Matthew Burgess | Photographer

NICOLE GRIMA: TENTH MUSE

2011-12-12T13:00:00.000+11:00

Last month I shot the collection of my good friend Nicole Grima, entitled Tenth Muse. Years ago we were housemates, both applying for undergrad degrees. Four years, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears later and we have both graduated. I was so excited to be a part of the photo shoot for her lookbook. You can read about it and see the full collection along with an awesome video at www.nicolegrima.com.

Click below to see a few of my favourite shots from the day.

Credits to a great team:
Collection by Nicole Grima

Modelled by Caileigh @ eMg

Hair by Lyndall Vile

Makeup by Chereine Waddell

Assisted by Robert Finder and Danica Knezevic

Video by Cris Balmaceda Errazuriz

DANIEL CULLEN

2011-11-14T19:21:00.000+11:00

My shoot with Daniel Cullen at eMg has been featured on The Fashionisto. Click here to see more.

Credits:

Daniel @ eMg

Styling by Lulu Ross

Makeup by Carren Lee

INKED MAGAZINE

2011-11-13T19:11:00.002+11:00

Earlier this year I shot an editorial for Inked Australia. It was published a couple of months ago in the September/October issue. Check out the rest of the shots below.

Credits:
Assistant: Emma Caldwell
Styling: Lulu Ross
Hair and makeup: Kimberley Lisa Conroy
Models: Henry @ Viviens and Zac
Location: Fraser Motorcycles showroom

SHIV-R: THIS WORLD ERASE ALBUM ARTWORK

2011-08-03T20:16:00.000+10:00

I had the pleasure of working with Shiv-r for their upcoming album release This World Erase. We shot two covers back in March and I am excited to see the finished product. The release date is 11/10/11.

Photography: Matthew Burgess

Album Artwork: kallisti:design
Shiv-r Logo: SugarPopBlue
Hair: Lyndall Vile
Make-Up: Chereine Waddell
Costume: Gallery Serpentine

LUKE

2011-07-19T16:38:00.001+10:00

Luke Carle, 2011. Styling by Lynn Nguyen.

BLOSSOM

2011-06-20T22:41:00.003+10:00

Lynn, 2011.

NYC

2011-05-25T22:09:00.000+10:00

GOODBYE MELBOURNE

2011-03-12T21:24:00.000+11:00

After three wonderful years in Melbourne I am moving back to Sydney. I am going to miss this place. Particularly the view from my balcony.

Although I leave Melbourne this week I won't be in Sydney for very long before heading overseas for a holiday. I'll be back in Sydney on the 17th of May and will be keen to start working again. Looking forward to meeting and working with new people, and catching up with those I already know and love!

MADELIN

2011-03-08T22:22:00.000+11:00

I had the pleasure of working with Madelin on her first shoot last month. Ellen Mugavin did the wonderful hair and makeup, while Greg Dennis styled. This particular piece is by the talented Anthony Capon from a.concept. Keep an eye out for more from this shoot later.

FAINT MAGAZINE

2011-02-10T18:28:00.000+11:00

New work featured in Issue 2 of Faint Magazine - check it out online at www.faintmag.com

THE AGE

2011-02-02T20:51:00.002+11:00

One of my images from the Con/struct exhibition was featured in The Age, Page 17, Wednesday February 2, 2011. :)

BLOGLOVIN

2011-01-29T22:12:00.002+11:00

Follow my blog with bloglovin

BLOW UP @ GUILDFORD LANE GALLERY

2011-01-29T11:32:00.000+11:00

My work on the wall. 5th and 6th images from the left.

CON/STRUCT @ PIGMENT GALLERY

2011-01-27T18:18:00.000+11:00

My work on the wall

CON/STRUCT: GROUP EXHIBITION

2011-01-16T15:33:00.001+11:00

In an era of compounded postmodernism, the artifice of fashion is becoming more and more unstable. Con/struct, a group exhibition of artists and fashion designers, explores ambiguous cosmetic façades that distort meaning with costume. As art and fashion overlap, the possibility arises that no grand narrative exists beneath the seductive surface.

