Inside a Creative Shoot with Polly Dawson and Swell Studios

A great photoshoot is about more than capturing the finished product. It’s also about the story around it — the process, the personality and the small moments that happen along the way. That was the idea behind a recent shoot at Barcola Studio with artist Polly Dawson and photographer and stylist Emily O’Brien of Swell Studios.

With Polly’s latest series of paintings at the centre of the shoot, Emily set out to create images that felt natural, colourful and full of movement. Instead of simply photographing the finished works, she captured Polly as she worked — surrounded by paint and materials, moving pieces around the studio and experimenting with how they sat within the space. The resulting images offer a glimpse into Polly’s world and the process behind the paintings.

‍Barcola’s natural light, texture and character became part of the story, with the shoot moving between quieter moments of Polly at work and more considered portraits of the paintings themselves. Emily’s use of natural light gives the series a warm, relaxed quality, allowing the colours and textures to come through without feeling overly styled.

Emily brings almost a decade of experience styling photographic shoots, alongside her work as a photographer and creative director. That mix of experience shaped her approach - intuitive and collaborative, with plenty of room for things to evolve on the day.

For Polly’s shoot, that meant letting the process lead. There was movement, experimentation and plenty of shifting things around — all the little details that are usually left out when we see the finished work.

Polly’s paintings are known for their bold colour, simplified forms and sense of ambiguity. They leave plenty of room for interpretation, allowing each viewer to find something of their own in the work. Seeing Polly alongside the paintings adds another dimension, offering a glimpse of the person and process behind them.

Her latest collection includes ‘Oh yeah, watch this’ (pictured above), one of six original works available through creative interiors store, Fenton & Fenton.

It’s always interesting to see how different creatives make a space their own. For this shoot, Emily and Polly used Barcola as a backdrop for something that feels quite personal — a look at the paintings, the artist and everything that happens between the first brushstroke and the finished work.

Polly’s work is available through her website, pollydawsonart.com and fentonandfenton.com.au/collections/polly-dawson

Credits:

Photography and styling: www.swellstudios.com.au @swellstudios_

Artist and client: www.pollydawsonart.com @pollydawson.art