Sydney, my home town, I love it. I have lived away from it but I always knew I would come back. It is very difficult to grow up with the Harbour, the beaches, the climate, the relaxed lifestyle and then try and live somewhere else. The view of the Opera House takes my breath away every time, and the thrill of driving across the Harbour Bridge never diminishes (I only take the Tunnel when I’m in a hurry). But then there are the more secret places, the small harbour beaches, bushland areas within a stones throw of the City, boat-only accessible places which are the true gems.
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My mother was from Scotland and she took each of her children on a “grand tour” of Britain & Europe when we reach around 11 years of age. From then on I was totally hooked on travel, and have never stopped. When I was 24 I headed off backpacking around the world like many Australians at that age. Eight years later I returned. From my first stops in Thailand and Nepal, a ski season in Meribel (France), being held by Kurdish terrorist in Turkey, and doing the mandatory time working in London (I also had an English boyfriend for many years!), I covered a lot of ground. While I chose to return to Sydney to live, I have never lost the travel bug. These are a collection of photos of travels in more recent times.
While Nice and Cannes seem to get a lot of the spotlight for travellers, there are two lesser-known gems located in between and are easily accessible by train, or even an Uber. We based ourselves in Antibes for a week and pretended to be a little French and live in an Airbnb apartment. We were a stone’s throw from the daily market (Marche Provencal – closed Monday), and our morning routine quickly became coffee at Nomads, pick up croissants and baguettes at the Boulangerie, and the get our supplies for lunch at the market. Our favourite place for dinner was Le Zinc, and Gelateria del Porto for gelato (so good) while taking an evening stroll. The Flea Markets at Place Nationale are worth a visit too. Besides checking at the super yachts at the harbour my other favourite place is the Musee Picasso. I first visited it in 1992 and it ignited my passion for Picasso’s ceramics, all these years later and it still gave me a thrill but go in the afternoon when the crowds have died down.
Antibes has an easily accessible beach, Plage de la Gravette, right beside the old town, but for the full beach club experience we went to the adjoining town of Juan-les-Pins. There is a nice, slightly 70’s feel to Juan-les-Pins which makes a great back drop to the people watching along the beaches. Plage Le Colombier was our choice of beach club with great food and service.
Antibes has the charm with the labyrinthe of pedestrian streets in the old town and this is where I would prefer to stay, but there is something about Juan-les-Pins if you just want a day at the beach which ticks all my boxes.
I have worked most of my professional life as an urban planner. I have been fortunate to work with some wonderful architects in both Sydney and London. This background has definitely influenced my photography. While I love taking architectural and interior photos, I also find that structure are present in all my lifestyle and street photographs. Even my landscape photos have to have some built structure in them. Here are a collections of architecture and interior photos which I have largely taken on my travels.
I started swimming at an early age. Before I was brave enough to swim in the surf my Mum would take me to the ocean pool which are located at most beaches in Sydney. They are free, safe places to paddle and gain confidence in the water. Later we had our on backyard pool which my Mum fought for…first she had to battle through Dad’s opposition, then the Council’s but finally we had our pool. Swimming was just a way of life and something I now share with my daughter. It is no wonder I am so drawn to photographing swimming pools wherever they may be.
Laura’s work has been published in Inside Out, Lodestar Anthology, Local Bayside; Local Paddo, Local Surry Hills, The Flowerseekers, and Neighbourhood newspaper. Her work also features on various websites including Broadsheet, Beauticate, Body & Soul and The Village Cooks.
Canon Australia selected Laura as 1 of 10 Inspiring Female Photographers to Follow as part of their 2022 International Women’s Day tribute.
Laura’s travels to Havana have been featured on www.fotofemmeunited.com
The Guardian also featured Laura’s entry in the Women’s Street Photographers exhibition in New York City, 2019.
