I was fortunate to photograph actor Rachael Taylor while working as a stills photographer on the Australian motion picture film Summer Coda in and around the regional city of Mildura in Australia.

Here are my impressions of working with this accomplished Australian actor.

The image at the top of this post shows Rachael Taylor acting our a moment from the film for me to photograph.

Despite oppressive heat, and at the end of a difficult scene, Rachael got straight back into character which enabled me to make a series of images of her character, Heidi, with her violin.

The Making of Summer Coda

Summer Coda was filmed predominantly in and around Mildura, in north west Victoria during December 2009.

Over the years I’ve created numerous posts from the film illustrated with images of the crew and the local landscape.

While I found working on the film to be an enjoyable and uplifting experience, Summer Coda was made with a very small budget and under very difficult conditions.

I was extremely impressed with the way actors and crew alike met those challenges.

Oppressive summer temperatures were faced by all and, in addition, others had their own, unique problems to manage as best they could.

It's a credit to the professionalism of all involved that the work came first and, as a result, the finished product shines under the direction of Hollywood based, Australian film-maker Richard Gray.

Candid Photography | Real or Contrived

I found Rachael to be a generous and engaging person aware of the needs of the stills photographer.

As well as being required to make numerous stills during or immediately after the filming of certain scenes, I was also asked to photograph a range of candid moments, of actors and crew alike, on and around set.

This was particularly important to director Richard Gray, who also wrote the script, so I did my very best to make a series of images that helped tell the story of the making of Summer Coda.

photographers Must Respect The People They Photograph

This image of Rachael Taylor’s character Heidi playing the violin was made with the aid of window light which provided a large, soft light source by which to shape the face and highlight the warm color of the violin.

There are some actors, with whom I've worked in the past, who simply do not want to be photographed once their filming responsibilities have ended.

There are numerous reasons why this is important to them and/or the management group with which they’re involved.

Image is important to all actors and it's not unreasonable that they would want to try and protect their image by controlling what and when they are photographed.

Off set, as public figures, this is clearly hard to achieve. The dreaded and vile paparazzi make sure of that.

On set I’ve occasionally had to balance the views of an actor with the needs of my employer.

However the notion that, seconds after the director says cut, the actor moves suddenly out of character which they’re unable to recreate for a stills photograph hard to accept.

Making Positive, Life-Affirming Photos

Off camera and around the set I wouldn't dream of photographing anyone who doesn't want to be photographed.

I simply make the point that, as I'm only interested in making positive, life-affirming photos, that it's their loss as much as mine.

If I can't photograph them then they will be missing from the body of work I produce which tells the story of the making of the film.

Personally I think that's tragic but, whether I agree with their rational or not, I absolutely respect their decision.

In Rachael's case I had no such problem.

Due to her very hectic schedule on set there really was little time to photographer her off camera, other than during meal breaks or between wardrobe changes.

I do my best to keep clear of actors during those times, assuming they need space and quiet between scenes.

Of course it's always a good feeling when you get a chance to sit and chat with any member of the team, whether cast or crew.

I’m always interesting in bonding with people and making new friends. And everyone has a story to tell.

Summer Coda | The Journey

The above photo illustrates one of the many walking/travelling scenes Rachael Taylor performed telling the story of her journey from the US to the orange orchards of Mildura.

For these scenes I positioned myself as close to the Director Of Photography, Greg de Marigny, as possible without getting in the way or having the sound of my shutter being picked up by the audio guys.

I'm really not what you might call a candid photographer, preferring to work in an interactive way with my subject.

However, the nature of this project required the recording of certain candid moments. Right from the beginning Rachael seemed fine with this.

I'm not the type of photographer who hides in the bushes with a big telephoto zoom lens making images on the sly.

Rather I'd stand back, out of the way but visible and, when an opportunity arises for a candid moment (e.g., laughter, banter, interaction with director, etc) I'II make the image.

But I’m only interested in making high quality, beautiful photos. I really have no interest in rendering anyone in a demeaning manner, unless they choose to ham it up for the camera. And even then I'd be careful who sees such photos.

Low Light Photography | A Minimalist Approach

As many of the scenes from Summer Coda were filmed indoors, or outside at night, a lot of low light photography was involved.

I frequently had to employ what, in those days, was considered high ISO (e.g., 800 or 1600) in addition to slow shutter speeds (e.g., 1/8 second handheld) and fast lenses (e.g., 85 mm f/1.2) to be able to record the moment as close as possible to how it would appear on the big screen.

As I said, right from the get go, Rachael was fine with this type of candid approach. I was aware, right from the first time, that she'd wait until I'd released the shutter until she moved.

One the first day we worked together Rachael would send the faintest type of wink towards me as if to say, "No worries, hope you got a good one".

I'II never forget that, particularly after arriving for my first day on set, some way into the project, with the temperature reaching 47 degrees Celsius.

Any opportunities to photograph Rachael Taylor were a real highlight for me.

Rachel has an enchanting smile and luminous skin, as is evident in this black and white portrait of Rachael with Australian actor Alex Dimitriades.

Photography is largely about light and Rachael and light have an incredible relationship.

Rather than light reflecting off her skin, light seems to radiate outwards from Rachael’s face.

This luminous quality is what I try to achieve in all my photography. With Rachael it’s just there and, as such, it was a joy to photographer her.

Glenn Guy, Travel Photography Guru