Rodney attributes his love of photography to his mum, who always captured family moments and events with a Box Brownie film camera. What’s more, Rodney’s love of coastal life came from growing up in a boat shed in Williamstown (Victoria), surfing, diving, and fishing the local pier.
Later, Rodney moved to Point Lonsdale (Victoria) and became inspired to capture photos of local surfers and his own time on a board. In fact, it was during one of these surfing outings that Rodney drowned his mum’s camera. He would put the camera into an ice-cream container and paddle out into the waves. He would sit out behind the waves, pull the camera out of the tub, and capture shots. Unfortunately, he was dunked by a wave, and the Box Brownie was completely ruined. Never one to be deterred, Rodney picked up his own Box Brownie and replaced his mum’s camera.
Once Rodney completed his carpentry qualifications, he worked the summer months around Torquay's coastal areas. This allowed him to be by the coast to surf, photograph everything, and enjoy the coastal vibes. Rodney also worked for Victoria’s ports and harbours authority and would take his camera with him while out working around Port Philip Bay. As a result of the access Rodney had during this time, he has documented much of Port Philip Bay's nautical history. Rodney soon discovered that a career in building lacked creativity, and he set out on his own to discover his passions.
“With photography, you might take it on for one thing(genre), but you open your eyes and it's out there. Everything you see is to be photographed.”
From sneaking into corporate seats to shoot local acts at Melbourne’s Festival Hall to sailing on tall ships in the bay and capturing his daily life working the docks and piers in Port Philip Bay, Rodney has always had a camera in hand. He’s had a crack at almost every genre, including running a decade-long wedding business. Rodney recalls building his own darkroom and spending countless hours creating images while boiling crayfish over a bottle of wine.
Rodney began selling his prints of the local area at the Queenscliff Market in the early 80s. While on The Camera Life, Rodney held up two of the prints he had sold at the Queenscliff Market back in the day. He had found them in a local op shop decades ago and quickly bought them up. In the mid-80s, Rodney opened his first photographic gallery, complete with support from the Australian Made initiative, and before long, he appeared in a collective of Australia’s best initiatives. He was determined to make his photography work and for it to take him somewhere. Before long, Rodney picked up a Pentax K1000 - as it turns out, many of The Camera Life guests learned their craft on the same camera.
In the early 90s, Rodney opened a second photographic gallery and took the plunge to exhibit his life’s work. Having completed a framing course, he successfully mounted and framed his images in preparation for exhibitions. One of Rodney’s favourite shows was Time and Tide Won’t Let a Sailor Sleep, which tells many stories of harbor life. Sea Gems, the name of the second gallery, was more of a maritime history museum than a typical photography art gallery. Sea Gems ran successfully for six years before Rodney and his partner fell pregnant, and it was time to change course. While his priorities shifted, Rodney never lost his love or skill in photography and continued to document the local surf coast over the following decades. Always willing to have a crack, Rodney even returned to tertiary studies to learn how to edit and manage images in Photoshop.
The love of storytelling stood out to me most while hearing Rodney talk about his life and career. Rodney’s images capture a moment in time from a time long past, and as a result, they evoke nostalgia and profound respect for life by the ocean. Rodney’s narrative extends beyond the two-dimensional plane of an image as he recounts and retells stories from decades ago.
“I enjoy the spiritual gift of interpreting the natural environment, capturing shape, colour, texture, and movement. Making pictures warms my soul, please enjoy!”
It was a blast talking with Rodney and seeing the countless ‘show-and-tell’ items he shared with us. Amazing to see such a collection of gear and works from a 50-year history in the craft. If you’re unfamiliar with The Camera Life Podcast, be sure to take a look at our YouTube channel for the latest episodes and, of course, our back catalogue of weekly shows. Our shows are also available on popular audio podcast platforms. If you like what you see, please give us a thumbs up, subscribe to The Camera Life, and click on the bell icon to receive notifications of upcoming shows. We host two shows weekly, the first being every Thursday at 9am AEDT (Australia), where we interview amazing guests. The second show, The Random Photography Show, airs every Monday at 7:30 pm AEDT. The Random Photography show is a little random, a little loose, and a lot of fun! Be sure to check them out.
Find Rodney:
- Instagram: @rodneynicholsonphotography
- News Article: https://timesnewsgroup.com.au/bellarinetimes/news/50-years-behind-the-lens/