Opening Night: 7pm Tuesday 18 Jan 2011
Exhibition: 19 Jan - 5 Feb
Wed - Fri, 12pm - 6pm
Sat, 12pm - 4pm

Presented by the Midsumma Visual Arts Program, in association with Pigment Gallery.

www.midsumma.org.au
www.pigmentgallery.com.au

GRADUATE EXHIBITION

2010-12-06T23:09:00.002+11:00

The exhibition was set up today. Be sure to check it out! Details on the website: www.rmitphotography2010.com

BLOW UP: RMIT BA PHOTOGRAPHY GRADUATE EXHIBITION 2010

2010-11-16T12:42:00.002+11:00

I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by, let alone how quickly the past three years have gone by! I have finished my degree at RMIT and now it's time for one last group exhibition with my (talented) fellow classmates. Details below (and on Facebook, here):

A fresh group of emerging photographers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) will be exhibiting their final-year works in a former furniture factory as part of the 2010 BA Photography Graduate Exhibition.

Blow Up, an exhibition of works by 63 graduating students, will be shown from the 6th-19th December over two floors at Melbourne’s Guildford Lane Gallery.

Working across genres and the realms of both commerce & art, the exhibition reflects the evolution of the course into a cross-disciplinary, creativity-led response to contemporary photographic discourse.

The RMIT BA Photography course enjoys a world-renowned reputation for providing a rigourous technical and educational environment in which students can develop their practice and hone their skills. Graduating students join an impressive list of alumni of the course including successful practitioners in both the fine art and commercial sectors, such as Daniela Federici, Earl Carter, Samantha Everton and Samuel Bisso.

I will have some new, unpublished works in the exhibition. I cannot wait to see them framed and up on the gallery wall, along with everyone elses' exciting work.

NETT MAGAZINE FAB 40

2010-10-27T22:44:00.002+11:00

Several weeks ago I shot the lovely Jac Bowie at her beautiful home in the Dandenongs for the Fab 40 issue of Nett Magazine, in stores November. Check it out! Bowie was featured for her business The Bijou Group. A big thanks to Kimberly Mennen for assisting and Erin O'Brien for doing hair and makeup.

ET AL SPRING SUMMER LOOKBOOK 2010

2010-10-27T21:38:00.001+11:00

I had the pleasure of shooting the et al spring summer lookbook for 2010. Check out their website to see more from the collection: www.showroom-comma.com

I also shot the accessories. There are some really nice pieces. Definitely worth checking out!

1ST & 3RD PLACE IN ILFORD 2010 TERTIARY STUDENT COMPETITION

2010-10-11T17:16:00.001+11:00

I always like surprises when I check my PO Box. I entered the Ilford Tertiary Students Photographic Competition again for Semester 1, 2010 and won 1st and 3rd prize in the third year digital inkjet printing category.

As usual, I don't like giving my images titles so I called them Untitled 1 which was 3rd, and I won the award with Untitled 2. I thought if I at least numbered them I would know which is which.

Untitled 2

Jackson @ Giant

Styling by Greg Dennis

Hair and makeup by Lee Norris

Untitled 1

Courtney

Styling by Lulu Ross and Lynn Nguyen

Hair and makeup by Lyndall Vile

UNTITLED STILLS @ TUMBLR

2010-09-12T22:08:00.001+10:00

I created a tumblr account over a month ago to upload random work to. The whole idea was to upload a new image a day, whether it had been taken that day or if it was something I haven't previously shown. I also like the whole concept of untitled stills - I always find it hard to title images and much prefer to leave my work untitled and open to interpretation. I was hesitant to make yet another blog but Tumblr is a bit of a different creature. I'm using it purely for visual reasons and won't be putting any text up there (apart from credits).

So if you want to see what I am shooting, as well as random snapshots from my iPhone and personal images feel free to head over and check it out @ http://untitledstills.tumblr.com/

SANPELLEGRINO 2010 CAFE SOCIETY COMPETITION

2010-09-07T10:52:00.002+10:00

I had the pleasure of taking part in the 2010 Sanpellegrino Cafe Society Competition as part of my third and final year at RMIT University. Each participating student was assigned a cafe to collaborate with to create an image that demonstrates cafe society in 2010 as an integral part of our lifestyle.

I worked with Cafe 57 in Mount Waverley. An expression of the ambiguous times many spend waiting in cafes waiting for their friends or acquaintances to arrive, this scenario depicts an exploration of familiar moments where people often find themselves lost in their own thoughts and surroundings. Inspired by the interior of the cafe itself, I chose to persue the brown/cream colour palette in my image.

