Liam Fawell – Of Life and Lens
This Perth-based upstart has a zest for living that’s evident on both sides of his multiple cameras.
Liam Fawell exudes a rare, breezy passion. His knowledge of and dedication towards his craft is never up for debate, yet he talks about it all in such a relaxed and authentic manner that it’s no wonder why he’s in such demand. He’s authoritative without needing to self-assert, and curious without putting on airs. He’s just a dude who loves what he does for a crust as much as he loves his life and is in a rare position where those two things are one in the same thing.
For such a young creative, Fawell has managed to develop quite the portfolio. He and his gear bag have strolled in and out of beaches, parties, festivals and sets, and produced social and editorial content for brands both personal and internationally renowned. He effortlessly toggles between stills and video, making lifestyle, fashion and music look fun, free and inviting.
Sitting down with Liam is a delight. His answers, while off-the-cuff, are honest and succinct. It’s easy to see why it’s not only Liam’s work, but also his personality, that is a magnet for mates, followers and clients.
Here’s how he does it.
Do you remember your first experience with photography?
I was around cameras quite early on growing up. My dad shot a lot of landscape stuff and there were always cameras lying around the house. Me and my brother made videos, just home video style, basketball trick shots and filming chickens running around.
It was very much just little kids making their own fun, creating these videos. That was my early exposure to documenting things on camera.
Then when I was probably around fourteen, I picked up my dad's DSLR camera, which happened to be a Nikon. I vividly remember walking down into the yard and the sun was setting behind some trees, I shot a couple pics of the hammock in my backyard. And that was an initial moment where I just fell in love with trying to capture a photo. And from there it rolled on.
And do you still have the photos of that hammock?
Yeah, I do. It's my first photo on Instagram, back when it started. There are also some early collections of home videos on YouTube - we used to post those terrible 720p-quality videos of us running around the house, mucking around.
So, the images and videos of you and your brother and the chickens and the basketball shots, you were uploading them to social media at the time?
Yeah, we made the edits and put them onto YouTube and it was just somewhere to share them and have a bit of fun. Very innocent moments, but it was great. And they're still there on an old channel, I can actually dig and find them. Somewhere out there on the internet.
You would have grown up with social media very active in your teenage life.
Yeah. When I was at the start of high school, Instagram was becoming a thing. Wasn’t crazy full-on yet, but it was becoming a thing - where people were posting and sharing content online. I grew up in that world a fair bit, I guess.
Can you tell us a bit about the journey from that moment of discovering your dad's DSLR to your first professional job?
From that point on, for fun, I was sharing online and making these little edits whether on a family road trip or messing around with friends.
When I was around 15 or 16, all my friends were having birthday parties. And I was already kind of known as that kid with a camera. So, for one party, I was invited along to take some photos and just kind of document the moment. And it was really fun. You know, you'd have 30-40 kids around at a house where their parents had put on for a 16th birthday party, and I was walking around with a flash and a camera in hand.
At ones of the first parties I captured, the girl afterwards said: here’s $50 for shooting photos. I couldn't believe it; I was stoked that I could earn any money while just catching up with mates and taking photos of my friends having fun.
So that was where it dawned on me that, oh, maybe I can make this make this into something bigger. From then on, throughout year 10 and 11, I shot all the parties, and even some 21sts for the older kids. I was known as the guy shooting events and documenting things and just started earning some money from it.
Do you remember being happy with those photos that you would take at those parties?
You’re learning as you're going. I would spend hours on Lightroom trying to imitate other photographers that were a lot older and shooting music festivals - trying to get the different grades and the right colours and tone. I was, from a young age, really interested in the whole aesthetic, feel and texture of photos and tried to emulate that in my work.
Were you getting good feedback from the people who saw the party photos?
Yeah, that definitely motivated me, great feedback, everyone loved them. I guess that's how it kind of snowballed into me just picking up more and more work, because everyone was really, really enjoying it.
I was also becoming a bit more ambitious. Towards year 12, there were music festivals happening. I was a 17-year-old and many of them were for 18-or-older to get into. I ended up dressing in all black, carrying a camera, and convincing the security guys that I was a photographer. I’d sneak into these music shows and shoot the artists and do a bit of networking in that way to start off the industry work.
How did you convince them you were a photographer? Just through your demeanour? Or did you actually come up with a few standard lines?
Yeah, there was always a couple of different lines. And then also just being confident in wearing all black and sometimes having a backpack with your gear. It’s hard for a security guard to turn you down, when you're pretty adamant that you're meant to be there haha.
