The Thrill Of Collaboration

‘If you strive to please everyone,
you may find no one will be pleased.
Just be sincere in finding your own style
and then celebrate it with your community.
The people that matter will soon find you.’.
 – Steve Parish

One of the most helpful ways to enhance our creative lives is through collaborations with colleagues and the wider community; this is especially the case in this age of unprecedented change.

Creative collaboration may involve you being in the driver’s seat with others sharing your vision, or it could be you being present to act as a friend or mentor, supporting others to realise their dreams. Both are powerful pathways for creative life growth. Even more pointedly, collaborations can be thrilling experiences!

As photographers, collaborating with creatives from other disciplines such as art, music, film, writers, and others may introduce you to communities that can spread the word about your work. New experiences can also challenge you to revisit your creative life pathway and broaden your horizons. 

Descendance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dance Theatres’ performances cover both traditional and contemporary indigenous styles. Descendance’s award-winning show has toured over forty countries worldwide while still maintaining a strong presence in Australia. Descendance has some of the world’s finest, Didgeridoo Players, Dancers, Singers, Storytellers, Choreographers, Traditional Painters, and Musicians and also provides Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremonies. I had the pleasure of touring Brazil with these guys, and it was their energy that inspired this video. Visit their site https://www.descendance.net/ The video was developed to demonstrate collaboration between photographers and creatives from a range of expressions and is part of the Steve Parish Photography: A Pathway to Purpose 

Above: A magical collaboration: The first Australians to perform at the Museum of Indigenous People at Brazilia, Brazil. This classic image shows an encounter between Aboriginal artists from Descendance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dance Theatre and members of the Xingu tribe from the Amazon as part of Brasilia’s National Indigenous Day celebrations. Two different cultures, two different languages, yet a collaboration of deep love and respect united to present one of the most thrilling events you could imagine..

In my online Masterclass Photography: A Pathway to Purpose’, we discuss how free artistic expressions with others can help expose your images to brand new audiences. I have had many great collaborations with musicians, which led to ranges of CD’s being developed and combined creative skills with poets, musicians and other photographers also opened new doors. Some even evolved into exciting, fruitful business ventures.

One particular highlight was in Sau Paulo, Brazil, at the ‘Australia Now’ Festival in 2016. I had spent a month touring, giving talks, holding exhibitions and meeting some wonderful artistically expressive folk. On the launch night, I was thrilled to see a featured montage of my images used as a backdrop for a stunning performance by the Australian orchestra, ‘The Arrival’ – featured image at the top of this post.

When I look back on my personal and professional life, I can see the vital role of collaboration, especially partnerships with scientists and authors across a wide range of disciplines. There were many lessons learnt, lessons I needed to learn, some the hard way. These lessons have taught me that carefully choosing who I collaborate with is critical. This is especially true when the collaboration involves a commercial activity. Money can change everything in a relationship, so everyone needs to be on the same page right from the start. If you want to go down this path, I recommend testing the waters in your relationships for a willingness to share and a preparedness to accept new ideas. Of course, you may also have to admit that your vision might need tweaking.

Dr Les Hall, a world authority of bats, collaborated with me for three years to capture images and create a series of books on bats and this excellent guide to Australian mammals. Les is no longer with us, but his life-long dedication to creating awareness of Australia’s unique bat fauna will live in perpetuity. 

Collaboration that have been pivotal in my career

• Collaborating with scientists and naturalists
• Collaborating with complementary disciplines
• Collaborating to a business vision
• Collaboration with educators
• Collaborations with musicians
• Collaborations with illustrators
• Collaborating with charities
• Collaboration for activism
• Collaboration with other photographers

Lessons I have learned through creative collaborations.

• Be clear about your objective/s before you invest time/money. Document all agreements.
• Share with humour; don’t take yourself too seriously.
• Be honest and open and reward others with admiration.
• Be structured with discussion – a sign of professionalism.
• Research your contribution – a sign that you are serious.
• Work with respect, regardless of your role in the collaboration.
• Follow up with gratitude and maybe send a message or gift of thanks