I'd like to thank Gideon Bosua for modelling, Greg Dennis for styling, Kim Mennen for assisting and the staff and owners at Cafe 57 for being so helpful and letting me takeover part of their cafe for the shoot. Also thanks to Sanpellegrino for putting on such a great competition and award night. The view from the top of the Eureka Tower in Melbourne was stunning.

GADIR RAJAB

2010-08-19T23:13:00.000+10:00

Gadir Rajab @ Ford Models NY. Styling by Greg Dennis with hair and makeup by Ellen Mugavin.

More shots featured on The Fashionisto

PRINT SALE @ RMIT

2010-08-11T18:44:00.001+10:00

RMIT 2010 Grad class is having a fundraiser for their exhibition @ the end of the year.

We are selling Professional Archival Prints of some of the most amazing work produced by our students. There will be around 150 A3 prints from a very talented group of dedicated artists.

This will be the only opportunity to get these amazing works of art specifically produced for this fundraiser.

Come down and have a look on Wednesday the 18th between 4pm and 7pm.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

More info on Facebook, here.

If you're in or around Melbourne on Wednesday 18th August it's worth a look. My classmates are certainly a talented bunch.

I will be selling prints of these:

ROAD TRIP ON FILM

2010-07-24T15:47:00.000+10:00

I accompanied a friend on a road trip from Melbourne to Sydney last month and brought along my old Nikon Nikkormat FTN and a roll of slide film. I didn't really take too many shots, but here are a few. I had the film cross processed.

There was some amazing cloud cover on the drive up.

Dallas has had this toy lion since she was born. He sat on the dashboard the whole trip so she wouldn't lose him in her move from Melbourne to Brisbane.

We stumbled across the dog on a tucker box at Gundagai

I spent some time on the south coast of NSW with my Dad. The headstone on my grandparents' grave had recently been put on, so it was great to finally see it.

Somewhere near Sanctuary Point. I think the cliff in the middle of the shots is Point Perpendicular.

I went to Cockatoo Island with my friend Niki to see some art as part of the Sydney Biennale.

The weather was pretty horrible. My shoes were soaking wet by the end of the day.

Hiding from the rain in an old warehouse.

DARK OBSESSION

2010-07-21T23:49:00.001+10:00

I have been a little bit obsessed with high contrast, black and white images lately. Mostly obscuring the eyes, except for the above shot of Rob. It's such a menacing image, which makes me laugh since Rob is anything but!

I have been doing these tests in my apartment, but this is possibly something i'd like to explore further in the studio. For me, eyes are a strong connection point of an image involving people. They always say the eyes are a window to the soul.

SYDNEY ADVENTURE

2010-07-04T22:26:00.001+10:00

Courtney and Nelson @ EMG Sydney. Styling by Lulu Ross and Lynn Nguyen. Hair and makeup by Lyndall Vile. More photos, including some behind the scene shots, after the jump.

This was shot back in April in outer suburban Sydney, where i grew up, while i was visiting over the Easter break. I enjoy shooting on location, and definitely need to get more work like this into my portfolio.

Jackson Scandrett and Steven Socha

2010-06-27T18:27:00.002+10:00

Jackson @ Giant and Steven @ Mod.
Styling by Greg Dennis and Renee Traitsis with hair and makeup by Dallas Ashton.

UNTITLED

2010-06-13T15:06:00.002+10:00

Jess @ Scene | Hair and makeup by Dylan Senthilan | Jewellery by Nina Oikawa

BRONZE: PANO AWARDS

2010-06-09T16:39:00.002+10:00

I recently won a bronze award in the Epson International Pano Awards with the above image taken at Lake George, near Canberra.

THICKET

2010-05-31T10:08:00.001+10:00

I uploaded some of these photos previously, but didn't like the way they were processed and didn't think they fit in with the rest of my book. Inspired by the van dyke prints i did recently, i decided to tone the images and i'm much happier with them now.

Cameron @ Giant Model Management. Styling by Samantha Savage @ www.samanthasavage.com.au

VANDYKE BROWN PRINTS

2010-05-25T15:57:00.000+10:00

I really like the process involved in making vandyke brown prints. I quite enjoyed it. It's very similar to the cyanotype process i mentioned before.

I focused on male portraiture and nudes with two series i did using this process, and i'm contemplating doing a fashion series with it in the future.

Check out this set on flickr to see more from both series.