So, you being the social guy at parties with the camera led to you making money. That dynamic seems to have carried over, at least in part, to your profession now – with you living your life and being in spaces where photos are taken. That sounds like the dream for most people.
It’s all happened very organically. I’m a big people person and I love being around others. It teaches me a lot and I love learning and experiencing things with others around.
I’ve been lucky that a lot of my work and basically my job is to just be in environments and situations I love, but have a camera in hand. So, I'm kind of documenting those things as I go. And whether it was initially birthday parties or music festivals, or more recently, fashion campaigns - It's all kind of around people and working with teams. And it's all very collaborative.
And how important has social media been to that organic trajectory?
Yeah, massive. I started out on the platform quite early for Instagram. But I've always loved compiling an aesthetic. That’s also been a big appreciation of mine.
I love being able to pull together images and videos and then present them well online. I know a lot of people just love the creative side of it, but I actually really enjoy the compiling and crafting side - trying to think how to, you know, show that to the world. So I’ve always worked hard to keep constant with posting and interacting with people and kind of sharing my life and work online.
Would you say that you as a person – your look and personality – has also been an important factor in the cultivation of your brand?
Definitely, I think I've seen from pretty early age that people aren't just going to hire you based on your work, it's also about who you are as a person, and how well you get along with others. And I guess a few years ago, I was told for a big campaign that: they saw the work was up to a certain level, but they hired me and wanted to work with me because they saw who I was, and they saw that I’d fit and work well with the brand, based on my lifestyle and personality from what they could see I was sharing online.
I guess it's a combination. Sharing your personal side, but also sharing the work you do. And I've been able to maintain that balance throughout these years, which I'm pretty grateful for.
Do you think you would have naturally gone into ‘surf’ fashion, or were you approached to shoot fashion based on your socials and just kind of went with it?
I live a very outdoor life, I'm constantly at the beach, I love the surf and skate culture and everything that surrounds it. I’ve leaned towards those industries with a lot of the work that I do. But I also love culture, in general, I'm super passionate about music and that whole world. It’s just been a natural progression.
You photograph a lot of models and people. What have you picked up over the years, in terms of how to make a subject comfortable to kind of be themselves?
It started with me shooting a lot of my friends. And that's given me experience on how to direct people. And as I said, before, I love being around people. I love meeting new people and making them feel comfortable. You use your demeanour when you're on set, constant communication, telling them how everything is going to work, but also just being very laid back and chill and pointing out that there's not too much stress and pressure going on. Just making everything calm and kind of move moving fluidly.
Over time, you just get used to it - picking up what poses or movements look good on camera, what they also feel comfortable with, and then just kind of rolling into that and playing with it. So, a lot of it's made up on the day, you know, it's pretty spontaneous and organic.
Nowadays, where every man and his dog is a content creator, how do you stand apart from what else is out there?
Yeah, I guess it is hard these days. Because it's so saturated with all these platforms. You've now got Tik Tok on the rise, and Instagram and YouTube - so many different ways you can shoot content and put stuff out there that it can be a bit overwhelming.
A way that I've navigated it is just to be as authentic to yourself as possible. What do you really enjoy doing and sharing the most? Does it bring you the most joy and contentment? Or are you posting stuff or using a platform purely because you’re trying to get views or money?
You've got to think long term with this stuff that you want to do. And, you know, it's okay in the moment to kind of have a try at something new as a quick fix. But if you're continuing to do that, and it's not fulfilling you, then I'd say just take a turn and pursue the things that you actually want to be doing.
The group project Calais Crew I have with my best mates is a great example of that. We travel and shoot bigger scale projects for brands and make films and I think the reason that has been so successful is purely because we’ve kept it so authentic and true to ourselves with both what we create and what we share online and that’s what makes it different and unique.
So, you personally, you're not constantly trying to come up with new ideas to engage people? You just be yourself. And that seems to be working?
Yeah, there is a bit of a balance, you know. If you're having a lot of fun, trying to find new ideas to engage people, and you're really enjoying it and that's a challenge for you, then I'd say go for it. But if you're slogging away, killing yourself over just trying to find ways to get those extra views, and it's really beating you down, and you're not enjoying it, then there's no point.
But I'm a big analytics guy, and I love the numbers and trying to see trends and stuff. And so, I really enjoy that side too.
But you don’t let it get in the way of your authenticity.
Yeah, not letting it get in the way of who you actually are, and being able to show that. So, it's a fine line. And there's no real rulebook to it. But I feel like finding a balance is pretty key.
