Q&A with John Laurie

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with John Laurie, a South Australian photographer and director whose work pairs a strong sense of place with a free-flowing, instinctive visual language. Whether capturing expansive landscapes or quiet corners of everyday life, his images reflect an ability to find beauty in the understated and a desire to connect with people and places beyond the surface.

In this Q&A, John shares his approach to balancing spontaneity with structure, the moments that have reshaped his creative perspective, and why joy, collaboration, and a bit of chaos are all part of the process.

Your work captures a strong sense of place, whether it's a remote landscape or a corner of everyday life. How do you bring a location to life through the lens, and what draws you to those more understated moments? 

JL Lots of walking! I think I've always been drawn to those lesser moments. Those little corners of the world that perhaps get overlooked. One of my first real influences was, and still is, Wolfgang Tillmans. His ability to make the mundane and ordinary elevated really resonated with me, and I guess subconsciously put me on the path to discover and explore the world in that way. I guess I like to be pretty immersed in my surroundings though too, and not just be a picture taker. Whenever I go anywhere I like to do a fair bit of research and planning and set myself little assignments and briefs to capture. They don't always end up being what I planned them to be but it gives me a sense of purpose. 

Finding a little spot to chill and have a beer, and chat to locals always lends itself to a few leads and places too, that you might not have thought about. Be open to getting off the beaten track, make friends, hire a car, get lost, eat a sandwich, stay in some weird B&B in the middle of nowhere. Be immersive. And don’t be disappointed if people say no or you don’t take any photos. That’s cool too. I was recently in Corsica. I basically took no photos for a week but played heaps of frisbee. I’m ok with that.

Pictured: Campaign Imagery for SA Tourism Commission

So much of your work feels grounded in authenticity, but there’s also a certain precision in how you compose a shot or use light. How do you find the balance between spontaneity and control?

JL Spontaneity is always a hard thing to do - and ironically, requires a fair bit of planning. In Ad land, it all comes down to pre-production and being organised. Once I feel like we are all in a really good place, then it gives me the freedom to really create. I shoot really quickly and really in the moment. I try not to overly direct a scene and just let it unfold in front of me in a pretty organic way. But this can often only be achieved within an established framework. There’s always images that need to be taken for campaigns and formats to be mindful of, so when those are locked away, then I like to go rogue - take the camera off the sticks and just freestyle and see what happens. They are often the ones that are chosen, which is great. In terms of lighting - I rely heavily on experts in those fields ... lighting techs are super valuable to me and I work pretty closely with them in the lead up to how we want to achieve a certain look and feel and go from there. Be in control of the situation, but let the situation control you too. Be chill and the rest will follow.

Pictured 'CITY OF MELBOURNE X BAM' 

You’ve worked with The New York Times, Monocle, Apple, and a range of tourism boards, each with a distinct tone and identity. How do you stay true to your personal, visual language while adapting to the voice of each brand or publication?

JL I think at certain stages of your career, you are a bit more responsive to briefs and to really nailing what they are after. As you get a bit further down the track, you start to get engaged with what you can bring to the table. I like to think I’m sort of at the early stages of that part of my career where my visual language, and look and feel is beginning to be an important part of these brand’s visual language. It doesn't happen overnight, and you’ve just got to stick with it. I’ve never been a technical photographer who worries about the latest gear or anything like that. I’ve always been about style and composition and a way of looking at the world, and like to think I’m pretty collaborative as to how I work with others. But everyone has a different way of working. I guess just being a bit more carefree and loose works for me. But again, I can only really be that way with the support of great assistants, digi ops, producers and lighting techs, as well as great creatives and clients. At the end of the day it should be a fun process for everyone. I like to bring super positive vibes to shoots and am pretty good at taking the p*ss out of myself, which seems to put a lot of people at ease. If I’m the biggest idiot on the shoot, then it makes everyone else look good, and it's a role I’m always happy to play - it comes pretty naturally, to be honest.

Is there a particular image - recent or from the archive - that you keep coming back to? What is it about that photo that still resonates for you? 

JL I think for ages and in the earlier parts of my career,  I used to seek these quieter, more austere moments. I shot a lot of medium format film and graded really really quietly and somberly. It was a phase I had to go through for a while that I liked. I think I was pretty heavily influenced by the Americans at the time - and in particular Alec Soth, who I still greatly admire.

I went to the UK a few years back and didn't take my film camera and just shot purely digital. It really freed me up to just shoot at will, and I became really interested in youth culture and that turning point from adolescence into adulthood (I have a daughter who was on that journey, so it kind of resonated with me).

We went to a pretty average little UK seaside town for the day, and all these kids were hanging out on the pier, vaping and drinking, and carrying on. A big group of them. So I just walked up to them and started taking photos of their brashness and confidence. I absolutely loved it, and it took about 15 minutes, but it has since really informed my way of shooting.

