The AASPI Speaker Series has returned in 2021. A new series of speakers will be presenting, each with a unique story of street photography. Join us to hear some inspiring photographers talk about their work, and see some brilliant images.

The AASPI Speaker Series was started in 2020 in response to the stage 4 COVID lockdown in Melbourne. An initiative to start a speaker series where our community could gather (virtually, of course), it was very successful and a popular decision to continue.

Calendar of Speakers for 2022

8th February - Phil Roubin

8th March - Andrew Rovenko

12th April - Betty Goh

10th May - Brent Durrant

14th June - Lou Gilbert

12th July - Ushi Grant

9th August - SITHOM: Story behind the Image

13th September - Christian Clowes

8th November - Kerry Faulkner

Previous Speakers

Andrew Rovenko - Documenting backyard space travel, one walk at the time

Ukraine born and raised, now calling Australia home for over 17 years, being currently based in Melbourne.
Photography has always been a passion but never became a career.

A stint as a freelance magazine photographer and a variety of commercial assignments over the years provided invaluable skills and experience, but could never match the fun and freedom of not having to work towards a specific goal.
This eventually led to doing just personal work, primarily on film, where the joy of craftsmanship can be experienced the most.
One of such personal projects - The Rocketgirl Chronicles that was born during Melbourne’s 6th lockdown found critical acclaim and resonance around the world, with international coverage including Vogue and The Rolling Stone Magazine, and the author being awarded 2021 Australian Photographer of the Year by the Australian Photography Magazine.

Phil Roubin -

"From capturing family to street-life, and falling in love with photography (again)."

Phil Roubin is a photographer who’s work is based upon a personal documentary style – focussing on the universality of human emotion, and captured in expressive high contrast black and white imagery. His work has been exhibited extensively and has been included in several prominent art prizes, such as the National Photographic Portrait Prize, the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photo Prize, the Moran Photographic Prize and Olive Cotton Prize for Portraiture. Editions of his photographs are held in public and private collections within Australia and abroad.

Phil’s projects have taken him through the Asian and European continents and he is currently based in Melbourne, Australia.

Brent Lukey - Trying to Act Casual

Brent has had the pleasure of photographing film stars, rock stars and spiritual leaders; yet mostly captures interiors, architecture and portraits.
When not working professionally he photographs the street, fascinated by people and the places they inhabit, their interaction with each other and the surroundings – the order and disorder of the public environment.
Brent has been a finalist in the Moran Photographic Prize, the Perc Tucker Photographic Portrait Prize, the Australian Photography Awards (documentary) and the Bluethumb Art Prize. His work has been exhibited in galleries and published in books and magazines.

Instagram: @brentlukey

Website: www.brentlukey.com

Debrani Das - A Soulful Journey to India

Debrani Das is a Kolkata based street photographer and founding member of 'StreetEye Collective'. She is one of the founders of 'Unexposed SouthAsia' which is a branch of 'Unexposed Collective' and an admin of 'world photographic forum'. She is the recipient of “Artist Residency 2020” of “Womenstreetphotographers” . She was also a nominee of prestigious “Leica Oskar Barnak Award 2021”. She is part of the first book of “women street photographers” . Her works have been published in many prestigious websites and magazines and books including Fujilove magazine, Eyeshot magazine, Chiiz Magazine, National Geographic, IPA magazine ,121clicks.com, Wetheworld Magazine, streetphotographersfoundation.com. She has been interviewed by prestigious “UP Photographers Collective” also.

Instagram: @debranidas

Chris Brown - Creating my First Photobook: a journey

Melbourne photographer Chris Brown will discusses his journey in creating his first photobook.

Instagram: @zoonabar

Website: www.zoonabar.com

The Story Behind the Image - 4

Melbourne photographers Andy Cheyne, Alan Thexton, Gary Alway and Mark Smith discussed the story behind some of their best images.

Kimboid - The Constraint of Persistence

Kimboid (Kimberley Wallis) is a photographer based in Melbourne, who has largely focused on capturing commuters on their way to and from work. She has had work exhibited globally in the United States, France, Ireland, Russia and in Australia published in various publications including Women Street Photographers by Gulnara Samoilova and the Loud and Luminous 2020. She has won numerous awards including runner up in the Photo of the Year 2019, finalist in the Mono Awards and 1st place at the IPA Awards among others.

In Kims presentation "The Constraint of Persistence" she will talk through how the constraints that she had to work with shaped the path of her commuter series and how that has influenced a series that she has worked on over the last 8 months.

The Story Behind the Shot - 3

In our third “lockdown edition” of the AASPI Speaker Series, Bilal El Masri, Jane Hinwood, Maria Nguyen and Susan Brunialti will discuss their chosen images and “The story behind the image”.

The Story Behind the Shot - 2

In our second “lockdown edition” of the AASPI Speaker Series, Ananda Sim, Adam Sinclair, Scott McNaughton and Leonie Rogers will discuss their chosen images and “The story behind the image”.