You do both stills and video obviously. Are you veering towards one or the other as time goes on?
It’s been a big toss up these past few years, but I still can't pick a favourite. As I said, I grew up making home videos, and then fell into photography, and then was doing way more photo work. And now it's 50/50 the whole way. I love them equally, each tests a different part of your brain and creativity. I haven't yet found one that I want to pursue more. I’m just kind of having fun and rolling with both of them at the moment and just love creating visual work with the two forms.
Do you work more with horizontal or vertical video?
I prefer horizontal video - cinematic stuff. But at the moment, it's all almost all vertical - with this new short form content that the world is going towards. It's pretty crazy.
I see you also have a podcast?
Yeah, yeah, that's kind of a little personal project. I'm a big advocate for having side projects just to keep you entertained, and creatively content. The podcast is a big one for me. It’s me and my two best mates. We love just having chats with people. We all live together in a complex and we thought why don't we just buy some gear. We've got some pretty cool friends that are doing cool things, so we’d get them on and have a chat and share it. It’s been really rewarding. Actually, people have had feedback, saying it's been super valuable for them. And they've got a lot out of it. Because of just how raw and I guess intimate those conversations are.
Is there a specific angle to these conversations? Are they creativity-based? Or more personal stories?
It is a bit creative-based, that’s kind of the premise. People doing cool things and doing life a little bit differently. And we want to dive into that not just what they're doing creatively, but then also their mindset and their perspectives on both their work and life in general.
Say, for some bizarre reason, all your content is going to be destroyed and you can only hold on to one thing that you've ever created. What would that be?
I'd love to pick a photo, but I probably couldn't. I’d have to pick a video or two. One is still up on my YouTube but I made it four or five years ago, it’s called Create More Memories. I get very emotional every time I play it.
It was a compilation of a couple years of raw moments of videos that I captured on my camera, set to one of my favourite songs ever. Nothing professional but it was just created for myself. It brings home everything that is important to me, which is friends, mateship, family, and having fun exploring and documenting those moments. Every time I watch it, I get inspired and go back to why I was creating in the first place.
If I was allowed to bring another piece, it would be my 2019 video. That was the year I took the jump to doing this thing full time and started travelling with my camera and filmed everything on my new Nikon Z6. Means a lot to me too that one.
What’s kept you using Nikon, since you first picked one up as a child?
As I said, picked up my Dad’s Nikon D90. That was the first camera that I took “professional” or I should say, quality photos on. I loved the ergonomics of it; how it felt in my hand. I loved the images that it took. It’s easy to continue on with something when you find no faults in it. It was so accessible to use my Dad’s stuff that when it came to me buying my own camera, I thought: I love Nikon, I’m just going to keep rolling with it.
Then a few years back when they introduced the new mirrorless cameras I jumped on board and haven’t looked back since.
Being able to work with Nikon now is actually a dream come true. A full-circle moment, for sure. Like, this is the camera you picked up as a little kid and now you’re professionally working with them, it’s really cool.
If we could peek in your gear bag, what would we find?
I shoot on two mirrorless bodies – two Z 6II’s. My main lens is a 24-70mm. I’ve got a wide one for the music stuff, 14-24mm and 70-200mm, which kind of covers all bases from pretty wide to pretty zoomed. All of those at f/2.8. I’ve got a couple of different primes too.
In terms of film, I recently tried out the Nikon F6, which was the last film camera that they stopped producing. And I had an incredible experience with it. A beast of a film camera that I loved shooting on.
Any specific plans for the future you want to tell us about?
A big part of what I’m doing at the moment is tailored towards giving back. Me and my mates (@calaiscrew) have been running a course as another project. We just did a workshop retreat over in Bali teaching people how to turn your hobby into a career and the ins and outs of the photo/video world and insight into the industry. That’s definitely a big part of going forward, teaching people skills, handing on my experience to others. Showing kids that are just like me 5 or 6 years ago how they can earn a living doing what they love. I’m running more workshops with Nikon too which I’m very excited about!
Then, I’m also working on my first coffee table book, which is a big project that I’m enjoying. My past three or four years on film, of just mates having fun, those moments I’ve captured on the road around the world. Will be hosting a solo exhibition for that too.
Then, I’ve got a few group exhibitions over the next couple of months. Lots of travel this year, all around the globe which is really exciting. And of course, just continuing to touch different creative projects and working alongside other incredible people to bring things to life.
See Liam’s work here. Browse his Instagram here. Check out his podcast here.
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