Monash University Libraries.

The School of Libraries commissioned me to photograph seven of their larger libraries to support their marketing and communications teams. These images are all from the Caulfield Library.

This project for the Melbourne Writers Festival provided authors with promotional assets they could use for self-promotion and festival marketing.

I proposed this concept to the festival because photographs taken during the event are too late for effective promotion and have diminished value for the following year, as the lineup changes.

On assignment for Oxfam Australia.

Small-scale fishing on the Mekong River has supported communities for thousands of years. However, this practice is threatened by a series of dams under construction (at the time of this photo) to enable hydroelectric power stations.

Oxfam Australia actively supported people advocating for these communities. I accompanied Oxfam journalists on six trips to Southeast Asia to document a variety of their urban and rural programs.

My client ESS Super commissioned my team and me to create an image library of over 200 photographs for use in their communications. The shoots, in collaboration with Ambulance Victoria, featured real members.

This hero image of a cyclist receiving emergency medical help was photographed in a warehouse and then combined with an image from the city.

This coffee growing village in Laos was one of the few places I’ve visited twice with Oxfam. When I first went the farmers had just received training, facilitated by Oxfam Australia, to improve their production techniques and switch from growing the robusta coffee plant to the more lucrative and difficult to grow arabica. This change was followed up with introductions to new buyers in Japan looking for a premium product. When I returned years later houses that were once wood were now concrete. Dirt roads were paved and perhaps most important kids were in school. The economic improvements hadn’t solved everything, there were new issues with the power dynamics and social structures, I couldn’t help wonder if money had polluted this place in a way. It was bitter sweet. But the big box was ticked, being the only thing that is truly shown to alleviate poverty to my understanding, girls in school.

For five years every press kit for every holden released in Australia came through my computer. I’ve also retouched in for Mazda working in Hiroshima on the global launch of an MX5, for General Motors in Dubai and Hyundai in Seoul.

This series of drawings from Japan looks at the phenomenal heights of engineering humanity employs in our day to day lives. Take a moment with me to recognise that where we’ve found ourselves is truly remarkable.

The Valuer-General of Victoria’s office needed some portraits of their team. I went to a classic conservative look with warm open expressions.

These images were created in collaboration Willem-Dirk du Toit as tests for further work. The tests ended up being visually successful but technically very difficult to both photograph and retouch. We shelved the project for lack of time and hope to return to it one day.

For me, these images began to explore transitions of life, ie. birth and death. It was also beginning to touch on themes of the subconscious and mythology.

Ella Thompson is a outstanding talent on the Melbourne jazz scene. Early in her professional career I produced these images in collaboration with the stylist Grace Dlabik.

ORE were one of my first industrial clients. They provide mineral standards to mines all over the world to compare their deposits to.

My client Justice Connect needed up-to-date group shots of their teams. But the groups often change and it’s not always possible to get everybody together. The solution is to photographed each person separately, then create a group shot in post production.

I’ve been refining this technique for years. It would normally require too much retouching. However with the right considerations at the time of capture it’s easy and works every time.

Later, members who leave can be removed and new people added. It also helps get a great photo of everybody, because each person has my complete attention for the shoot and then we can choose the best shot for the group pic.

This renowned vineyard needed some emotive images for their award winning wines. The location image were complimented with some traditionally lit studio work.

Contract Resources position themselves as the special forces of industrial work, specialising in the dangerous and difficult. They’ve hired me to work on a few of their projects generating video and stills for marketing.

This one off image was just right place at the right time.

Working with the Police Association of Victoria my team was able to deliver 150 still images and over 30 minutes of video footage in a single day of production.

ORE manufacture mineral standards. These images showcase their product range so that their clients can instantly understand the variety of options available.

ESSSuper are a market leader and provide superannuation to emergency services and state employees. I’ve done a number of shoots with their members, however this shoot was with their staff. My aim was to visually articulate their professionalism, excellence and approachability.

These images supported the launch of this locally manufactured classic.

Working in collaboration with MFB to produce marketing images for ESSSuper.

The NGV run a series of summer programs engaging people in activities with the gallery. Their numerous internal photographers are experts are recording artworks, they commissioned capture something more spontaneous, fun and dynamic.

Oxfam Australia are a long standing client. Their annual Trailwalker fundraising event is a challenge to photograph being spread over 100 kilometers. But images of people doing extraordinary things are everywhere. This event distills and fosters within our community teamwork, resilience and generiouslity.

Burke Works produces bespoke leather good from Footscray. These photos were for the Japanese men’s magazine POPEYE who I have done a number of projects for in collaboration with Mifumi Obata.

This Melbourne University Laboratory is focused on embryology research. They are closely linked with clinical organisations such as Melbourne IVF and collaborate internationally.

TV production studio CJZ commissioned me to photograph stills to support there series The Big Disease. Dr Ahmad Aly pictured here was a surgeon featured in the story that I particularly enjoyed working with.

This thriving Melbourne company trains coders at all levels in the language of Python. The commissioned some photography for a relaunch of their brand. The hero image was created in my studio and layered up on a stock image for the background.

For most photographers corporate events constitute a significant amount of our paid work. Generally the subject matter is dryer than our more experimental work and many photographers shy away from including these shoots in their portfolios. I’ve come to enjoy this work and I’m proud of it. There are always new angles and interesting scenes to capture. People are often in there element at these events, experts in their field. These events are often full of human interaction and people passing on knowledge. There are great photos at these events.

This was a crazy day in the studio for Oxfam’s unwrapped campaign. These images went onto the cards. The idea that you buy a goat/pig/cow etc. for a village on somebody else’s behalf, as a christmas gift. This has been a hugely successful product for Oxfam.

Robbie Campo is the CEO of Emergency Services and State Super, a profit-to-member fund serving Victorian emergency services and state employees.