Expression Series Portraits

: Tony Vacher — Tony Vacher from Sterling Hair at his salon

Sometimes you get a photography commission that’s right up your alley and so enjoyable that it doesn’t really feel like work at all. Which is how it was for this project for Lynx for their “Expression Series“.

In their words, “we invited photographer Dan Boud to capture twenty Australians taking on the world in their own unique way, with their own authentic style.”

: David Bonney — David Bonney in his swimming pool

Their agency Soap pitched it to me and it was a no brainer. They’d commissioned artists to do a big mural, a typographer to do a 3D render, and wanted me to do photography. My task was to find 20 people (primarily males) who had an a strong sense of personal style. For Lynx my impression was that it was a small part of a bigger goal to reposition the brand from the juvenile connotations of old, to something a bit more sophisticated.

Sometimes brands sponsoring creative endeavours can be fraught with ethical issues, stiflingly dull creative briefs or crass in your face sales pitches. Thankfully I think we avoided those dilemmas and I was pretty much left to my own devices to execute it as I saw fit.

: Brian White — Levi’s Account Director Brian White outside his office in Surry Hills

I didn’t want to just do a random street style thing, as just aimlessly traipsing the street for interesting people can take an eternity, but more importantly I wanted to find people of more substance, who either worked in the world of style or who did interesting jobs and just happened to be stylish too.

So I drew up a big spreadsheet and starting plotting it out with people I knew and taking recommendations from friends.

The shoots were all pretty straightforward, I’d meet the subject at their home, office or a favourite spot of their liking, we’d chat, walk around and shoot pictures. The majority are Sydneysiders but I also made a trip to Melbourne to represent South of the border too.

: Giussepe Santamaria — Graphic Designer and Photographer Giussepe Santamaria at home

: Kate Neil — Hairdresser at Sterling Kate Neill (who cuts my hair!) in her bedroom

: Daniel Milkovic — Part time cosplayer Daniel Milkovic in a Homebush playground

: Sean McManus — Head Barista at Single Origin Sean McManus in their cafe in Surry Hills

: Rhys Nicholson — Comedian Rhys Nicholson in the fire escape at The Comedy Store

Pedestrian has featured the work, and you can see more of it, including interviews with the subjects on the Lynx Expression Series website. They’re also producing a photo book.