Q&A with Duo Arthouse
Duo Arthouse is a joint venture by Bree Winkler and Lily McCarthy, who originally began a successful travel blog together - The Duo Photos - but have since turned to producing fine art prints and photography "that captures visual stories and moments in time from some of the world’s most beautiful destinations". Their passion for travel and photography has meant they are now able to offer customers a slice of paradise, in the form of high-quality, framed prints for their home or business.
We recently had the privilege of talking with Bree and Lily to learn more about their joint-venture, inspirations, and their methodology.
Q. Duo Arthouse captures visual stories from some of the world's most beautiful destinations. How do you select the locations you photograph, and what draws you to these particular places?
DA Our travel planning process is certainly informed by places that we would like the opportunity to photograph, along with some other more practical factors. We are drawn to many diverse places around the world as we both love to experience different cultures, meet new people and broaden our perspectives. We both have a fairly long (and ever growing) list of places that we are working our way through visiting!
While we will plan ahead to photograph some particular locations (for example, the hot air balloons at sunrise in Cappadocia or to meet specific client briefs), much of our photography captures unplanned moments in time along our own travels. Photography has always been driven by our own enjoyment and having only recently launched our company have we become more mindful while shooting of which shots might become potential prints.
The incredibly photogenic summer scenes across Europe’s coastlines lend well to photography, where it can often be hard to put down the camera and really focus on shooting from a more considered perspective. In other places that are more off the beaten track we challenge ourselves to capture their unique beauty and view them through an artistic lens, knowing that most of our photos are simply our personal digital journals and don’t end up being sold as prints!
Q. Transitioning from 'The Duo Photos' travel blog to establishing Duo Arthouse, how has your creative process evolved, and what motivated this shift towards fine art photography prints?
DA We see the evolution of The Duo Photos (and its dual focus on blogging and photography) towards Duo Arthouse (focusing solely on fine art photography prints) as a natural maturing and a more sophisticated expression of the original brand. Having spent much of our early careers in the corporate world, while pursuing travel and photography only as a side passion, we are now proactively putting Duo Arthouse first. This prioritisation in both of our personal lives has really driven and brought to life our shared vision for Duo Arthouse.
The unchanging element in our creative expression over time is our desire to curate and share those tangible memories with each other and with like minded people. Our creative process in selecting, editing and sharing our photography has markedly evolved to meet a new context. We are now producing high quality artwork that is a tangible (not only digital) product and must be viewed from a real world perspective.
Q. Your work often encapsulates moments of leisure and serenity. How do you approach conveying these emotions through your photography, and what techniques do you employ to evoke a sense of tranquility?
DA A large part of what makes us fall in love with any particular photograph is how it makes us feel. We tend to choose those shots that really evoke a sense of escapism and wonder, encouraging the viewer to take a moment of reflection outside of the daily grind. Aside from selecting a particular scene, we find that shooting during the early morning or late afternoon is best to capture those more serene scenes. We appreciate that lighting is a photography 101 kind of point, but it simply can’t be overlooked! When it comes to choosing what to shoot, some of the most tranquil scenes we have captured are of the local people going about their lives parallel to the tourism bustle. These are usually shots that can’t be planned and which feel most authentic to us. Conveying these ordinary yet special moments feels like a very necessary perspective check in our busy world!
Q. As a collaborative duo, how do you balance your individual artistic visions to create cohesive works, and what does your creative process look like from conception to final print?
DA As long time friends, co-authors of our travel blog and now business partners, we have always worked very well collaboratively. Most importantly, we have a strong sense of mutual respect for each other and support each other in capitalizing on our respective strengths. We are fortunate to have a similar artistic vision for Duo Arthouse and where there is any variance in opinion, whether it be photo selection or marketing strategy, we have been able to meet in the middle or find scope to adopt both preferences.
Our creative process is not strictly linear and undergoes many revisions, but in short involves the photography itself, selection of photographs for open or limited edition collections, editing the selected photos, having test prints prepared, finalising the edits and finally launching the relevant collection on our website (and across social platforms).
Q. Your photography showcases diverse locales, from the Italian coastline to the streets of Istanbul. How do different cultural contexts influence your artistic perspective, and what challenges do you encounter when capturing the essence of a place?
DA It is no surprise that different cultures and locations influence our personal experiences and indeed our photography of any particular place. While we are in the business of capturing beautiful imagery and our travel highlights, we do try to stay authentic to the essence of our shooting locations. Exploring any place through an artistic lens encourages us to find and appreciate those moments of beauty wherever we are, big or small. To adopt your example, we really see it is a welcome challenge to capture the diverse beauty of a place like Turkey after spending a few weeks on the famously photogenic Italian coastline.
Unlike the controlled environment of a studio, shooting on location comes with its fair share of surprises, whether that be an unpredictable weather forecast, how the feel of the location meets (or diverges from) any of our preconceived expectations, or timing the moment (especially when capturing subjects). Ultimately, the character of any particular location will inform our artistic approach, especially where local customs or expectations around photography need to be respected.
Q. Your 'Weekly Wallpaper' initiative extends art beyond traditional mediums. What inspired this project, and how do you see it influencing the way audiences engage with your work?
DA We are always reflecting upon and considering new and innovative ways to reach our audience and grow our business. We appreciate that purchasing one of our artworks is not accessible to everyone, but true to our original blogger roots, we still want to share our images on a broad scale and to expand our audience engagement.
It is no secret that brand success online can be deceptive. While the means to engage a broad audience is at your fingertips, sustaining that engagement and transforming it into a valuable asset is a hurdle in a saturated market. Respecting the limitations and opportunities of social media, we have no choice but to continue to find innovative and exciting ways to bring our photography to life both within and outside of these platforms.
Q. As Australian artists with a global portfolio, how does your home country's landscape and culture influence your work, and in what ways do you aim to bring a piece of Australia to your international audience?
DA It goes without saying that we have both been heavily influenced by our cultural upbringing in this diverse and naturally beautiful country. Growing up in Queensland, the Sunshine State, where coastal living and holidaying have always been a central part of our lives, we’ve naturally developed a photography style that appreciates and ambitiously seeks to capture the vast expanse of our beaches, our year round natural light and a sense of the laid back culture.
Indeed, we have long planned to capture some more home scenes for future collections and this really reflects a lesson in gratitude that travel has imparted upon us both. Spending time visiting Noosa or Byron Bay shows just how many people from around the world are drawn to our shores, and we’re excited to share more of that beauty on a global scale. That said, it felt right for our debut collection to consist of our favourite European summer scenes, as a nod to our previous travel blog which really focused on international travel. As we personally and professionally evolve, so too does our photography and we are excited to share that on a larger scale with our emerging brand. Watch this space!
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Learn more about Duo Arthouse, and explore their prints, here: https://duoarthouse.com.au/