June 22, 2017

Talisman - Behind The Scenes

A talisman is an object, amulet or charm which is believed to contain certain magical properties that avert evil and bring good fortune. To us, a talisman represents the realm of the unknown, full of mystery and mythology.

Our Spring 2017 campaign was shot amongst the ancient landscape of The Pinnacles in Western Australia. The people of the land believe this to be a special place of dreams and spirits.

We invited renowned Australian photographer Steven Chee along to capture our long-time muse and WA local girl ~ Pania Rose amongst these incredibly surreal landscapes.

The Pinnacles is an easy two hour, two hundred km drive north of Perth. Fresh off the flight from Sydney, our convoy hit the road in high spirits. The west coast scenery is stunning and changes at every turn. Signs mark the turnoff to Nambung National Park, we pay the $12 park entrance fee and veer off down Pinnacles Drive.

No amount of Google searching could have prepared us for the view - thousands of huge limestone pillars rise from the shifting sand dunes resembling an otherworldly landscape. Some are no more than 10cm high, others tower over us and are 4m above the ground. The ever changing light adds a new mystery to any direction you turn.

If you wander long enough, you might just spot a western grey kangaroo, emus, or a white-tailed black cockatoo.

Shoot days always begin with an early morning and on day two we arrived at the Lancelin Sand Dunes, just before dawn. We were met by a spirited local who chauffeured the crew by dune buggy as the sun rose to a secluded spot amongst the rolling dunes.

Blinding white sand stretched in mountainous waves as far as the eye could see. It felt like we could have actually been on the moon!

In between locations, we detoured into the small fishing town of Cervantes and dined on lobster lunches from the best spot in town ~ The Lobster Shack.