2009 | Dianna Snape Photography Blog

November 1, 2009

Cuban Art

By admin in Photography Comments Off

I have sadly just bid farewell to Cuba and all the wonderful Artists and friends we met as part of our travels. I am writing this post while sitting on the floor of Miami Airport with my laptop plugged into a column (this is cool!). I am contemplating the 35+ hours of transiting in order to make my way home (this is not cool!). Whilst in Cuba, despite language barriers I did manage to translate my whinging to all and sundry as my return journey approached. My Spanish was limited to say the least and their English minimal, yet in spite of this each and everyone I met could name my route home with a shake of the head and empathy for my journey….Havana.. Montego Bay… Miami… LA… Melbourne – very far.

As I sit propped against a column in Miami Airport wondering what frightful things the carpet I am sitting on has seen, I get to observe the angst as flights are continually delayed and overbooked. The term ‘Stand-By’ seems like a hang over from 80′s airline travel to me, yet in the US it’s seems to be the main means by which the ticketing system operates. Curiously, whether you have purchased a ticket or not, due to constant overbooking of flights you may very well find yourself on Stand-By.

My sister Jennette (a Graphic Designer working in Amsterdam – www.dollyrogers.com) and I have just shared a wonderful 10 days together in Cuba. We had the good fortune to ingratiate ourselves into the life of some of Cuba’s emerging artists in Havana. The people we met were inspiring, kind and extremely generous with their time and knowledge. Rolando Vazquez a teacher at the Havana Art School kindly invited us to visit the school. Jose Manuel one of Rolando’s students invited us into his home, guided us through the city and taught us to Salsa (well he tried!). Milton Diaz Perez a Cuban Architect now artist began our Havana journey and completed it. To Rolando, Jose and Milton – Many thanks. Here are some images of the time we shared with the artists and their environments.

November 1, 2009

Viva Cuba

By admin in Photography Comments Off

Travel is enlightenment when the mind, heart and soul connect with an unknown place and people. It is a love story…

August 24, 2009

August Update

By admin in Photography Comments Off

John Gollings and I were invited to judge the 2009 Melbourne Open House photography competition. We were very impressed with the response to the competition (in excess of 1500 entries) and the effort that many people took to explore these Melbourne treasures. You can view winning entries at http://melbourneopenhouse.org/cms-focus-on-moh/photographer-competition-winners.phps

Chadstone is all abuzz with the launch of 50 new stores. We were commissioned to shoot the new Sportsgirl store featuring another amazing installation by Gloss Creative. To see more fabulous work by Gloss Creative take a peek at www.glosscreative.com.au

I was excited to document the brainstorming workshop of a team bidding for the roll of creative director for the Australian Exhibition – 12th Venice Architecture Biennale (2010). The team comprises Cameron Bruhn (Editor of Landscape Architecture Australia), Bryon Cunningham (Director Cunningham Martyn Design), Cassandra Chilton (Hassell Architects), Callum Morton (Artist), Jen Wood, Emma Williamson (Architect CODA Perth) & Andy Sargent (SouthSouthWest). We wish them well with their bid.

We were awarded Honorable Mentions in the International Photography Awards http://www.photoawards.com for the following entries:

We worked with Marcus O’Reilly to shoot his gorgeous organic table made from collected drift wood and featured in Fringe Furniture 2009 – see www.melbournefringe.com.au

July 27, 2009

July Update

By admin in Photography, Ramblings, Technology Comments Off

It’s been a while between posts and am feeling a little catholic guilt for neglecting our blog. Our biggest news is the purchase of our new Phase P45+, 39 Megapixel Digital Camera back and Cambo Camera. I have sadly bid farewell to my faithful old Linhoff and embraced the new high end digital technology. This is not our first foray into the high end digital arena, we previously purchased the Leaf Aptus 33 megapixel back which we have been very happy with. Anyone whose privy to what is going on with Leaf at the moment will understand our reservation about committing to upgrades with this brand and hence the switch to Phase. I feel a bit like the guy who bought a Ford Edsel! We have been holding off on our investment in a large format camera suitable for the high end digital back until the release of the 23mm Rodenstock lens. This is an exquisite lens and makes the high end backs now much more appealing for architectural work. These items are enormously expensive and are a testament to our commitment and investment in the production of the best quality work we can deliver for our clients. This by no means leaves our Canon 1DS Mark III redundant. It really is about selecting the right equipment for the job. I look forward to sharing some of the pictures that we produce from our new technology. We’ve been busy shooting some new interesting projects, here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been up to. Another beautiful fit out by Ryan Russell Architects:

