Elyse Patten Photography | Photographer

Elyse Patten Photography

Phone: +61 425 291 914

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24.01.2022 My Tokyo experience in a single image. Each day is a variation of this. Open to interpretation. Curiously, what is your interpretation? Are we having a good time, or not?

21.01.2022 An old favourite of mine from the Festival of Pacific Arts 2012. All these beautiful women were topless and my NGO employer didn’t publish any nudity out of concern for the perceived dignity of the people they served. So I had no choice but to go very tight. I stayed with this gorgeous girl until I got the shot I wanted. Carrying my very heavy 70-200 f/2.8 around makes me love even harder on the images it made.

21.01.2022 A real bridal party portrait. #weddingdocumentary

21.01.2022 Shooting the red carpet premiere of Danger Close was a tough assignment. But amid the chaos, dim lighting and long posed shot lists were moments of people being touched by the true story of the film. Danger Close opens in cinemas in the US this weekend. Here are my favourite images from the opening night in July. Featuring my muses @linc_lewis and @krivstenders. #documentaryphotography

19.01.2022 Siblings/Pirates. #documentaryfamilyphotography

18.01.2022 I always keep shooting during these awkward moments of arranging a posed photo. These real family dynamics are far more interesting than the straight shot we are aiming for. In August I spent 8 hours with @briony.walker and her incredible blended family of 8. It was so much fun. I was amazed watching Briony and Jon expertly wrangle all these kids. Here she is coaxing her youngest into the group for a brief posed photo before we lost the light. Much more to come. #familydocumentary

18.01.2022 A Perrett family moment. #lifeinahammock #documentaryfamilyphotography

17.01.2022 These babes rocked the streets of Tokyo last night. Taking (pre-selected) lollies from (pre-selected) strangers. It was wild. #happyhalloween

16.01.2022 Lunch break. Kubin Village Primary School, Moa Island. These kids could destroy me at Connect 4. Not surprisingly.

16.01.2022 The Perrett family. I always offer my families the chance to make a posed portrait in an environment that is meaningful to them. They are so comfortable with the camera by then that it becomes a natural conclusion to the story of their day.

15.01.2022 Caring for small humans is totally overwhelming while you are doing it, but so very sweet to look back on. Every parent needs real photos of that crazy, beautiful time in their lives.

14.01.2022 Don’t wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect. - Mary Oliver This is how I feel about making images of family. All we have is now. I believe the only way to enjoy life, especially the chaos of family life, is to appreciate what is right before you. And here is the key - while it is still there. I take photographs of my own family to pause the present. I say to myself, Look at this, it’s beautiful isn’t it. Enjoy it while it lasts. And it isn’t just during a sunset on the beach. It’s absolutely anytime I can stop and take notice. I’m slowly learning to do that more and more. I hope to help other families do the same. Thank you Mary Oliver for all of your wisdom, so graciously shared. May you rest in eternity. #ripmaryoliver #documentaryfamilyphotography #lifeonmoa

13.01.2022 I made it to Tokyo. I give you this self portrait as proof. Where else could I possibly be but a cafe in Harajuku. #ilovetokyo

12.01.2022 This weekend Danger Close opens at cinemas across Australia. It’s a big budget, action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thrilling TRUE STORY with the screenwriter from Pirates of the Caribbean, the director from Red Dog, and my old friends Mikie and Johnny as producers. It is the first movie ever made about Australians’ experience in the Vietnam War and the first Aussie war movie since the 80s. Go and see it this weekend to make up for all those Anzac Day marches you skipped. Go and... see it this weekend because you were never taught about the Australian involvement in the Vietnam War in school. Go and see Danger Close this weekend to support uniquely Australian storytelling against the crashing tide of American cultural imperialism. Go to the movies this weekend because it will be so deeply enjoyable. I am. I’m finally going to see it. Photo of Luke Bracey pointing to the real hero in the audience who he portrays on screen - Bob Buick. Director Kriv Stenders applauds Bob along with the crowd in the cinema. True Story is scrolling past on the screen behind. True story.

