Growing up in the orthodox Jewish suburb of East St.Kilda made me very sensitive to community culture and was a very visually stimulating place to live in terms of sense of order, religion and tradition. However, just 10mins away is another side of St.Kilda, a much more marginalized community, which I found fascinating & moving. As an artist photographer it was challenging to know that such distinct ways of living can exist a part of one district /suburb/community. I was moved to photograph diverse cultures.  

Furthermore, as an Australian artist I am instinctively aware of the environment. It is in my DNA. Although most of my pictures have people in them, it is the diverse environments that people inhabit that I initially respond to. When I photograph/document, I am first interested in the location, sense of place, sense of home, the exterior and interior. Sometimes I like to photograph the light, the colours, textures and people in order to capture the distinct atmosphere of the environment. I may photograph an object or person to arouse the viewer to this place.