We had fun with the Grenade team shooting their fabulously renovated studio in Prahan:

We have been working with the City of Melbourne to document the new Flagstaff Gardens Bowls Club – a true haven from the hustle and bustle of the city, nestled cosily amidst the gardens, you almost forget you are in an urban metropolis:

On the studio front, we bid farewell to Markus who has been a fabulous contribution to our studio for the past 5 years. He has become a treasured friend and will be missed. We wish him well in his new endeavours. We welcome Kelly on board and we look forward to covering many great projects over the next 6 months.

May 12, 2009

Awards Frenzy

By admin in Ramblings Comments Off

Well it’s that time of year again where we get to celebrate and acknowledge the fabulous work of our clients and the accolades bestowed upon them.

World Architecture News – Education Building of the Year 2009

A huge congratulations to Spowers Architects on the ‘WAN – Education Building of the Year Award’ for the Australian Technical College in Sunshine. To take out a global award is most certainly a fabulous coup for both Spowers and Australian Architecture on the world stage. I love that there was a 13 year old student on the jury. It is so important that Architecture and Interior Design is successful to those who inhabit the spaces and it’s great to see that Jury’s are formulated not just by peers and academics, but the audience who actually may work, play and live in these environments. I was completely enthralled shooting the East facade of this building. It was one of those situations where a symbiosis occurred between the landscape conditions, the light, the architecture and my enthusiasm at the realisation of this alignment. The learning spaces are bold, open, integrated and fun. I am pleased to see this building recognised and I am always glad to see ‘fun’ celebrated in Architecture and Interior Design.

Dulux Colour Awards 2009 – Residential Interior

Congratulations to Emma Mitchell who took out the colour award for ‘Residential Interior’. The Anglesea House was a pleasure to shoot and has been featured in ‘Houses’, ‘Home Beautiful’ and ‘Kitchen, Bathroom & Bedroom’ magazine (UK), so it’s safe to say it has raised a lot of interest amongst publishers. It is a wonderful space to be in and is delightfully playful and fun. I have been shooting Emma’s work for the past 7 years and and each project is unique and inspiring to me as a photographer. Emma has a very distinct style and I am very fortunate to be able to be part of the documentation and expression of her completed projects. You can see more of Emma’s work at www.emmamitchell.com.au

National Interior Design Awards 2009 – Emerging Interior Design Practice

We are proud to congratulate Byron George who received the award for Emerging Interior Design Practice.

Thank you Byron for selecting me to commence the photographic record of your work. It has been inspiring, but more importantly it has been fun… just remember ….’The last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone!”

Byron (in conjunction with Fabio Ongarato) also received the 2008 IDEA Award for Best Retail Interior for the Igloo Zoo fit out shown above.

National Interior Design Awards 2009 – Colour in Commercial Interiors

Ryan is certainly the one to watch – young, handsome and hungry! Having won the ‘Emerging Practice’ Award in 2007, I think we can safely say he has emerged.

This year ryan won the ‘Colour in Commercial Interiors’ award for his Aesop store at Doncaster and was awarded a ‘Commendation’ for the ‘Retail Design’ category. The Aesop Doncaster store is an ingenious solution for a high profile brand. Well done Ryan – we love it! To see more of Ryan’s work visit – www.ryanrussell.com.au

National Interior Design Awards 2009 – Premier Award in Design Excellence & Public Interior Design

Congratulations to John Wardle Architects. Everyone should visit this building. The Jury citation says it all. To view the jury citation visit http://www.interiordesignawards.com.au/results/

1 2