Mads Barnes: exploring the art of storytelling at PSC

For Mads Barnes, photography isn’t just a hobby; it’s a passion and career in the making.

Now a second-year student at Photography Studies College (PSC), Mads’s journey into photography began in 2017 while stationed overseas in the military.

“I picked up a camera while traveling and started taking landscape shots,” Mads said.

“It wasn’t long before it became more than just a hobby. I started booking events, shooting portraits, and it grew from there.”

In 2023, Mads left the military and moved from the United States to Australia to pursue a degree at PSC.

“I wanted to study photography more seriously and eventually make it a career that supports me,” they said.

Although Mads started with an interest in landscape photography, their interests have shifted toward portraiture, live music events, and documentary photography.

Now in their second year, Mads is thriving in the creative environment at PSC.

“The classes are great, and I’ve grown a lot as a photographer. The teachers and students here are amazing,” they said.

“It’s been a really supportive community, and I’ve learned so much.”

One of Mads’s current projects they’re working on at PSC is a documentary piece about a transgender friend, documenting them as they undergo their medical transition.

“I’m kind of documenting the behind-the-scenes process of that; it’s been going really well so far.”

Looking ahead, Mads envisions a career that allows them to blend their love for music and travel with their passion for social impact.

“I’d love to be a travel documentary photographer,” they said.

I want to focus on marginalised communities around the world, share their stories, bring awareness to the issues going on around the world that people might not know about, and use photography as a tool to empower others.

“I’ve done a bit of traveling out there and I would love to go back not as a tourist, but as a travel documentary photographer to places like Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, and Vietnam and just talk to the people.”

The best piece of advice Mads has received at PSC so far? To avoid clichés in photography.

“That’s always stuck with me whenever I’m shooting, just to capture things that aren’t typically the norm and just go for those more candid moments. It doesn’t always have to be so perfect.” •