12.01.2022 Life is like a trampoline. Sometimes you’re flying, sometimes you’re falling, and sometimes you are deep in the middle of a bounce-back with the weight of your inertia pushing you down. I’m feeling dizzy from the bounce I’ve been on this past week. Here’s the story. We arrived back to our island home on Wednesday. On Thursday I found out Grandma had been in hospital for a few days. Later that same day a doctor calls me. There is a tumour in her small intestine blocking the... digestive track. Surgery is risky and unlikely to be successful. They can manage her symptoms, keep her comfortable and recommend options for palliative care. She has days to weeks - not months. I booked flights home also fearing for my Grandpa who has some dementia and is totally lost without her. With typical optimism and mountain-moving faith Grandma said she was praying for the blockage to be removed. She was diagnosed with neuro-endocrine cancer 4.5 years ago, a month after moving in with us and planning the construction of their house adjoining ours. She has small tumours everywhere throughout her body. They gave her 3 years to live 4.5 years ago. I hoped for the best with her, but I prepared for the worst. I arrived home late Monday night after a flight delay. Tuesday morning I took Susannah for her first day at school and then went to see Grandma. The tumor is gone. Grandma is eating, walking, laughing and talking about coming home. One of her doctors calls her the ‘miracle lady’. She loves that label. She owns it. Of course, she won’t live forever. But I’ll take all the time I can get. And just like that we’re flying again. Photo from a Day in the Life of the Perrett family.

10.01.2022 My boy. Big personality. Lately he struts around the house saying ‘My Awesome! My the best! My superman!’ Born with confidence. Capturing the breadth of his personality sure is a challenge. And yet I am his ground zero. This portrait is accurate in so many ways.

07.01.2022 We are preparing to travel back to Moa Island for the start of the school year. I’m looking forward to getting back to island life but, for the first time in my life, I’m dreading the journey ahead. I usually love every part of moving through time and space. But this journey is long, familiar and involves dragging two small children and a lot of luggage through every intersection. I do get to hang out with some lovely friends in Cairns for a few days this time. I’ll look forward to that. Image taken while on assignment in Micronesia 2013.

07.01.2022 "The most profound and moving moment for me in the making of this film happened a couple of months ago when we showed the completed film to the veterans of the battle. One of the commander's sons approached us afterward with tears in his eyes, thanking us for making the film. He said, "I finally understand who my father is. That single response made the whole experience of making this film so personally worthwhile. ~ Director Kriv Stenders The producers of Danger Close: The... Battle of Long Tan invited me to this special screening to get some happy snaps in the foyer. But it’s always my goal to capture the emotions of an event - what it felt like to be there. I knew that a group of war heroes watching a film made about their experience was a rare and special event. I said I’m planning to shoot the audience reactions to the film in the theatre, as long as I’m not disturbing anyone. What, in the dark? Yes, in the dark. With a bag full of hope I watched, assumed position and waited for a bright flash of light to come from the oversized screen. I did catch the commander’s son here wiping tears from his eyes but since these images were taken at just 1/5 second (12800 ISO f/2.8 handheld) the movement of his head and fingers didn’t give a good result. While everyone else enjoyed the film I only listened to it, but I can’t wait to see it. It opens in Australia on 8th August. Go and enjoy this moving and uniquely Australian story.

06.01.2022 This sweet baby girl celebrated her first birthday this week. No longer the tiny bundle in her mothers’ hands. And you know the best part about this beautiful moment in time? It’s real. They were just chilling at home early on a Sunday morning - watching tv, playing with her tiny feet, no stress, no fuss. This is a visual document of the tangible love and attention her parents gave in her first weeks of life - just like they give her every day. #documentaryfamilyphotography Sam Selena Sparks Stephanie Polzin

05.01.2022 Golden Boy. Father and Son part III. I wonder how this photo will be enjoyed by this family. Maybe it will be shared in a slideshow at his 21st birthday party, or kept in a frame on his dad’s desk. Or maybe it’s just a page in the family history book I’m making for them. The best part is whenever he looks at it, he’ll know that it was a real moment in his life. No fake smiles, no fake anything. This is real life, and it’s beautiful.