We sat down with Perth photographer Tyler Brown to chat about his practice, his inspirations and his Italy exhibition currently showing at Bivouac that was captured over 10 nights across Florence, Tuscany, Rome, and the Amalfi coast. 

Tell us about yourself and your practice as an artist.
I’m a 36 year old father of 3 who has been lucky enough to create a career out of photography. I’ve been shooting full time covering 40-50 weddings a year which has taken me to places such as New Zealand, Bali, across Australia, and as far as Italy. In my spare time if I’m not surfing, I’m working on personal passion projects mostly around travel photography and portraiture.

When/ how did you get into photography?
I was always keen to get into it but there were other priorities. A trip to New Zealand in my mid 20’s is when I finally had my hands on a camera.  A close friend, who was unfortunately diagnosed with a brain tumour, decided to create a celebration and get married. It was Ben and Clare who asked me to shoot their wedding. I hired a bunch of camera gear and that was the beginning of my new obsession. I quit my job in 2014 and started shooting full time.  

What is your favourite subject matter to shoot, where is the majority of your practice focussed?
I love people. And I’m like a moth so I’m obsessed with interesting light. So trying to blur the lines between photography and creating a graphic purely by using interesting light is what gets me amped. Majority of my time is spent shooting weddings. There is so much stimulation for a busy brain like mine, yet I tend to get this hyperfocus. Every wedding is different, every couple behaves differently so I love trying to crack their code. Being reactive to the changing environment on a busy day is pretty exciting. There’s also a lot of satisfaction in shooting something special for people in a way they wouldn’t be able to do themselves.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My girlfriend Tahnee inspires me along with a bunch of my best mates. They are all so talented and just pushing the limits in difficult Australian light and making it look amazing. They all just have so much style and I love that. Apart from that, cinema is a big inspiration. It’s annoying but my brain is constantly working out how every scene is lit and what lens is being used. 

How did this collection come about?
My amazing couple Erin and Nasir brought me on their honeymoon where they wanted to elope in Tuscany. I squeezed in a total of 10 nights in between weddings back in Perth. I would shoot 3 times a day in each place I stayed. I covered Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi coast, back to Florence, Tuscany for the elopement before flying back home. 

Is there a piece in the collection that holds special significance for you?
My jaw barely left the ground the whole trip. There was something really special about the Amalfi coast. The light was so gentle and it just photographed differently compared to home. It had a painterly look to it.

Any special interests/projects you'd like to pursue in the future?
Currently working on an exhibition concept. Some mixed media ideas and just some different way of telling stories using art.

Are there any notable achievements, career moments or awards you'd like to mention?
A career highlight would be shooting a full day wedding with my 9 year old twins Mason and Scarlett. It was their year 1 teacher’s wedding and their teacher only booked me if the twins could join us. I was so proud seeing how hard they pushed themselves and how well they listened. Observing them making other people feel comfortable while being photographed was just magical. They shot some pretty impressive stuff as well.

Tyler’s work will be showing at Bivouac from June to July, be sure to come and check it out! For more information or to get in contact with Tyler, head to his website – http://tylerbrownphotography.com.au