When I travel to new places in Sydney or anywhere in Australia for that matter. Photography for me should be about capturing the vibe of the place you have just experienced. So when I shoot culture editorials for LaMode that is what I am aiming to do as well as create amazing eye catching photographs, or that is what I would like to think I am doing.

Sydney has so many hidden little gems, that you can discover when you want to find something new and exciting to explore. I did that today by travelling a hour on the train north of the CBD, Sydney. Where I  found the Hawkesbury. It is mostly a fishing town by the river. The water is not as crystal clear as it should be for this part of Sydney but hay isn’t that what makes each and every part of Australia unique?

I love any chance I get to be able to create new images. I also decided to shoot some of the images in black and white, something I haven’t done for a while. That has a lot to do with me shooting sunsets and at a time of day where you really want to create a certain kind of mood, you can check out that editorial via my last post. Anyway with Spring having come upon us and Summer moving close behind it, that means Summer shoots on the beach.

Sydney has so many hidden places you can check out on a beautiful sunny day, I know that is a cliche thing to say but it's true .....you only have to bring up a map on your phone or device, and see how vast Sydney. 

I was thinking about what to shoot for my next editorial post for LaMode and I really wanted to shoot something that was for my culture section of the magazine.I hadn't done anything for that section for a while, and I came up with the idea of finding a couple of remote locations that aren't that obvious to the everyday traveler. Both are close to the water and public transport. While searching, I found Como and Rhodes, Como isn't that common a place to most people even in Sydney but I think Rhodes is. When I document these places I like to shoot it in a way that is a little bit different and and most definitely eye catching. I waited till late in the day to shoot both locations as I wanted to catch the sunset and I also wanted to create a mood that was not only eye catching as mentioned in the last sentence but I also wanted to show you how beautiful the sun set is.

So the next time you want to explore Sydney, close your eyes and pick a place on the map of your phone and see where it takes you.

Do you ever think about what you need in your life and what you don't need? Or more to the point, stripping  your life back to the basic necessities. Well I sort of did that about a week ago, by booking a trip to the Gold Coast and getting away from my life in Sydney for what was way not long enough. But in the time I was away, I managed to shoot an editorial for LaMode and take in a different part of Australia, and give myself some time to think about what I need more of in my life and what I don't need and the conclusion I came up with, is that, if you live in a city or rate race as we sometimes like to call it. You definitely need time out and some of us need more time out than others. And for me it made me realise that this is something that I may have to do more often and that is take  trips like this more often and do two things.
A: Re-charge my batteries 
B: Allow myself  to reflect and re-plan what I need to do for the next 3-6 months, thats if things aren't going to plan of course. 

And that is what life is all about right ....planning.

And on that point I was so lucky to work with the ever charming and beautiful Louise Pollard for this shoot. Who would of thought that you can shoot swimwear in the middle of Winter? Well only when you are in the Gold Coast, and only when you have "Winter Fever"

Photographer-Geoffrey Chuah
Model-Louise Pollard

Wow can't believe it's been 5 years since I launched LaMode magazine. It's been a ride and a half not to mention very, very rewarding.

In the sense of seeing this magazine grow and grow. Seeing all the content I have shot and written for LaMode is like watching a baby grow into a child, so cliche. But very very true.

When I first started LaMode, it was a outlet for my creativity to be seen and heard. But now it has turned into more than that. It's has turned into big part of my life, not that photography isn't a massive part of my life. There is not a day that goes by when I don't think about what I am going to shoot for my next LaMode editorial. Is it going to be fashion, swim or a culture story?

I try to shoot editorials that have a voice or say something, and I hope I have done that with the last few editorials that I have worked on for LaMode.

For this editorial, my thought process was to shoot in three different locations, in one day, within the style that I like to shoot with and that is, on location with natural light. And join all of the shots into a eye catching, visual fest for your viewing pleasure. And I would like to think that I have done that. It is not your most conventional fashion story, but hey rules are there to be broken. Not that there are any rules in fashion??? Anyway this editorial is a celebration of LaMode and it's first 5 years. Not to sure if I will be here in 5 years time writing about my 10th anniversary but hey you can die tryin right? 


Photographer and Stylist:Geoffrey Chuah
Make-up And Hair:Verity
Model:Karina@Chadwickmodel

​Nicola Finetti
Juliet Jones 
​Vero Moda
​Mambo
​
​
​

Dresse by Nicola Finetti

Blazer by Vero Moda, Calf Shirt by Vero Moda

Long Sleeve Dress by Nicola Finetti

The Bianca Jacket by Juliet Jones, Black see through Dress by Nicola Finetti

Purple Rose Dress by Nicola Finetti, Fab Cap by Juliet Jones

Deep Sky Blue Dress by Nicola Finetti

Cap By Flexfit, T-Shirt by Mambo, The Debbie Dress by Juliet Jones

The Jersey Dress by Juliet Jones

Have you ever thought what happens in creating some of the images for LaMode? Well here are some of the BTS videos from our anniversary shoot.

Well the title is a bit of a give away isn't it? I love it when you stubble upon something that has been right under your noise for what has been for like years and you never knew that it was there. I have shot 2 jobs at Watsons bay in the last few years and have never really bothered to explore it properly in a way, to turn it into a culture shoot for LaMode magazine like I have here. A culture shoot for me is about not only showing off the place I am shooting to the reader in a way that is not only interesting, but also in a way that has been shot artistically as well eg black and white and interesting angles. That is what Watsons bay give me when I decided to document it for LaMode.

It's a little bit like a beach side town with a extension to it. The extra walkways and restaurants that you can dine in when you arrive by ferry while enjoying the sunset when you are sitting next to the pier that you just walked over to reach your destination. I really didn't think that Watson bay had that much to offer but it does and wow it doesn't disappoint either when you are capturing the photographs you want to shoot. It is so easy to get to as well, you can catch a ferry from the city or a  bus, both are really fun rides and will let you take in a bit more scenery of Sydney in general.

But that really is enough of my commercial writing ........and more about the images that I have shot here for A Hidden Gem.

​