For quite a few years now I have specialised in Jewellery Photography.  Recently I was asked to shoot loose diamonds for a Perth wholesale company that deals in coloured stones.  Up to this point I thought jewellery photography was tricky but shooting loose diamonds is another game altogether!  There are a few reasons for this.  Number one reason is the size of the stones, they are tiny and photographing something that small is hard!  Secondly, all stones have varying degrees of colour hue and intensity of that hue.  One can be rated Pink, another Pink Brown and the one after Pink Purple.  One can be 1P meaning very very strong colour Pink, but another can be 9P which is so light Pink it is almost clear.  Succeeding to show these very slight variations between the different stones when all the stones also vary in carat (size) and clarity (inclusions) is a major achievement.  As I keep saying to everyone, Andrea Russell loves photography that requires problem solving and this job definitely required it!  Above are a few images for you to enjoy.

On monday 4th April New Girls on the Block presented Insight & Inspiration talk and lunch at the Tawarri Reception centre in Perth.  Natalie Blank from New Girls asked me to bring my camera gear so that their biggest event to date could be photographed professionally.  The keynote speaker was fashion icon Liz Davenport.  Here are a few images from the day.

People Photography is not easy. Unlike products, people do not stay still for long.  People are self conscious, they get nervous, sweaty under lights, need to use the loo, answer their mobiles, get an itch, ask questions, get hungry and loose interest after a while.  As a professional photographer one needs to be prepared for it all and then some more!  People Photography however is probably the most rewarding type of photography anyone can do.  It is tricky but it usually leads to one off images that can never be re created because the way that person was, the way they felt and looked at that moment in time was unique.  Once captured, that moment is gone.  For me People Photography is always a challenge.  It is also the reason I love it so much.

One of my greatest passions in life is Jewellery Photography.  It is tricky, it is fiddly, it is very time consuming and every minute detail counts, BUT, I still love it!  One of the sure reasons why I specialise in Jewellery Photography is because of my family background.  My dad was a watchmaker and his sister a jewellery retailer in Melbourne.  She had a store on Sydney Rd, Brunswick for more than 30 years.  When I was in year 10 she sent me of to learn jewellery making from her favourite manufacturing jeweller.  I worked with him every saturday for more than a year.  When he offered me an apprenticeship I was very excited and proud of myself.  I did not take the apprenticeship however.  I decided instead to finish high school and study design at uni, then Applied Photography at RMIT.  When I started studying photography all I wanted to do was learn how to shoot jewellery, I know it drove my lecturers mad!  My persistence to learn what I believe to be the hardest type of photography I know has paid of.  I now have the skills many photographers never learn and it makes the job of photographing other products like clothing and shoes, cosmetics and giftware, and even cars a whole lot easier! 

Car Photography is something I don't get to do often but when the chance arises, it is always a fun shoot.  Here are two images from the recent shoot at Kings Park, Perth.

Creating Hero images for my clients is one of my favourite things to do.  The rainbow obsidian stone in these pieces is formed when molten lava from a volcanic eruption cools rapidly.  The colours produced in these stones are amazing and very tricky to shoot!  This is an image of mine recently used as an advertisement in the Jeweller Magazine.

Engagement Photography is becoming more and more popular, especially with young couples.  It is casual and fun and creates very different images which couples can treasure alongside their wedding photos.  

It has been a busy and fun 2010!  I want to thank all my clients for their ongoing support and choosing me to photograph them, their precious and fantastic product, their events, friends, pets and weddings!  Thank you all so much.  I also have a big announcement to make.  As of Jan 2011, I will be moving to Perth and continuing my business from there.  My mobile and email details stay the same so please contact me if you need me any time.  Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and an even better and more successful New Year.  All the best from Andrea Russell 

A few weeks ago I did the photography for the new range of Canix Jewellery. The shoot was great fun and we created some beautiful images to be used in Canix marketing campaign. Here are two images from the shoot for you to enjoy!

Madison Jewellers were great guys to work with.  We had so much fun shooting these portraits for the upcoming launch of their brand new showroom.