"Bimbi Outlook", a powerful and heartbreaking poem written and recited by Guyala Bayles. Posted on National Sorry Day for National Reconciliation Week 2019. Read More
Eco Photographer An interview of ethically focussed photographer, Alicia Fox in Muse Magazine Australia’s newest magazine for inspiration, self-help and culture, featured an interview about my work as an eco photographer. The article explores my journey from being a teenager driven to fulfil my dreams of travel and photography, to the journey that entailed, learning about what is really important to me and utilising my profession to work towards a better world. As you can read below, photography has taken me around the globe, discovering incredible cultures and learning from some of the most ancient and untouched peoples in the world today. These lessons are priceless and I am extremely grateful for the journey thus far. Being an eco photographer and living a sustainable lifestyle in both my professional and personal life is something extremely important to me, and something that I’ve written about in previous blog posts. My work with indigenous groups and NGOs around the world has contributed to this greatly. Once visiting these places and sitting to talk with the people effected by climate change, corporate greed, environmental destruction and so on, it’s impossible to turn a blind eye and un-care. Everyone can make […] Read More
As you may have read in previous posts, while I was in India I volunteered with a wonderful organisation in Jaipur, I-India photographing 7 of their projects. For my recent photography exhibition, One World through which I raised money for I-India, I created these information sheets to help communicate to visitors the life-changing work I-India are doing. Please take a read through, and let me know if you would like any more information about the organisation or my time with them. You can also watch my short video about the experience HERE. Namaste! Click on the posters to open them at a large resolution See my posts about I-India’s village school and Marble village school Read More
Last week I was in Port Macquarie to photograph the launch of Energy Forever’s first 100 percent community funded and owned solar panel system at St Agnes Early Education Centre. This not-for-profit organisation has spent years rallying in the local Mid North Coast community to raise funds for this incredible project. It’s wonderful to finally see the results of their hard work. The 72 panels are split over 4 roof faces to best cover the load at the centre. The DC from the panels is converted to AC grid power. I fully support what Port Macquarie Hastings Sustainability Network and Energy Forever are doing for the community and the environment which is why I photographed the event for them on a pro-bono basis. If you have skills that you’d like to share with the organisation, get in touch via their Facebook page. To see more of my work with not for profit organisations please visit my website Read More
I’ve photographed at the Birpai Local Aboriginal Land Council in Port Macquarie a number of times and I always love returning to this welcoming space. The centre is set amongst the bush with native plants endemic to the area, which local Birpai people can demonstrate many traditional uses for. Every time I’m there, I learn more about the local culture of our First Nations people, and about the Birpai/Dunghutti country that I’m so lucky to live in. I was photographing for a not-for-profit organisation, FCAN (The Financial Counsellors’ Association of NSW Inc). FCAN was in Port Macquarie for a conference with volunteers and suppliers from across the state. They were treated to cultural performances and demonstrations from local indigenous children and women. The sting ray dance performed by the ladies is always a highlight – it’s so serene and calming. Following the dances, everyone (including me) learnt traditional weaving with Trish. The same technique can be used to weave jewellery or baskets, using the lomandra grass. After weaving, Rhonda walked us around the garden to learn about plants and their uses. Lemon myrtle was one of the local bush foods used to make these delicious deserts. […] Read More
I didn’t realise we had arrived at the school as the car pulled up outside a small shack in the middle of a dusty community. I was with I-India for an NGO photography shoot, a small grassroots organisation based in the desert city of Jaipur, India. As I’ll explain in another blog post, a series of coincidences had lead me to contact I-India and offer my services as a volunteer photographer. Due to changing financial times, the not for profit organisation has seen a decline in donations from its international funders over the past couple of years which means they will probably have to cut up to 30% of their projects in the next year. On the ground, this means that hundreds of vulnerable children will go hungry. I met some of these children. They are as innocent and loveable as any children I’ve met, but the fact that they were born into poverty in India means that their fate is very different from that of children where I’m from, Australia. I-India has saved them from child labour, child marriages, homelessness, begging on the streets and more. The organisation’s dedicated staff runs a range of truly […] Read More
I was thrilled to receive a parcel from Profile Books in London, opening the packaging to see my photographs on the pages of Vivienne's new book, GET A LIFE! The Diaries of Vivienne Westwood.