HOMME

2010-05-12T19:11:00.003+10:00

Thanks to James, Mitchell, Gideon and Thomas.

SALVAGED: NEW SHOOT FEATURED ON HOMOTOGRAPHY

2010-04-27T00:11:00.001+10:00

My new shoot 'Salvaged' has been featured on the Homotography blog. I had so much fun doing this shoot and had the pleasure of working with a really great team. I don't think it would have worked out so well any other way.

Models: Boki and James

Styling by Lynn Nguyen
Hair by Lyndall Vile
Makeup by Dylan Senthilan

WORK FEATURED IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF ACADEMY FOR MEN

2010-04-17T11:08:00.001+10:00

Check out out the latest issue of Academy for Men @ www.academyformen.com

CYANOTYPE

2010-04-11T21:58:00.002+10:00

I'm currently learning a few alternative processes in the darkroom, such as cyanotype printing. This is actually a contact print from a digital negative - that is, a digital photo that has been printed as a 4 x 5 negative.

I will be playing with a few different techniques over the coming months. Hopefully i'll have a decent series of images at the end of it. This was just a test print, so the other shots are totally unrelated.

AN UPDATE

2010-03-16T23:55:00.003+11:00

I don't tend to write much on this blog, just show work. Since i can't show much at the moment i thought i'd do a little update.

I've been back at uni for around three weeks now. I'm in the final year of my degree and i'm excited! The culmination of 5 years of study (two years at TAFE, three years at RMIT) will show in the folio book i leave RMIT (and Melbourne!) with come this time next year. Then it's off on further adventures (back to Sydney in the meantime).

I've shot a couple of editorials over the past few months but i can't upload them yet. I'm impatient, but hopefully it's worth the wait.

Make sure you become a fan of my Facebook Page if you want to keep up to date! Not much happening at the moment, but hopefully as the semester progresses i'll have more work to show. :)

I also recently redesigned my website and weeded out my folio - Check it out!

And to end with a photo, here is a test shot from my balcony using a Mamiya RB67 as a pinhole camera on Fuji FP100B instant film. I will be experimenting with this over the coming weeks.

See photos of the camera here and here.

UNTITLED

2010-02-13T14:06:00.004+11:00

JOHN ROMBOUT

2010-01-28T17:56:00.004+11:00

John Rombout.

Expect to see more of him in the future. :)

EDITORIAL: COIL

2010-01-07T17:39:00.003+11:00

Caroline @ Chadwicks, Alice @ Giant
Hair by Lyndall Vile
Makeup by Dylan Senthilan
Jewellery by Nina Oikawa

WINNER: 1ST PLACE IN ILFORD 2009 TERTIARY STUDENTS COMPETITION

2010-01-04T16:58:00.010+11:00

I had a surprise in the mail today. An award! At the end of my second semester of uni last year one of my lecturers encouraged me to enter two of my folio prints in the Ilford 2009 Tertiary Students Competition in Digital Inkjet Imaging and i won first place in my division! (Second year, Second semester 2009). I totally wasn't expecting it!

I filled out the entry forms during my panel assessment for uni and couldn't think of any titles for the two images i submitted so they were both untitled. Now i don't know which one was picked as the winner! I'm pretty excited, though. This is the first time i've won an award for my work.

These are the two shots i submitted:

Kirsten Rois
Hair and makeup by Dallas Ashton
Cardboard design by Emman Debattista

Caroline @ Chadwicks
Hair by Lyndall Vile
Makeup by Dylan Senthilan
Jewellery by Nina Oikawa

These are my two best shots from 2009 in my opinion. They appeared in the "Second Exposure" group exhibition at Michaels Photographic Gallery. It was a showcase of second year students from the BA (Photography) program at RMIT.

This is a good way to start the new year. I've had a break from shooting for about two months, so now it's time to start organising some more test shoots and getting back into the swing of things!

Update: The second image of Caroline was the winner! :)

SEXY PARTY AT THE CLASSY LADIES HOTEL

2010-01-02T23:13:00.007+11:00

This is a series of portraits from about 6 months ago. I think the party really started after I left and 6 bottles of champagne later... :)

UNTITLED

2009-12-21T23:37:00.004+11:00

This is from a shoot i did back in April. I like to go back through my work sometimes because often i'll find something i missed in the first edit.

