“To me this picture just shows the essence of Tony Joe White,” Thorpe says of this picture taken at the first Deniliquin Blues and Roots Festival. Thorpe says it captures White’s connection to the audience. “I love the colours and the lights in it,” he says. “It just really shows the atmosphere of a great performance on stage.” Thorpe liked the snake head on the guitar strap as he thought it further showed the personality of the musician.

“I always like a darker element in a photo and the simplicity you get when you just have light and shade,” Thorpe says. This picture of Victoria Chick in a vacant warehouse tells the story she is preparing for something. “Simplicity is what draws people in and they wonder what it’s about,” he says.

Sarah Fealy was a contestant in a Miss Ink competition. Thorpe says she stood out against the black background because of the soft light. He says the challenge was finding the right pose so people could identify her and see the tattoos. “Most tattoos were on her back and arms so I thought this pose best found the balance,” he says. “The light also works well to give her a nice skintone that helps the tattoos jump off the skin

Thorpe tried a bunch of set-up photos before he took this picture of Dylan Harris, Eva McEntee and Rhys Parton for a promotion for The Pyjama Girl. “They were all a bit stiff so I sat them up at the mirror and to go through their routine,” he says. Thorpe used only the light available from the mirror and a flash. “The trick is to be careful with shutter speed and hold the camera still enough in minimal light,” he says.

Melanie Ruth made this wearable art for the Carnivale festival. “I like the colours and the expression on her face because she is so engaged with the viewer,” Thorpe says. He says the trick is to talk to people and tell a joke to get them to laugh because getting them to relax was the biggest issue.

This picture of the federal campaign launch for Sophie Mirabella shows a lot of emotion, Thorpe says. “It was after the formal launch and Sophie’s daughters just came up to Joe Hockey and made a joke,” he says. “To me it shows warmth in characters that are usually very guarded and don’t get to show their personlities often.”

Thorpe says there were a lot of pictures taken from the ground after the storm at Mulwala in March. “They showed the damage and gave us the chance to talk to people but taking a photograph from the air really gave you a better view of the extent of the devastation,” he says.