUT Come for Me – Rainbow Swirl
Discover more of Ali Choudhry’s portfolio here.
Tim Allen: A Unique Perspective
The face behind the photos: Tim Allen
Melbourne-born and based aerial photographer Tim Allen finds alien and unusual vantage points to vistas close and far afield. At the core of his work, Tim’s primary aim of an image is to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Whether its execution is documenting society or reflecting consumer character, we can guarantee crisp, captivating perspectives throughout.
Tim Allen looks for shape, colour, tone, texture, repetition and pattern. Featured: Moving 4/9 (2015)
A little over two years ago, we spoke to Tim on his process and inspirations. Read the interview here, or see Tim’s collectable aerial series and updates on his Bluethumb profile.
Tim Allen’s more recent terrestrial landscapes are an unearthly twist to our world’s natural environment. Featured: Munga-Thirri 8/10
Brent Lukey: Documenting Australian Cityscapes
We’re big fans of Brent’s choice of attire, as well as his photography!
Becoming a finalist in last year’s Bluethumb Art Prize is just one of the many accolades Brent Lukey has under his belt. Residing in Melbourne, the architecture of the city and the lifestyle it’s known for come alive with a crisp documentary approach to his craft. Daily interactions become focal points that spark stories between people and the places they inhabit.
Those who experienced last year’s lockdowns will be familiar with the makeshift gyms and exercise areas. Essential Exercise, Garage Trampoline shows how even the space between the garage door and the street became a place for an hour’s movement!
Brent’s past subjects include a melange of characters, from politicians to spiritual leaders. He has been a finalist in the Moran Photographic Prize, the Perc Tucker Photographic Portrait Prize and the Australian Photography Awards.
The colours in this image are a sublime coincidence! Brent shows freedom and play in the quintessential Melbournian institution, the National Gallery of Victoria.
Keep up with Brent’s work by following his Bluethumb profile.
Stuart Chape: Collectable Aerial Landscapes
Finalist in the 2016 Bowness Photography Prize, Tonle Sap 1 is part of a series of the lake located in Cambodia.
Collectable environmental and social photographer Stuart Chape specialises in aerial landscapes, but often branches into documenting social issues and culture. The amount of awards he’s acquired over the years is an extensive list; including being a two-time finalist in the Bowness Photography Prize, a semi-finalist in the Moran Photographic Award and Head-On Photo Festival, and commended in the Sony World Photography Awards. His work has been in solo and group exhibitions in cities such as New York, Sydney, Mexico City and Paris, to name a few.
This aerial shot of a rock swimming pool near Sydney has been a finalist and winner in numerous Photography awards – and for good reason! What better way to escape to the coast than through such a well-composed image?
Stuart’s portfolio of breathtaking aerial viewpoints offer a skilful glimpse at life from an unusual perspective. See these for yourself on his Bluethumb profile.
Hugh Hamilton: Movement Meets Mystery
The motion in this photograph make the waves of Coogee beach feel lifelike! Featured: Rockpool Boys #3
Being a photographer for thirty years has taken Hugh Hamilton far and wide. His commercial work includes The Sydney Theatre Company and more recently The Sydney Dance Company and The Australian Ballet.
Air #1 was photographed for The Sydney Dance Company’s Production Air. Shot on film underwater, the shoot took two days to produce the imagery seen here.
Explore the ambiguity and mystery in Hugh’s art via his Bluethumb profile.
Alex Frayne: Storytelling Photography
Even Alex Frayne’s selfies are works of art!
South Australian photographer Alex Frayne began his love affair with film and images from his earliest school days. Having studied the medium at school and university, he’s been inseparable from it since.
Red Road is a one-off print, which makes it as unique as any original painting.
Alex’s work is a popular, candid take on the beauty of the banal and ordinary existence, and has been likened to the works of Stanley Kubrick and Jeffrey Smart. Each frame views with the power of a film still – a storyline that’s waiting to be indulged.
Celebration was Alex’s semi-finalist work in the 2019 Doug Moran Photographic Prize.
Discover more work by collectable photographer Alex Frayne here.
Concettina Inserra: A Collectable Photographer Exploring Self-Identity
Pole Street, 2000 was made in collaboration with visual artist, Lyndal Walker. It was inspired by the work, Vale St (1975) made by the late Australian photographer, Carol Jerrems.
Concettina Inserra keeps a discreet yet reputable profile as a collectable photographer. Since graduating from RMIT in 1996, Concettina has exhibited widely in various solo and group exhibitions at galleries around Melbourne, where she calls home. Self-identity and place are common themes within her work and are investigated through portraiture and landscape photography.
A collaborative piece with visual artist Nat Thomas, The Family, After Mirka, 2008 is an homage to Australian painter Mirka Mora and was inspired by an anecdote in her autobiography, My Life: Wicked but Virtuous.
View more of Concettina’s portfolio here.
Damian Seagar: Artistry in Harsh Australian Landscapes
Tarago Moonlight #1 by Damian Seagar is an 8 minute exposure on 35mm film.
Whereas newcomers to Australia might be enticed to show its gorgeous geographic features and national parks, New Zealander Damian Seagar veers towards the dramatic contrast in the country’s everyday landscape. “I want to take the viewer to places around the country they would not normally think of, or have the opportunity to go to,” Damian explains. “This is the reason I love to travel in the way I do; most of my favourite images are from places on roads not necessarily leading toward anywhere important.”
2 Trees in Gundagai is a painterly and beautifully composed image of these subjects in the afternoon sun, with a slow and solo-floating cloud passing by.
Now living in Sydney, Damian’s film photography is composed of uncluttered images with minimal colour and organic grain. The result is a body of work that rings with a mystical, ethereal resonance. Browse more of Damian’s work here.
Matty Smith: Observing a Life Aquatic
Matty Smith in a rare moment without his scuba mask!
Growing up in the UK, photographer Matty Smith recalls spending childhood summers snorkelling in the Mediterranean. From a summer hobby came a career and lifelong passion for diving and photography. Ultimately, this led him to Australia’s eastern coast in 2007, where he’s remained captivated by the Pacific Ocean – or as Matty calls it, ‘The World’s Biggest Playground’ – ever since.
Two critically endangered Hawksbill Turtles take their First Flight in the ocean, minutes after hatching.
“For me, one of the most wondrous parts of any dive is the moment that the water engulfs my mask as my head slips below the surface,” Matty told us in a previous interview. “I think it’s the suspense of the unknown of what lies beneath, the transitional part of moving from one element to the next that feels so magical and the thought of what alien creatures I might encounter.”
A Shock of Blue shows a single Pacific Man O’ War floats in a secluded bay at dawn in NSW, Australia.
Matty Smith’s collectable work has been featured in some of the world’s most renowned nature publications, including National Geographic and BBC Wildlife. Not to mention winner of the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2014, People’s Choice winner of the National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2018 and a finalist in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014. Meet the mystical life under the surface in his Bluethumb profile.
New to Collecting Fine Art Photography?
Knowing the difference between a valuable work of art and a fun Instagram post can seem a challenge, but with a few helpful hints, you can’t go wrong. Subject matter, technique and post-production all play prominent factors in the success of a photograph – read our best tips on collecting fine art photography here.
What about George Byrne? definately worthy..
Hi Sarah,
This blog is focussed on photographers who are on Bluethumb 🙂
Thanks,
Grace @ Bluethumb
great