TEST SHOTS

2009-12-11T18:40:00.001+11:00

I like having an assistant on shoots so i can test out the lighting before the model arrives on set. Sometimes these test shots turn into something of their own, completely unrelated to the shoot.

I like the rawness of this image. I haven't posted the shoot that this was from, but it looks nothing like any of the images from that series. Mostly because they were highly stylised beauty shots, but also in the mood.

SELF PORTRAIT

2009-11-23T22:56:00.003+11:00

SECOND EXPOSURE: GROUP EXHIBITION

2009-11-17T17:06:00.001+11:00

Showcasing selected works from the folios of second year students from the BA (Photography) program at RMIT.

The exhibition will consist of images produced over the past year by students from several disciplines including commercial, science and documentary.

Exhibition Dates/Hours
Thursday, December 3 to Wednesday, December 23 2009.
Mon - Thurs 9:00AM - 6:00PM
Fri 9:00AM - 9:00PM
Sat 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Sun 11:00AM - 5:00PM

Location
Michaels Photographic Gallery
Level 1, Cnr Elizabeth and Lonsdale Streets
Melbourne 3000
www.michaels.com.au

Click the images for full view.

I will have two images in this exhibition, once which has not been published.

The shots used for both the flyers were shot by student Ed Purnomo. He shot every student from our year level. I'm in there!

CIMMERIAN

2009-10-23T09:52:00.003+11:00

Makeup by Dylan Senthilan
Caroline @ Giant

TELLURIAN

2009-10-22T23:02:00.002+11:00

Makeup and styling by Dylan Senthilan
Cameron @ Giant, Giles @ Academy for Men, Leigh Watkins

MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VIC

2009-09-30T00:06:00.003+10:00

I went for a drive with a friend of mine down to the Mornington Peninsula and Cape Schank the other weekend. It was interesting, as i'd never been that far out of Melbourne before. Main point of the journey was looking for locations for some landscape work on 4 x 5 view cameras. I took my Nikon Nikkormat FTN along and shot off a roll of Provia 100F since there is a lot of film sitting in my fridge that i don't really use.
Here are some shots that somewhat worked out (using the camera light meter).

Some lovely rolling hills. Don't see those very often!

Hannah with one of the cameras. I should have taken a photo of the actual camera - they're frickin' huge.

More hills!

Cape Schank is pretty awesome. They have a boardwalk down to these small beaches amongst cliffs. The beaches are made of pebbles and the sound it makes when the water is receeding is amazing!

Had to get a photo of me in there somewhere.

And this is the one shot i took that day on large format film, taken at some place called Arthurs Seat Lookout:

Origami

2009-09-01T16:18:00.002+10:00

Kirsten Rois
Makeup by Dallas Ashton
Cardboard design by Simon Debattista

City streets

2009-08-26T15:14:00.002+10:00

Nat @ Giant
Hair by Lee Norris
Makeup by Dylan S
Clothes by Gavin Lowes

Dan

2009-08-07T16:32:00.002+10:00

Here is another shot of Dan.

I have some new equipment i'm keen to get some use out of. I'm a few weeks into my second semester of uni. Over the next few months i'll be experimenting with location-based work such as architecture and landscapes, as well as fashion. It's at times like this i wish i had a car.

Portrait of a Boy

2009-06-01T23:44:00.002+10:00

I've been influenced by Hedi Slimane and Didio a lot lately...

Untitled Landscape

2009-05-29T02:24:00.003+10:00

I <3 Autumn

2009-05-13T00:12:00.000+10:00

I love Autumn. I always walk past this lovely park and think how great it would be for a portrait. My first shoot with my new camera. Hopefully things will pick up from here. I haven't been shooting nearly as much as i'd like to (or need to) be. I wish people were more reliable.

Model is the lovely Kirsten. Will definitely be working with her again in the future.

Panoramas

2009-04-19T02:25:00.001+10:00

Lately i've been taking panoramic shots from my balcony at different times of the day. I need to submit a panoramic shot for a subject at uni so i dare say something like this is what i'll end up doing. I'm hoping for a foggy morning some time soon so i can take a panoramic shot similar to the one below where you can't see the top of the buildings.

Portrait: Dan

2009-04-14T00:36:00.000+10:00

Model: Dan

This is probably one my favorite portraits i have taken in a long while. It's a mid-key shot for my portraiture subject. I'm very much in love with clean, simple and elegant images at the moment.