
Robert Bruce - Photographer
Photography has always been a great passion starting as a hobby during my school days.
Living on a property west of Orange, I met a photographer from Sydney, Colin Beard. Teaching at the Sydney College of Arts, Colin had worked for the magazine GoSet in Melbourne in the early, heady days of Australian Rock & Roll. His visit was a turning point, introducing me to the fascinating world of professional photography.
His camera bag was mine to play with for a few days, and I was hooked! In 1984 I turned my hobby into a profession, opening a photographic studio in Orange.
Working in Orange lead me to a meeting with the famous Australian photographer Max Dupain in 1987. I was asked to be his guide in Orange as he took images for his exhibition “To Orange with Love”. He taught me how to see and use light. It was a great experience and I was so lucky to have had such an accomplished mentor at that time.
My commercial photography has taken me all over Australia, a mixture of upmarket rural real estate photography, brochure photography and magazine photography. I have photographed many beautiful country weddings, and often had the chance to do some creative photography along the way.
Portrait Photography is something I love and get great joy out of, and includes children, family and couples portraiture and traditional portrait photography of individuals including some well-know Australians!
I have also worked on some large events, photographing The Sydney Film Festival for 12 years, the festival events and its many celebrities and for the Australian Golf Union for many years, covering the Australian Open for their archives. Both great experiences.
Other projects included a trip to the Okavango Delta, South Africa in 2008. A memorable experience, capturing images of lion’s, hippos, elephants, zebras and the most diverse and colourful bird life I have ever seen. Some of these images from Africa are in my Travel Portfolio on this web site.
And most recently, I photographed the amazing “Hardman” stained glass windows at St Joseph’s Church in Orange for a book, documenting the church's 39 stained glass windows, sent to Australia from Birmingham in the UK, as far back as 1873.
Specialist Professional Competencies
Consultant and planning of photographic assignments for individuals, companies and government agencies and specialising in agricultural projects. I work with colour transparencies, black and white film and colour prints, as requested.
Photographic expertise including:-
- commercial
- agricultural
- aerial
- photojournalism
Previous work includes commissions by:
- Australian Wheat Board
- Australian Jockey Club (Sydney)
- Australian Golf Union (Open 1990 – 2003)
- Elders Real Estate
- NSW Agriculture & Fisheries
- Email Limited
- ABC Radio
- Vogue Living
- Orange Regional Gallery
- Constructional Review
- The Sydney Morning Herald
- INCITEC Ltd
- Sydney Film Festival (1991 – 2003)
- Bathurst Regional Gallery
Professional Experience
- Operating and managing a freelance photographic business from 1984.
- Photographing rural and commercial properties throughout New South Wales for sale brochures.
- Processing black and white film stock, custom printing and enlarging on my own premises
- Reproduce, copy and restoring old photographs
- Wedding and portrait assignments
- Food photography
- Working in consultation with medical specialists, photographing X-rays and scripts for seminars
- Livestock photography eg. Sheep, cattle, horses
- Aerial photography using medium format equipment