ABOUT US

  • What we do

    Image Makers Association Australia represents professional and emerging photographers in Australia through education, advocacy, celebration and connection. We work on behalf of our Members to improve the business landscape for the profession, building confidence in the value of photography and ensuring image making remains a viable career path into the future.

    Our Members are commercial photographers working across portraiture, editorial, architecture, food, advertising, corporate, lifestyle, travel, social media content, still life, studio and more. In fact, in today’s world, many photographers cover multiple areas and some of these areas overlap anyway; it’s imperative we all understand how to manage a range of client types and different licensing arrangements as required.

    Our Student and Assistant/Emerging categories of Membership allow those getting started in the industry to access valuable material to help them in their chosen career path.

    We are a single tier association where all members are valued equally, and we operate on the premise that success is calculated in the marketplace. Our role is to support members so that they each can confidently establish and maintain viable businesses that thrive in a competitive market.

  • Why is an industry body important

    Most industries have an organisation dedicated to understanding their collective issues and concerns; commercial photography should be no exception. Image Makers Association Australia represents an opportunity for Members to maintain a standard of practice and professionalism, thereby elevating business confidence in the value of what we do. It is also an important opportunity for community and connection in what can be a very individual profession and opens pathways for shared learning and celebration of our craft.

    Image Makers Association Australia aims to be recognised as the leading industry body for professional photographers in Australia.

  • Our structure

    Image Makers Association Australia is an incorporated association under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (Vic) and was registered on 18th May 2022 with Model rules adopted. The Association is also an Australian registrable body under section 601CB of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission.

Our Committee

  • PRESIDENT

    Sharyn Carins
    September 2024 -
    BA of Science in Photography (RMIT)

    Sharyn is at the forefront of commercial photography in Australia, with a specialist portfolio spanning interiors, food, travel, and lifestyle. She is committed to creating beautiful images that capture a mood and an emotion, playing with light and shadows to create levels of depth and distinctive memorable scenes.

    Image Makers Association Australia is in for an exciting new chapter with Sharyn Cairns stepping into the role of president from September 2024. With her innovative vision and dynamic agenda, Sharyn is poised to guide us into an exciting new chapter. Her fresh ideas will provide a vibrant roadmap for the association's future, and we are eager to see the new directions and opportunities she will bring.

  • Vice President

    Ben Guthrie
    August 2023 -
    Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons. 1) UNSW, CoFA
    Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) UTS
    Bachelor of Architecture (Hons. 1) UTS

    Ben Guthrie has formal training in fine art photography and in architecture and much of Ben's time is spent photographing buildings from outside to inside. His 15 years of experience working in architecture and over 25 years of ongoing photographic practice brings a thoroughly trained and understanding eye to the nuances of commercial architectural photography.

    Ben’s mind is forever in flux, constantly oscillating between the vague, experimental, uncertain, esoteric wanderings of a frustrated artist and the clear, factual, precise, meticulous, economic realities of a being working professional photographer. His role at Image Makers Association Australia is primarily to support and assist the advocacy agenda of the broader committee.

  • Secretary

    Natasha Alessio-Mulhall
    August 23 -
    Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Honours) UNSW

    Natasha Alessio-Mulhall is an Architectural and lifestyle photographer based in nipaluna / Hobart and works with many of lutruwita/Tasmania's talented architects, designers and tourism brands as well as capturing projects around Australia.

    She studied and worked as an Interior Architect before transitioning to photography in 2012 and has established relationships with valued clients in the Architectural, Tourism and Government sectors, such as Liminal Studio, Cumulus Studio, Brand Tasmania and The Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet.

  • TREASURER

    Anthony Basheer
    September 24 -
    Advanced Diploma in Photography, Photography Studies College, Melbourne
    Bachelor of Business (Marketing), University of South Australia

    Anthony is a Founding Member of Image Makers Association and joins the Committee in September 2024 as Treasurer.

    Anthony is a photographer whose work explores the quieter, experiential moments found in buildings. He is drawn to architecture that stirs emotion through scale, form, colour and texture, and captures the magic and rhythm of the changing seasons, the shimmering sunlight and the softly fading dusk. Particularly focused on the history and beauty of architecture’s classical and modernist years, Anthony has developed a portfolio of projects – heritage houses, public buildings, warehouses and landscapes – that are not clean or simple, but emotive, personal, layered and considered in response to the rituals of life.

