Hi and welcome to my blog, where I document and discuss my life as a photographer, writer, podcast host, and more recently, a photography workshop and tour operator. Of course, I am talking about street and travel photography education – it’s kind of my thing! September has been an incredibly busy and productive month with lots of exciting developments, outcomes and learnings. I’ve run more Street Level Photography Workshops & Tours, I have had increased involvement in the upcoming Bright Festival of Photography (BFOP) – which is fast approaching, and I have been working on my social media game. Of course, all of that is on top of my role with Lucky Straps, The Camera Life Podcast (which I co-host) and the day-to-day of being a dad, partner, and papa to two new adorable kittens. To top off September, I have taken a number of great street photography walks solo or with friends. With so much happening, I thought it appropriate to unpack it a little.

Street Level Photography Workshops & Tours

I recently launched a new arm of my business to run street photography workshops and tours through the heart of Melbourne. As someone who has lived in Melbourne all my life, it brings me immense joy to show others parts of Melbourne that speak to its cultural significance and diversity. Running photography tours is something I have considered in the past, especially where my travels to Japan were concerned. Before Covid, I made some loose plans to start running small group photogrpahy tours in Tokyo. A once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and then a life-altering spinal issue soon put the Kaibosh on those dreams. My recovery has been slow, but I am now in a position to offer Melbourne-based street photography education and experiences. And so far, the response and feedback I have received from my clients have been positive and encouraging. So far, I have run several workshops, including Street Level Group Workshop – Master The Basics, Street Level Group Workshop – Smartphone Street Photography and Street Level Solo Workshop – Develop Your Signature Style. Each workshop runs for three hours, with the only exception being the Solo Develop Your Signature Style workshop that also includes a 1-hour video meet session to discuss outcomes, review images, and answer any questions about next steps to developing photogrpahy skills.

I really enjoyed the one-on-one Street Photography workshop with Greg because I could work at my own pace. I could ask questions that were specific to my goals and my camera, which gave me time to ponder and process. Greg’s knowledge about the Melbourne streets and Street Photography are beyond excellent. He has a calm and easy manner and I felt comfortable with Greg straight away. I would and do highly recommend this workshop for anyone considering Street Photography – Rhonda.

Looking ahead, I hope to expand my available offerings by creating a Skate Park workshop (held at my local Prahran Skate Park) and a beginner group and advanced solo evening workshop. That may change as I get closer to releasing the new workshops, but I believe it is best to offer a range of options to suit interests and skill levels. As part of developing and promoting my workshops, I have not spent a cent on advertising so far. I am sure that will need to happen in the future, but I have purposely held off and instead focused on making the existing workshops as interesting and valuable as possible. One other important change I have made is to boost my social media game – especially on Instagram. To learn more about this side of the business, build good habits and gain traction on my socials, I am working alongside Lucinda Goodwin. Lucinda is an amazing music and events photographer with an impressive record of photographing local and international music acts both on and off the stage. Plus, Lucinda is a social media guru. If you follow me on Instagram, you will probably have noticed an increase in posting and activity from me. It’s all part of the process of building a profile and reputation as an educator and artist alongside promoting my workshops. It’s a work in progress, but already my interactions on Instagram have skyrocketed by the tens of thousands.

It was a thoughtfully designed workshop that covered a wide range of topics. I enjoyed the learning experience with Greg, who was very patient and generous with information – I felt comfortable instantly. He tailored the workshop to suit my needs, with plenty of time to ask questions and practice. He emphasised how important it is to train the eyes – looking for light, shadow, texture and more before taking a shot. I walked away with tips that I can keep building on and put into practice. Highly recommended! – Mila.