Vivienne and I are both fervent supporters of Cool Earth, a UK charity which is saving rainforest in Papua New Guinea, Peru, and D.R.Congo... Read More
More of my adventures working with UK charity, Cool Earth in PNG. Including lots of photos and a video of me surfing planks of wood with the kids Read More
The Kempsey region is rich with indigenous history and culture. The local aboriginal elders have fascinating stories to share which enrapture my imagination about what came before me on these streets, rivers and fields. Emily King recognises how important it is for these stories to be shared and recorded, and has been working on a project, “Wiriiynakayi Ngunngun Dunghutti” – Dunghutti Stories from Yesterday, which was funded through Kempsey Shire Council. The Dunghutti are an Aboriginal group whose traditional lands lie in the Macleay Valley, on the Mid North Coast of NSW. As a Crescent Head local, I live within this area and it is important to me to learn about my local history, culture and people. The aim of the Dunghutti Stories from Yesterday project was to record a set of stories from each of the communities in the area. These stories were told by elders to school children. The kids painted elements of the stories which became part of 13 impressive murals. The process provided a beautiful interaction between the elders and the children, allowing the kids to learn about their indigenous history. In the words of Uncle Bob, (pictured below with Emily), “It’s important for those generations who have […] Read More
Papua New Guinea has been up the top of my Travel Wishlist for years. Despite it being Australia’s closest neighbour (only 170km from Queensland), it isn’t a very popular travel destination – hence the appeal. A few years ago when I learned about PNGs rugged beauty, rich indigenous cultures and distinct lack of tourism, I started looking into how I could get there. Simply travelling or being a tourist is never enough for me – I always look for a way to add another dimension to any journey, and I love my profession so much that turning a travel opportunity into a Photo Trip is usually my first preference. I pasted photos of PNG onto my “Dream Board” – the digital pinboard where I gather inspirational images surrounding my dreams and goals. While I was busy making other dreams come true (making a sea change, getting married and building my strawbale cottage with my husband), plans for Papua New Guinea fell into place on their own. I was ecstatic when I received an email from Cool Earth, asking if I’d be available for a photo shoot in PNG. Cool Earth is a UK based NGO (Non Government Organisation) that […] Read More
Some days I walk out of a photo shoot and know that the world just became a better place. Not better because of something I've done, but better because my own little world has been touched by something positive and truly beautiful. I was on assignment to shoot an editorial for The Salvation Army Creative Magazine... Read More
My friend Paul Martin has been rescuing injured, native animals since he was a teenager. He is on call to rescue wildife in Crescent Head and the surrounding Mid North Coast area. I had the opportunity to meet a gannet which Paul rescued, and witness its transformation from a weak and vulnerable animal, to a rehabilitated sea bird, ready to take on the world again. I captured these photographs at my favourite local beach, Racecourse Beach, where Paul read the winds and picked the right time to release this little guy. Paul wrote the article below about the animal rescue. Today I am happy to see the article land on the front cover of both the Port Macquarie Independent and the Mid Coast Courier. It’s always great to see a good news story being shared. Gannet returns to the wild Gannets are often seen diving spectacularly for bait fish off local beaches. This young one, however, was found by Jess Tout on the Crescent Head Back Beach on 14/4/15. It tried to go into the water but was not able to navigate the rough surf, and sat back down on the beach. Jess, who lives locally and is keen […] Read More
Junkies magazine is a fantastic new Australian publication celebrating the concept of rethink, reuse, reduce and recycle. It’s jam-packed full of articles and photos of creative ways to help the planet, your own way. I’m thrilled to have this wonderful write up about my photography included in the Spring issue of Junkies magazine. These images are from my project Portraits of The Disappearing Amazon, for which I had the privilege of visiting and photographing tribes in the Amazon jungle over a 3 month period. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Please enjoy the images. Read More