Women Street Photographers (WSP) was founded in 2017 by award-winning photographer Gulnara Samoilova, with an aim of promoting female street photographers. I have been lucky enough to have been selected twice for the the annual WSP in New York City, as well as their exhibition at the Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival.
The Women Street Photographers Book was released in March 2021. It includes 100 contemporary women street photographers from 34 countries, including myself. It is edited by Gulnara Samoilova and published by Prestel. The book has been described as “variously joyful, unsettling and unexpected, the photographs capture a wide range of extraordinary moments”.
The following online book reviews have included my image ‘Sun Worship’:
I am so honoured to have been selected as a Finalist in the National Portrait Gallery’s annual Photography Exhibition: Living Memory. Out of 3,000 submissions 79 Finalists were selected. The theme for the 2021 exhibition reflected the unusual events which were presented to us in 2020 such as Covid-19 and the devastating bushfires.
I took this image as a personal project to documents the impacts of Covid during lockdown in Sydney. The red and white tape wrapped around public furniture became a reoccurring theme. When the woman walked in the frame and raised her arm I knew that was the decisive moment.
The exhibition is on at the National Portrait Gallery from 31st July-7 November 2021, before travelling to various locations around Australia.
Palm Springs was on my travel list for a long time. I love Modernist Architecture. Its simplicity and functionality, plus the clean lines and graphic features are all appealing. When the opportunity came to take a workshop with one America’s best architectural photographers, Scott Frances, at the Palm Springs Photography Festival, I didn’t hesitate. Palm Springs was more than I ever could have imagined. The desert climate of heat, without humidity, was perfect for this Sydneysider. The flat urban area, with its streets lined with palm trees, is surrounded by rocky mountains, some of which still had snow on top in May. The Architecture, both building and landscapes, are in abundance. The hotels, restaurants and cafes are plentiful and stylish. I never wanted to leave. Check out my Print Shop for more images.
Images from a short stay on beautiful Flinders Island, Tasmania. Remote, rugged, deserted beaches, stunning natural bushland and plenty of native wildlife…if you want a real taste for Australia, Flinders Island has it all.
I can’t imagine anyone, let alone a photographer, every being bored in New York City. It has such a diversity of neighbourhoods and nationalities that live there. On every corner there seems to be another photo. I always find it difficult because there are always places I want to make a return visit to and new ones i want to explore. I was lucky enough to be included in the annual Women Street Photographers exhibition which is held in New York. It is, after all, one of the great cities for street photography.
I found it difficult to walk the streets of Havana and not have the Buena Vista Social Club playing in my head…on repeat. While the urban planner in me struggled with a lot of the decay, the photographer in me saw the patina and colour. Life is very much lived out on the streets and provides a visual feast. I spent some time with a local photographer and that helped to access Cubans going about their daily lives.
One photo I sold, of a Cuban boxer, back in Sydney ended up inspiring my client to ship 22 new pairs of boxing gloves to the gym I visited in Havana. Given that all their boxing gloves were threadbare, I know how pleased the boxers were when the shipment arrived (less 3 pairs which the Cuban customs officers pinched!). Photography can lead you down many paths.
More details of Laura’s travels in Havana can be found on www.fotofemmeunited.com
My image Handstand has been made into wallpaper and hung in one of the Breast Clinics at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney. Hopefully this can offer some calming thoughts and a feeling of escape for many women visiting the Clinic. The wallpaper was made by www.misterwallpaper.com.au Contact me if you have a wall in need of one of my images.
I have no idea why it took me so long to discover Naples, but now I feel like it is the only place I want to go in Italy. While Rome is being swamped in tourists, Naples feels like a breath of fresh air. Of course, I was always going to love the home of pizza, but it is all the other wonderful Neapolitan specialties which added to the culinary experience. Then there was the Saturday afternoon meander around the harbour front where those in swimming costumes showed no interest in a bridal party posing for the traditional photographs. Getting lost in the maize of streets is always, for me, the best part of all.