Super loose and free and right in the moment without a care for composition or perfection, and more about attitude and the moment. I downloaded the images and then applied a really strong golden grade to them so you could feel the heat of summer in the images. I think ever since those 15 minutes I've never really looked back to the austere imagery and have fully immersed myself into this hyper saturated, rich colour, energetic imagery. I’m loving it. It makes me feel positive and joyful which perhaps had been missing from my work for a while. I like to have fun and generally annoy people, and be a jerk so it’s always good to take images that reflect a bit of me in them. 

Since Alec Soth, I have moved more into loving the works of Nadia Lee Cohen and Alex Prager in particular - there’s a self-deprecating sarcasm that I really identify with that comes across in their images, and moving forward would love to do more in these constructed hyper real worlds. It’s in the plans currently!

Pictured: 'WHISTABLE PIER'

Your campaign for South Australian Tourism in May took you deep into the Flinders Ranges and beyond. How did being immersed in such expansive, remote landscapes shape the way you told the story of the region?

JL Hard not to really! I’ve been lucky to do a few campaigns for SATC now and am so grateful for their belief in me and the process. As an OG South Australian, I believe pretty strongly in the brand and creating a great body of work to reflect the character of South Oz, so it’s an easy thing to lean heavily into and get great results. The landscape is harsh and the people are honest, and the moments are authentic. So when you throw all those ingredients together, it's just a matter of being present in these moments.

For one of the recent campaigns, I was lucky enough to be commissioned to travel for 11 days through SA with good friends Simon Bajada (also an amazing photographer) and Jack Turner (DOP and photographer - also incredible). It was just the three of us touring around. Jack was making a BTS video of it all, and Simon and I were mic’d up the whole time - lots of laughs and banter - and I can’t wait to see what comes of it all. Definitely learnt I’m better on the other side of the lens than in front of it that's for sure! We did heaps of body surfing too, and Simon cooked us a really nice fish. He’s good on the tongs.

Outside of photography and directing, what keeps you creatively fuelled? Are there books, films, or everyday routines that feed into your work?

JL There probably should be, but there isn't really! I get waves of inspiration that come and go, and often wake up in the morning with notes written on my hand or arm - ideas that I have had in the middle of the night. Most of them end up as terrible ideas, but it's all about the process. I read a bit and look at photo books, and watch movies, but no more or less than most people, I’m sure. I probably get more ideas and inspiration from movies than photos, though.

I like script writing too and have been working on a few for a while, so that keeps a few things turning over creatively. I don’t think my personal creative habits and development are that healthy, though and could definitely be improved. I kind of go where the wind takes me a bit and when I land on something I want to do, then I usually try pretty hard to make it happen. I should do more personal work but the old self-doubt always comes into it, and you end up doing nothing. It’s a familiar tale for most creatives, I’m sure, but one I need to get better at is going from ideation to execution. 

I like to read the newspaper a bit and look for small unusual stories too that sometimes spark ideas.

So to answer your question - nothing really - ha! I guess I think about stuff a lot, though, which is both good and bad. There’s no real magic potion for it, though - I wish there was and could totally spend my downtime from shoots more productively, but I end up going for a walk, or annoying my dog, or making a sandwich instead.

Pictured 'SOUTHEND'

Looking ahead, are there stories or subjects you haven’t had the chance to explore yet but would love to? 

JL Absolutely! I’m always drawn to unusual subcultures from around the world, so I often spend time researching and planning. I’m also really keen to start working more on some conceptual portraiture ideas I’m developing, like I mentioned before. These things take time and effort, though, so the ideas need to be pretty sound before I press Go on them. My desk at my office and the walls have Post-it notes everywhere of ideas and words, and stuff. Most of them end up curling and fading over time, but some take hold and grow roots.

Pictured: 'FISH MARKET ALEXANDRIA' 

When you look at the work you’ve created so far, what do you hope people take away from it?

JL Oh lordy - dunno really. I think the biggest thing is a strong sense of authenticity and being true to the moment. I think the biggest thing I want people to take away is that I’m pretty collaborative and easy-going. The images are the images, but at the end of the day, they are just photos. I think the bigger mark is the kind of person you are when you’re working in ad land or on an assignment, be it personal or commissioned. If the takeaway is good vibes, then I reckon my job is done, and the images are a reflection of that. For now, I have nothing profound to say or reflect on in my work. I’m not really that sort of creative. If people feel happy or inspired to get out and explore, then that’s probably the biggest thing. But people can also take nothing from my work, and I’m cool with that, too. 

Pictured: ‘ALL Z’ (2024)

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Discover more of John's work here: https://johnlauriephoto.com/ or follow along on Instagram.