Shae Giles from Shae Style Photography

Each month we profile a photographer and this month we are chatting to Shae Giles of Shae Style Photography in Rochedale, Brisbane

Can you tell us a little about yourself, how long you have been a photographer, areas of expertise, preferred camera?

I've been a professional photographer since 1997 when I graduated from the Brisbane College of Photography and Art, though I took a career break for 5 years when digital first came on the scene. Glamour portraits are my area of expertise. I've always used Nikon cameras from film through to digital and I currently work with a Nikon D750 which is great for taking portraits.

When and why did you become interested in photography?

When I was at primary school and then high school I'd always bought magazines and cut the pictures out and stuck them in scrapbook. For a long time I wondered why and then I realised that maybe it was because I wanted to take the pictures. So I did and I've been taking them ever since.

Also my dad was an aerial photographer in the air force in Rhodesia so it probably runs in the family.

How has your photographic style changed over the years?

I think it has changed with the times. It's become a lot more natural. Rather than taking posed shots my photo-shoots are a lot more free-flowing and candid. No more staged backdrops with fur coats and old furniture.

What career highlights are you most proud of?

The main thing I'm proud of is that I've never had a disappointed customer. Pleasing every single person and them being happy with the result is my goal. I'm not interested in fame I'm interested in capturing amazing images. People don't care about your awards.

Of the photographs you have taken so far which one is your favourite and why?

It's a nude I took about two years ago. The light is contouring the woman's body, and its natural light that just wrapped around her and filled the shadows. Normally you would have to use studio lighting to get that effect. The shape, the expression and the contour of the light all just worked in harmony to produce an amazing shot.

What do you think makes a great photograph?

Lighting, composition and the subject's expression combined.

If you could only take one more photograph who or what would it be of?

A native Indian American – an old man. The character in their lined faces would be such a great opportunity for creativity and expression.

Do you prefer to work with film or digital?

It used to be film for a long time but now its digital ... I was finally converted. Mainly because of the control you can get in production. What I see on my computer is what I get, whereas with film you are reliant on the printer and if they get anything wrong it can be very frustrating. It's good that people want to know about film but I don't work with it anymore.

What was the first photograph you took as a professional?

It was a picture I took for a competition. It features a Rottweiler in a pram with a baby looking up at him as if to say 'what are you doing in my pram?'.

Where do you get your inspiration from on a photo shoot?

Sometimes I'm walking into a studio getting ready and I'll be thinking 'what on earth am I going to do' and then the ideas just come hard and fast. There's never a shoot that creativity doesn't just astound and inspire me and I always wonder where it comes from, but it always does. Photography is quite a spiritual thing for me.

Which photographers inspire you and why?

Rob Heyman, a triple master wedding photographer based in Brisbane. He never uses flash and he is just a master of light. I was his assistant at 19 and he still mentors me today. He has done a great deal for the industry.

What tips would you give an aspiring photographer?

The biggest tip is that you need to know your camera inside out, you can't just hope for the best. You just have to know light, it's your medium, it's your tool and you need to be able to deal with it in its many forms. But personality is also important and if you can't interact with different people then you won't succeed.

If you weren't a photographer what would you be?

I do the make-up and the hairstyling for all my shoots as part of my business so if I wasn't a photographer I'd probably be a hair and make-up artist.

For more about Shae's work and her photography services check out the Shae Style Photography website.

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If you are a photographer and you would like to appear in our monthly Photographer in Profile feature then contact us with a few details about your self and we'll be in touch.