Before Sydney Fashion Week (though not long before), I headed over to Alice Springs to assist, and shoot behind the scenes on the latest Bless'ed Are The Meek campaign.
In a first for Tourism Northern Territory, the two brands collaborated, and the impressive landscapes of the territory were a canvas for the fashion story for the campaign aptly titled Wanderlust. Suited me. As people who know me may be all too aware, I do have the wanderlust and the idea of checking off another travel experience was so exciting!
We landed in Alice Springs a day before the rest of the crew, to do some location scouting.
I love disembarking on the tarmac, and so does campaign photographer, Sonny.
Then it was time for me to start working…
Assistant with (a lot of) baggage…
Off to check out some of the land.
We were looking for a vast expanse. Maria Maung, designer for Bless'ed Are the Meek, took her initial inspiration for the collection from the salt lake images of Murray Fredericks – that breathtaking barren landscape that I am so obsessed with photographing over and over myself.
It was space we were after.
But Australia has not been so dry over the last year or two, and there is a lot of scrub. So much so, that we had to hunt for any large gap in the foliage (brush?).
We found a beautiful gap on the clay pan at Rainbow Valley (Wurre).
To return to with the crew the next day.
Make-up artist, Carol Mackie, arrived and we had dinner at a place that I had spotted a turn-off for earlier in the day.
Lucky I had too, because we wouldn't have seen the sign in the dark, and it's a little way out of town.
Alice Vietnamese Restaurant is worth hunting down. The open sided pavilion and the warm night air really took me straight back to Vietnam – one of the roadside restaurants, nothing flash, just friendly with good food – and the food was good. A decent dollop of chilli on most dishes, and I had the sizzling plate of crocodile, so I was a happy girl.
The next day, we headed out early to do some more scouting, still not feeling that we had found enough sparse vistas…
I liked this burnt out area just out of town.
And this airfield with ant hills.
Not a potential location, but I got really excited with this 'first'. Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn!
By the time we got back to the hotel, the rest of the crew were there, and model, Valentina Sykes was into hair and make-up.
Designer, Maria, watches on as we discuss potential locations.
A day around Alice had already convinced me that there are some pretty tough people living out there. It's really hot. Really dry. And there are so many flies!
I'd seen fly nets at a shop while we were grabbing some lunch, and when Carol went out that morning I'd asked her to grab me one. She got one for herself, too.
Location at Rainbow Valley that afternoon was fairly comfortable for us two.
Needless to say, the rest of the crew had a fly net by the next morning!
"Jump in there, for a light test"
"Now, is that light on you?"
"Yup".
Oh! That sun at my back, coming in at such a low, late afternoon angle, was still so intense! My red cheeks are testament to my carrying equipment a long way, with that heat singeing on my frame as I walked.
Stylist, Gabe Robinson, gets some air…
Valentina was always such a nice girl – no one could ever have guessed she kept men hidden under her skirt!
With evening fast approaching, it was time to shoot some video…
Apparently it was also time for me to jog the 1.5km round trip back to the car because the (stills) photographer had changed his mind about needing his spare battery. Was I terrified of being bailed up by some mega-fauna on the way? Yes!
Lucky enough I survived, and was back in time to catch a shot of the last outfit for the day,
while the photographer had a chuckle about not needing the battery after all.
Day 3 (Day 2 shooting).
Simpson's Gap was our first stop, and it was beautiful. I loved it. It was cool in that shade, the light was pretty, and the sand was soft underfoot,
but it was too dark to shoot in, so we moved on.
Next stopping at Standley Chasm, which was also not quite ready for us – the narrow chasm has a very small window in the middle of the day, when the sun fills the break, and illuminates the red walls – but we used the nearby surroundings while we waited for midday to come…
…the crew, netted and ready…
and Carol did some make-up touch ups, fly-free in the car…
Video guys, Oliver and Fin…
Midday came to Standley Chasm and it was striking.
Break for lunch.
We travelled west towards Glen Helen and our accommodation for the night, along a road lined with giant caterpillar*-esque mounds, stopping near one for a couple more looks.
Leg make-up.
Gabe, with his take on tree-hugging…
A tie-in with Baileys meant the new look bottle had to strike a few poses as well.
We were a dirty and exhausted crew when we pulled in at Glen Helen Resort.
Now, I have to say the reviews on sites such as tripadvisor are a little hit and miss, and there is no hiding the fact that the resort accommodation is basic. Motel rooms feed off a long besser block verandah – reminiscent of another favourite basic stay of mine, Mt Ive. The beds are metal framed and topped with a blanket. There was a can of Pea Beu on top of the fridge, and (while it was en suite) the bathroom was out of range of the air-conditioner, and the taps (perhaps as it was St Pat's Day) had a Murphy's Law about their temperature control enough to make my shower very brief.
