Storytelling the heart of Dane’s work

Dane Travers is a jack of all trades.

While he completes his third year at Photography Studies College (PSC), Mr Travers is also freelancing in event consultation and lighting design, and is an AV technician and stage manager for a theatre company.

“I find that there are a lot of gigs where I start as a theatre tech and then accidentally mention that I’m a photographer,” he laughed. “All of a sudden, I’m photographing the whole show as well!”

His fascination for photography started in high school, where he studied media and eventually became the resident events photographer.

The Bachelor of Photography at PSC was the right fit for him. He got in straight out of Year 12 and hit the ground running.

Now in his final year of study, Mr Travers’ goal is still to become a financially self-sufficient photographer. But his multidisciplinary experience has been valuable for his photography.

“I have a unique network that I’m able to tap into,” Mr Travers said.

Photography, theatre and the creative arts generally have had a reputation revival in the wake of the pandemic, according to Mr Travers, despite the industry suffering disproportionately during lockdowns.

“As much as people say, ‘that’s not a career, that’s a hobby,’ it’s the thing that everyone has turned to to get them through the past two years,” he said, reflecting on the week he spent in bed watching Netflix when he was a close contact of someone with COVID-19.

“I think that realisation for a lot of people has shifted the importance of it.”

There’s also been a “barrage” of work during the past few months, making it an exciting time to be in the field.

“There’s a lot of work, but there are a lot more photographers,” Mr Travers said.

He puts this competition down to greater access to cameras in the digital age, where “everyone thinks that they are photographers.”

People are still seeking out high-calibre work, though. Being able to tell stories and not just capture moments sets him and his fellow students apart.

“At PSC we spend one semester doing camera craft,” he said. “The rest of it is, ‘Alright, you know how to use a camera. What are you going to do with it? What are you going to say?’”

Whether he is capturing weddings or photographing food, narrative is the driving force behind Mr Travers’ work.

Thanks to PSC, he is also equipped to be “more than just a stills photographer”, producing videos, social media packages and curating, designing and styling his work. He hopes this will help him grow his business after graduation.

“We’ve got this new fire lit in our bellies as creatives because the world has proven that it needs creativity now more than ever.” •

For more information: danetraversphotography.com.au