  • Committee MEmber

    Dianna Snape
    President May 2022 - September 2024

    Bachelor of Arts (Photography) (Honours) (RMIT)

    Dianna Snape is a Melbourne based photographer specialising in Architecture, interior and landscape photography. Her work features regularly in leading architectural and design magazines both nationally and internationally.

    She is a graduate of RMIT’s BA (Photography) (Honours) course with over 20 years experience in the field.

    Dianna served as Image Makers Association Australia's founding President from May 2022 to September 2024.

    Supported by Communications Manager, Rhiannon Slatter and the inaugural governance committee, Dianna led the establishment of the Association defining processes and frameworks for it's effective operation.

    She has been a pivotal figure forging affiliations and Industry relationships and her leadership laid a strong foundation for the organisation's success. Her ongoing volunteer work with the new governance committee shows a deep commitment to the association’s continued growth and stability.

  • COMMITTEE MEMBER

    Shannon McGrath
    Treasurer May 2022 - September 2024
    BA in Fine Art (RMIT),
    Diploma of Photography (RMIT) & MFA Masters in Fine Art (RMIT)

    Shannon McGrath has been photographing architecture and interior design works for 25 years. She is commissioned by pre-eminent architects and designers around Australia for her ability to get under the skin of a project, and not only capture its pure essence but also her client’s formal design intent. Passionate and professional, Shannon’s images are known for their beautiful portrayal of light and form, with a soft realism that celebrates the subject matter.

    Shannon was part of the Founding Committee for Image Makers Association Australia serving as Treasurer from May 2022 - September 2024.

    Shannon has been an integral support in the associations inaugural years and her dedicated work in forming and leading the Education Committee has been instrumental in developing valuable educational resources for our members. Her efforts have greatly enhanced the support and knowledge available to our community.

    Shannon will continue to lend her expertise and support to the new committee. Her ongoing commitment to our association will undoubtedly help us build on the strong foundation she has helped to establish.

  • COMMITTEE MEmber

    Scott Burrows
    September 24 -

    Scott Burrows has 20+ years experience shooting  every conceivable project type.

    Scott follows a set of simple rules when photographing architecture. Create images that independently define the design intent of the client, establish a sense of timelessness in the image that can be used for years to come and ensure the image contents are authentic and devoid of any 'trendy' distractions or adjustments that can easily typecast a clients work.

Administrative Coordinator

Isabella Elordi is an emerging photographer who divides her time between assisting and producing work of her own. She is a recent graduate of Deakin’s Bachelor of Creative Arts (Photography) program.

Isabella provides essential administrative support for Image Makers Association Australia managing new memberships, website updates, newsletters and our instagram account.

HISTORY

Previous Associations

  • Australian Institute of Professional Photography | 1944 – NOV 2021

    The AIPP began in 1944 when photographers from various states collaborated to form an Australian association, providing a united voice for photographers nationally. Its roots can be traced back earlier to the 1930’s and the creation of the Professional Photographer’s Association of Victoria.

    The AIPP contributed to shaping copyright and privacy laws in Australia and advised on and supported tertiary education for photographic training. The AIPP also ran the annual Australian Professional Photography Awards program.

    With a membership of thousands, it was a source of professional development and community.

  • Association of Commercial & Magazine Photographers | 1990’s to 2015

    The ACMP was an extremely important and respected industry body during the 1990’s. The association start-up was funded by the AIPP with a focus on supporting commercial/advertising photographers, specifically with a focus on advocating for copyright. Contrary to overseas law, in Australia, the photographer did not generally have rights to the images they produced. The campaign to change this to reflect equity on an international stage was a ten-year campaign across both the Labor Keating and the Liberal Howard governments. It is an absolute credit to everyone involved, and in 1998 the law was changed in favour of photographers.

    Every year the ACMP would produce the ‘Fuji ACMP Australian Photographers Collection’ inclusion in which was a result of an extensive judging process by some of Australia's best photographers, designers and copywriters. The Collection was a celebration, an exhibition and an archive of contemporary Australian photography.

    In 2015 the AMCP joined forces with the AIPP to work together and give more weight and credibility to commercial photographers.’

  • Volunteer Opportunities

    Members are invited to put forward ideas which may further the Association’s causes and are encouraged to join working groups to assist the committee.

  • Instagram

    INSTAGRAM @IMAGEMAKERSASSOCIATION

    Over on the Instagram page, week long Member take overs are being run; this has allowed Members to share some of the exciting and different things they do and issues they may have overcome, an opportunity for us to collectively benefit from individual experience.