The Story Behind the Shot - 1

In our first “lockdown edition” of the AASPI Speaker Series, Renata Filippi, Benizi Santamaria, Nicholas Dix and Sally Coggle discuss their chosen images and “The story behind the image”.

Mark Forbes

“Over time I've found that as I went back to incorporating more film in my street and documentary photography, it resulted in me changing my approach to shooting.

“I've found that using film has resulted in taking far less images, but enjoying the process and the results more. It also resulted in trying out different formats and changing the way of approaching a scene.

“The topics I've become more interested in also changed too. The talk will span my earlier street photography and then more recently how it's changed moving to film.”

Instagram: @_markforbes_

Website: www.markforbes.com.au

Sam Ferris

“In every spare, waking moment I have, I am making photographs or thinking about them. In my sleep, I’m dreaming them."

Sam Ferris has been shooting on the streets of Sydney for more than 10 years. He is an organiser and co-founder of the AUSSIE STREET FESTIVAL and member of BURN MY EYE Collective. His work has been published in Internationale, Photo Review Magazine, Capture Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, Lonely Planet, Fellow Traveller the magazine of China Rail, and as an Editor's selection on Lensculture.

Instagram: @ferriswhiskey

Linda Maclean - Women of Street

Julia Coddington chats with AASPI member, Linda Maclean about her work, and her involvement in the Unexposed Collective.
Linda is a Sydney-based photographer. You can see more of her work @linda_maclean_

Tony Reddrop

Tony started his journey in the late nineties, and then took a break for eight years. Almost six years forward, and the journey has recommenced. He photographs things the way he sees them, focusing on light, shadow, and colour. His images focus on the people and things, in the small semi rural town where he lives in New Zealand. He uses multiple mediums to show his work; exhibition, electronic media, and public display as billboard style images two metres plus in size. He believes it's important to have images accessible, to as many people as possible, because not everyone feels comfortable in a gallery. The journey has taken him from assisting commercial photographers and as a freelance press photographer. It is all a learning curve...but as long as you are learning..

Mario Mirabile

Our final speaker for the year was Melbourne based AASPI member Mario Mirabile. Mario's work explores personal concepts combined with the genre of street photography. Mario will shared his insight, inspirations and touch on important ethics.

Instagram : @mario.mirabile

Jesse Marlow

Come and listen in as we have a conversation with Melbourne based Street Photographer Jesse Marlow. Jesse's limited edition work is held in private and public collections including the National Gallery of Victoria, Monash Gallery of Art, Australian Parliament House Canberra and State Library of Victoria. In 2011, Marlow won the prestigious London Street Photography Festival's International Street Photography Award followed by winning the prestigious Bowness Photography Prize in 2012. He is also represented by M.33 and has published plus been featured in bunch of books!

You can find out more at

Website : http://www.jessemarlow.com

Instagram : @jessemarlow

Catherine Matthys

Catherine’s work has been published and exhibited around the globe. In 2018 she was featured in Click Magazine as one of 20 women changing photography. Catherine also exhibited in AASPI’s first Street Beats exhibition in 2019. Her style is considered elegant and simple. She says “I believe there is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity”

Mark Davidson

Join us for a tour of Melbourne through the lens of AASPI member Mark Davidson. Mark's passion for photography was borne out of a love for travel where he is drawn to shapes and shadows on the streets of marvellous Melbourne.

You can check out more of Marks work by heading to Instagram : @markjdavidson

Denise Lawry: Lanes Alleys Arcades

Melbourne based Visual Artist Denise Lawry. Recently Denise graduated from Photography Studies College where she exhibited her Street Photography and graduate folio Melbourne 'Lanes Alleys and Arcades'. Denise will share how she uses the Street photography genre to explore conceptual ideas and bring a body of work to life.

You can check out more of Denises work by heading to

Website : www.deniselawryphotography.com

Instagram : @deniselawry

Mike Reed and “3000 Streets”

Recently Mike's work was selected by the Editor of Life Framers in their 'Street Life' theme, commenting on the 'humorous visual narrative that Mike conjurers through sharp timing and a clean composition'. For those that know Mike's work already, know we are in for a visual delight and a good dose of levity.

If you'd like to check out Mikes work you can find him on

Instagram : @mikereedphoto

Website : www.mikereedphotography.com/

Julia Coddington and Rebecca Wiltshire

Unexposed Collective co-founders Julia Coddington & Rebecca Wiltshire discuss the curation of the Head-on exhibition, Double Trouble: Exposing Women in Street.

To view exhibition go to Head ons website: https://www.headon.com.au/exhibitions/double-trouble-exposing-women-street

Unexposed website: https://www.unexposedcollective.com/about

John Staines - Shot in the Heart of Adelaide (and elsewhere)

The second instalment of AASPI Speaker Series. A discussion with John Staines, covering how he started shooting Street and the joys of Street Photography in Adelaide.

If you'd like to check out more of Johns work his Instagram is : @giant_evertonian

Adrian Whear - “Bangladesh”

The first of the AASPI Speaker Series, come with us as Adrian takes us on a journey through his photographic adventures in Bangladesh in 2019.

Check out more of Adrian’s work in instagram @adtamo