Q&A: The photographer exploring rural Victoria with an IR cam

4 March 2024

Yarra Valley's Sean Paris has spent the last few months exploring some of rural Victoria's quirky small towns, putting his take on the weird and wonderful parts of rural Australia that have been the stuff of road-trips for generations.

His resulting series, Koala Country, is an ode to classic Australiana and the heydey of small town Victoria. We sat down for a chat to find out more about the project.

A giant koala at Dadswell Bridge between Stawell and Horsham.

Australian Photography: Tell us about yourself and how you got started with photography?

Sean Paris: I'm a professional Australian photographer based out of the Yarra Valley. My focus lies primarily in corporate, portrait, and studio photography.

I always create projects on the side to keep the fuel burning with my creative work and have done so since a young age, these projects range from documentary, and photojournalism, working alongside world-class acrobats, and photographing Australian wildlife. I have had work showcased and published in the National Portrait Gallery, National Geographic, and other publications.

Big Fish at Snobs Creek Fish Hatchery – Eildon, Victoria.

I first started out with a 3MP Kodak digital camera at the age of eleven, from there I developed an obsession with photography and have been at it ever since.

My first series started documenting protests in Melbourne which forced me to take photography more seriously and from that developed into many different projects/themes.

Most of my projects start with a small idea that pops into my head and slowly develops into a stronger concept to create a body of work.

I like the flow of creating on the go as you never know where the project might end up as it transforms and develops the more you shoot. Just getting out and creating is the best way to form a project and develop your skillset as a photographer.

Great Western Motel – Great Western, Victoria.

AP: Small town Australia is known for its quirky places – what made you want to photograph them?

SP: I grew up in the Yarra Valley which is close to Melbourne but still has remnants of the small-town country quirks. I wanted to photograph something that I grew up around and to look at it as an outsider, someone who would see things with a fresh perspective. Looking for the strange things that exist In this country that we often overlook.

Using the infrared technique pinpoints these objects and makes you stop and observe those old, funny, or quirky things that are around regional Victoria.

All of these things have stories and are a part of our history, some disappear forever or end up in people's sheds and others are preserved for future generations.

I believe it’s important as a photographer to document time and place and leave a visual record for the future.

Harcourt bowls, reputedly the friendliest club in Victoria.

AP: What do you look for in a subject?

SP: I look for things that are quirky or unique in society, dilapidated from the past, or often overseen. I also have a fascination with the “Big Things” cult following in this country, strange sculptures that are often designed to lure in tourism to local businesses.

Said to be the smallest town hall in one of Victoria’s smallest towns, Chewton.

AP: Tell me about your IR camera. Why did you want to use one for this project? What does it bring to it?

SP: I have a full spectrum converted Nikon body which uses a Kolari filter on the lens to work on a specific wavelength of light, I work on the 590nm spectrum, which is a combination of infrared light and visible light.

I first got one of my older camera bodies converted in between covid lockdowns and wanted to try working with photography in a different way, with a different light.

An abandoned house in the gold rush town of Dunolly.

When you start using an infrared camera you realise very quickly what does and doesn’t reflect infrared light, more plants mean more infrared being reflected, so I try find subjects that have the combination of man-made structure and plant matter.

I chose to use this technique for this project to create a unique feel and look to the images. It brings an ethereal feel and creates a feeling of more connection to the subject being photographed revealing another world of light that is hidden.

AP: How long have you been working on Koala Country?

SP: I have been working on Koala Country for the past three months, traveling around solo, and sleeping in the back of my ute.

Driving sometimes 16 hours in two days, just finding small towns that I haven’t ever heard of and driving in a random direction or planning a photo destination and working along the way.

Caspers theme park's abandoned ‘pyramid’ in Stawell, was once home to a theme park featuring miniature replicas of renowned landmarks, and also housed a collection of sculptures made from human teeth and dentures.
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter — Caspers theme park's abandoned ‘pyramid’ in Stawell, was once home to a theme park featuring miniature replicas of renowned landmarks, and also housed a collection of sculptures made from human teeth and dentures.

AP: What are your hopes for the project?

SP: I am currently still shooting this project to put together a book and hope to launch with an exhibition late this year.

AP: Where can people see more of your work?

SP: You can view this project via my website: www.seanparisphotographer.com or via Instagram: @sean.paris.