But
that verandah opened to a spectacular rock face fronted by the Finke River.
And the food?
The restaurant was called 'fine dining'. I admit to being a little dubious of the title.
But. Oh Wow!
The food was great.
There is a fairly extensive wine list, including locally grown (yup, out there in the red dirt, heat, and scrub) reds from the Chateau Hornsby winery, and a deliciously tantalising menu.
I couldn't resist trying the Namatjira (Albert Namatjira is arguably our most famous indigenous artist, and the MacDonnell ranges is his land) tasting platter – camel sausages (not toes), kangaroo, and deep fried crocodile with a scrumptious bush mayo for dipping. There's also barramundi, croc spring rolls, and indulgent desserts.
I would go so far as to say, it is well worth staying at Glen Helen for the dining alone. As a bonus, the staff are so friendly and lovely, and the resort is nestled in an incredibly beautiful landscape just begging to be explored…. if only we had the time…
Day 4 (Day 3 shooting).
Early rise and shine, and Maria is fly-swatting already!
'Morning!
The crew gets their bearings,
and a well-camouflaged Valentina steals a few more winks…
…before the next shot…
Ooops. There's another yawn.
Leaving Glen Helen, and it's watered birds…
…we headed back towards Alice, stopping for a shot at the Ochre Pits.
Matt makes light work of pole holding (that's almost a boom tish)
Next stop was Ellery Creek Big Hole. I so wanted to get in that water! The day was already very hot, but I didn't even have time to take my boots off and cool my feet. I'll just have to go back there someday.
We were so lucky on the shoot, to get most of these places pretty much to ourselves.
Beautiful.
Ducks on the water (and fire in the rocks).
Fin gets in to shoot shome video,
(so jealous)
Gabe roughs up bangles,
And the crew waits out of sight from the video.
Then it's time for the stills.
Our story ended where it had begun – back at Rainbow Valley (Wurre).
Where the colours are amazing,
Shade is a rare, and valuable commodity,
And necessity becomes the mother of invention.
That's Aerogard, not hairspray.
The heat coming off the rock face up close, was so intense. Just like being too close to a hot oven when you open the door.
Huge thanks to Aimee (with umbrella) from Northern Territory Tourism, who not only escorted us to all of these beautiful places, but pitched in a assisted wherever she could. Her help was hugely appreciated.
Last shot.
I love this shot with Craig Smith doing Valentina's hair-with-sunflare.
Click
Click
Click
Click
and it's a wrap.
I interviewed designer, Maria Maung, as we hurtled along the open road in the car.
She talked about Wanderlust,
"the incredible need to travel and find new places to explore myself"
She was certainly living up to the label with all the exploring we had done!
Her inspiration had been the art of Murray Fredricks. She loved that his images had been described as being of essentially nothing, and yet beautifully nothing.
"When you look at the images, it's hard to tell whether it's real, or where it is.
I
loved the colours, and the vastness.
It
triggered something”
Maria's favourite
piece in the collection is the black maxi with the metallic crocodile brocade. She said it was a
"new silhouette
and I love
the detailing"
"With
the texture of the clay, that detail fit so well, I can’t even imagine it
being shot anywhere else. (Rainbow Valley)
I
think about if there was anywhere else in the world where I would shoot, where
would I shoot it? It would have been the perfect place anyway"
Rainbow Valley was the favourite backdrop.
"After
going there the first day, everyone was pretty amped up by that particular
location."
"What really strikes me is the colour that we are capturing out here."
None of us had ever travelled out there before. What was Maria's overall
impression of the land?
"It’s
definitely Australia.
How
many of us ever get to come out here? People around the world, this is what I
think they think Australia is like"
We are so fortunate to have been able to experience it for ourselves.
See the behind the scenes movie (and if you are clever, you can spot me) here.
and all the fun of backstage, plus the spectacular Wanderlust runway at MBFWA this year, here.
We are lucky kids in this lucky country, and so thankful to have been given this opportunity.
Thanks to Northern Territory Tourism, Crowne Plaza Alice Springs (and it's wandering peacock), Glen Helen Resort, and Lasseters Casino.
And the crew, Maria, Sonny, Matt, Jane, Gabe, Carol, Craig, Ollie, Fin, and Aimee.
*The traditional owners of the land, the Central Arrernte peoples who call Alice Springs, 'Mparntwe', tell dreaming stories of the land being shaped by various ancestral figures including giant caterpillars – 'Yipirinya'. When you see the incredible formations around, and feel the hum of the earth, you can almost sense the Dreamtime yourself.
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