WORDS: ASHLEY FLOCKHART      

PHOTOGRAPHS: GINA MARIE CAWLEY

Born in England, Gina studied sculpture and fine art before moving to Australia to pursue photography in 2014. After her first year in a Bachelor of photography at RMIT, she shot her first VAMFF runway in 2016. She is now a freelance and commercial photographer.

Gina’s artistic background determines a lot of her work. “Most of my work is very conceptual.”

“My photography is primarily about shapes and lines, and contours within the body and skin” says photographer Gina Cawley.

At VAMFF, she often endeavors to capture the moment a model’s gaze is more expressive than the clothes they wear. “I am fascinated with the human body and psychology,” she says. “There are lots of sculptural parallels between our bodies and even the land we walk on which I always aim to capture.” Her motivations are mixed. Networking. The experience. Experimenting in different ways and angles to take photos. Her passions range well beyond fashion photography, to nature, flowers, botanica, and documentary portraiture.

Themes of light, structure and emotion run strongly through Gina’s portfolio. One photograph for example, a portrait of a woman in front of a snowy backdrop with her neck arched and a prominent scar on her collar bone, speaks to a primal dimension in humans who undergo physical pain. “This is my best friend after she broke her collar bone,” Gina explains. “Seeing the scar as a raw element, in that way, I found it beautiful.” Impurity and texture are things I try to look for in all I photograph.”