So the last spot has winked off the last runway in the Royal Exhibition Buildings, the last model skittered into the night and the final frockrack loaded onto the last truck off Planet Fashion. Time for The Voxfrockers to file their fave shots (unscrolling now), count their blessings (new friends and a full book of professional contacts) and thank the many Precious Ones, the consummate professionals of all stripes, who mentored and wrangled and helped make it happen.
The Voxfrock crew of emerging fashion journalists and photographers has been supported this week by some relentlessly cheerful and selfless professionals. We are in awe! Most notably, the Melbourne Fashion Festival and AMPR crews. How marvellous you are!
We’re also grateful on steroids to Ebony Eren and her legendary Event Gallery crew, not only for the crucial access, but the supervision and onsite mentoring that enabled the Voxfrockers to gain priceless experience shooting backstage this MFF.
Thank you too, to the MFF’s official backstage photographer, the wonderfully generous Danielle Castano and many other professionals who took time out from their frantics to pause, explain, encourage and instruct our Voxfrockers.
The Voxfrock Rookie Crew is a not-for-profit mentoring programme designed to assist emerging fashion journalists and photographers get a foothold in a tricky and highly competitive industry.
The Voxfrock Rookie Crew has been run for more than a decade by veteran fashion editor Janice Breen Burns (mentoring the arts of journalism) and legendary VogueAustralia shooter Monty Coles (mentoring the arts of fashion photography). Recently, a star graduate of the Voxfrock Rookie programme, Chrissy Dore, was also appointed our third crew mentor.
Chrissy is a seasoned runway, street-style and events photographer with experience covering many of Australia’s major fashion events from front-of house and backstage perspectives. She particularly enjoys manipulating light, shade and movement to capture strikingly atmospheric images.
In 2023 the Voxfrock Rookie Crew programme was joined to the FashLab mentoring project, a larger, evolving programme of initiatives assisting emerging and established fashion businesses and creative professionals in Melbourne.
Voxfrock and FashLab are extremely proud of their many rookie graduates – our fabulous alumni – who have forged stellar careers as writers, photographers, producers and fashion industry creatives over the past 10 years.
Among them are Alexia Petsinis, celebrated writer and doyenne of style now based in Italy, Andy Tran and Reannon Smith who were also generously mentored in the arts of fashion photography en crew by legendary backstage specialist photographer Sonny Vandevelde. Plus many, many others.
If you are interested, or know an emerger on the cusp of greatness who might be up for a tour on the crew, applications for the next intake of Voxfrock Rookies who will be coached through coverage of Melbourne Fashion Week 2024 as journalist/photographer crews, are now open.
Graduates of photography, journalism and related creative tertiary courses can send a short bio and three examples of writing or photography to contact.fashlab@gmail.com with “Rookie Crew application” in the subject line.
MEET THE VOXFROCKERS OF 2024.
This seasoned crew has at least three tours on the Voxfrock Rookie Crew under their belt so we’ve dropped the “rookie” moniker altogether. Reannon, Carlin, Chrissy and Joel have well and truly evolved into accomplished professionals with their own clients and creative projects.
Tilly Parsons
Tilly is a gifted young artist who specialises in portrait and fashion photography. She describes her work; “exploring and reframing cinematic conventions utilising both analogue and digital mediums.” Tilly has a Bachelor of Screen and Cultural Studies, Hons. from the University of Melbourne and is available for professional photography commissions.
Reannon Smith
After completing photography studies at RMIT Reannon jumped into a variety of professional fields with fashion and architecture at the forefront. Her way of capturing light, creating depth and suspending movement results in elegant, visually poetic imagery.
Carlin John Stephenson
Carlin is a photographer/videographer with a passionate focus on the Melbourne fashion and music industries’ BIPOC and Queer perspectives. Since graduating in photography studies from Melbourne Polytechnic in 2022, Carlin has collaborated with local artists and brands to create uniquely memorable work.
Joel Parkinson
Joel is a stylist and image-maker undertaking a double degree in Film & Photography and Fashion & Costume at LCI Melbourne. His work, he says, “Cultivates a cross disciplinary approach to image-making and styling, encompassing interests in fashion, art and design.”
Theadora Violet