BFOP, Lucky Straps & The Camera Life Podcast

At the time of writing this article, the Bright Festival of Photography (BFOP) is only nine days, twenty-two hours, and fifty-four minutes away. I am arriving in Bright two days before the festival kicks off to catch up with friends and prepare for the weekend ahead. So it’s actually seven days till I arrive. Throughout September, I have worked alongside Justin (founder of Lucky Straps and my co-host on The Camera Life Podcast) on two initiatives in support of BFOP. The first is that together we hosted three dedicated live podcasts on YouTube to support the BFOP Workshop booking process. The process is a bit chaotic, but we were on hand, along with two BFOP workshop instructors and the two leads of the festival) to give live updates and answer people’s questions. It was a lot of fun, but combined with our two regular weekly podcasts, it was a lot.

The other BFOP initiative I am involved in is the BFOP 2026 Print Swap. Bruce Moyle and I are the leads on this project, and the core concept is for people to bring printed images with them to BFOP in order to swap them with other attendees. There’s a lot more detail to it than that, but in essence, we want people to celebrate their own photos and take the next step to get physical prints. As for Bruce, he is a great friend and an incredible photographer and videographer. Bruce and I will host Print Swap meetups throughout the festival weekend. Print Swap participants can show up, bring their prints, and meet other photographers and swap prints with one another. It’s a simple idea, but currently we have over 120 participants who are bringing their little pile of 6×4 prints to the swap. While Bruce and I hoped for a good turnout for the first-ever BFOP Print Swap, we are ecstatic with the response and willingness of others to be part of it.

As with the past two years, I will be catching a VLine train from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Railway Station and travelling to Seymour Railway Station. The train journey is quite relaxing and always reminds me of my train journeys when in Japan. From there, Justin will pick me up on his way across from where he lives in Bendigo, Victoria. We can then hang out and chat on the car journey to Bright. The train trip takes around one and a half hours, and the car trip from Seymour to Bright takes a further two and a half hours. When in Bright, we will catch up with as many friends and peers as we can, host live podcasts from Bright, and also run the Lucky Straps leather camera strap stand at BFOP HQ. We ran a similar schedule last year, and we were run off our feet but had an amazing time. One of the best weekends of my life! But until we get to BFOP, I have to make sure I have all the necessary photography and travel gear to make the annual pilgrimage to Bright. While I will miss my girl and our family, I can’t wait to have feet on the ground in Bright for six days of pure photography goodness.

Chihiro & Susu

Back in August 2026, I wrote a blog all about how pet photography will make you a better photographer. The inspiration and stars of that piece were my clowder of cats. The Doctor (my partner) and I adopted two young kittens from the Lost Dog’s Home here in Melbourne. They have proven to be an absolute delight, raising two (unrelated) kittens. We have adopted many cats over the years but always one cat at a time. That in itself is deliciously whimsical to be a part of. But raising two kittens at the same time is next-level adorable. The girls are close to seven months old but fortunately have not lost their kitten charm and playfulness. And given I work from home, I have been able to spend a lot of time with them, as they love hanging out with us. Plus, they make for great subjects to photograph and document their growth and antics. It is fair to say that I am obsessed with Chihiro (my choice) and Susu (the Doctor’s choice) as they bring so much love and cozy energy to our family home. What’s more, they are getting better acquainted with our existing cats, Haru and Dolcie. And let’s not forget the household head of security, Hazel!

Street Walks

Aside from the street walks I do as part of my Street Level Photography Workshops & Tours, I have been getting out and about a bit more with my camera. As winter quickly fades and Spring approaches, we have already had some cracking days with warm golden sunlight and people out and about enjoying the better weather. Given my hunger for light, I have made the most of these days and even shown up to my workshops an hour early just to get some solo street photography in. I have been posting these edited street walk images on my socials to elevate my content and show that I can put my money where my mouth is. I can’t very well promote and run street photography workshops if I can’t demonstrate I have the skills and experience to do so. My solo street walk outings are also great for my physical and mental health. And that brings us to the end of my September 2026 update. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: no man is an island, and as such, I have had the ongoing support of so many amazing people, which has allowed me to invest in my craft and take it to the next level. With love and megapixles. G