We had an amazing turn out to the opening night of Pachamama Exhibition on Thursday, 26 June. Art lovers from all over Sydney came to view images of indigenous peoples of Latin America, by five photographers including me. Each photographer’s set of images illustrated a theme relating to the people’s relationship with Pachamama: Tradition by Alicia Fox Displacement by Rodrigo Llauro & Natalia Cartney Reconnection by Guillermo Rossi Adaptation by Armando Vega Relationship by Toril Pursell All photos were for sale, with a percentage going to NGOs assisting the people in the photographs. Images (framed and unframed) are still available for purchase, so feel free to contact me if you are interested. Below is a short excerpt from a call out by Survival International, an NGO working to protect isolated tribes in regions including the Amazon. It explains why rapid action to help vulnerable tribes people is important. “An alarming number of uncontacted Indians have been sighted fleeing Peru and entering Brazil. Brazil’s Indian Affairs Department has warned that they face imminent “death” as they enter into the territory of other uncontacted tribes and settled communities. Rampant illegal logging in Peru is believed to be at the heart of this impending disaster. There are only about 100 uncontacted tribes left in […] Read More
Wikipedia: “Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. She is also known as the earth/time mother. In Inca mythology, Mama Pacha or Pachamama is a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting…She is also an ever present and independent deity who has her own self-sufficient and creative power to sustain life on this earth.” I was thrilled to be invited to take part in Pachamama Photography Exhibition in Sydney. Opening this Thursday (26 June), the exhibition will run across the weekend in StirrUp Gallery, Marrickville. This group exhibition will feature the work of 5 photographers, including me: images which explore the relationship between indigenous peoples in Latin America and Pachamama. I’d love to see you there. You can find the event details RIGHT HERE. Read More
As Sustainably As Possibly (ASAP) invited me for an interview to share my story behind running an eco photography business. I was the second to be interviewed for the Pledgecast series, following NSW Greens MP, John Kaye. I felt quite honoured. Through this short interview you can hear how travelling made me realise, in an unforgettable way, that how I live in Australia affects people all around the world. As part of the interview, ASAP asked me to make an environmental pledge. Fast fashion is a serious problem in today’s world, and working as a fashion photographer, this is something I am very conscious of. Sustainable fashion expert, Lucy Siegle estimates that each year, 80 billion garments are produced throughout the world. The conditions under which most of these are made are dangerous, both for garment factory workers and for our environment (during production and at the end of fast fashion’s short life when the clothing is sent to landfill). I pledged to stop buying new clothing and consumables. Since I made the pledge, I have had a fantastic time discovering beautiful and unique clothes in second hand stores (from the Salvos to fancy vintage stores). There are even websites dedicated to helping Australian’s buy and swap pre-loved fashion. Buying second hand clothing […] Read More
Travel is like an intensified version of normal life. We take ourselves out of our comfort zone to situations where the ups are higher and the downs take us deeper than we have ever been. This is why we often return from travelling feeling like a new person: so much more experienced, wiser and even enlightened. After a year or so travelling through South America, I’d been confronted by many lows (and many more highs, thankfully). One thing that irritated me was how long things took. I’m pretty chilled out and enjoy taking my time, but on Latin American time things can be excruciatingly slow. The border crossing from Colombia to Panama is one example of this. The whole process of travelling by boat from port towns to port towns took days. I understand that authorities in this Darien Gap region are wise to watch their ports for drug smugglers, but anyone who has spoken to locals knows that the authorities are aware of the traffickers and allow certain offenders to slip through the cracks. On arriving to Panama, at the tiny village of Puerto Obaldia, the immigration officer sitting inside his sweltering hot cement block informed us […] Read More
