CHUCK BRADLEY photographer

About

To hear Chuck Bradley speak, you'd be surprised to learn that he's been working as a photographer in Australia for the past 27 years. His accent still strongly carries the sounds of Willow Street, Pennsylvania where Chuck was born and discovered what he calls his "love of the light".

Chuck got his first camera - a Canon AT1 - as a graduation present from his parents who were anxious over what he'd do for work. The gift worked. Chuck's first job was as a darkroom technician in a big studio, watching photographers there and learning the craft. It wasn't long after that Chuck went out on his own, never assisting for anyone, but shooting "shed-loads" of film to develop his style. "I love the light," says Chuck. "The lighting has always been paramount to me: the way it looks on an object or a person."

For that reason, Chuck loves to let the subject speak. "It's about the subject, not the post production," he says. It's a philosophy he takes both to his commercial work and his personal projects. His current "Life Aquatic" work is a great example. Capturing fish, ducks, and jellyfish in almost lyrical studies, Chuck is striving to open up a world that no-one ever sees. "It's organic. You find your subject, you light it, it is what it is - minimal retouching. It's nice to escape overworked images and the trickery that's so prevalent in this CGI world."

Crossing the Pittwater in Sydney's North by tinny from his home on Scotland Island, Chuck is always on the lookout for new subjects. And new inspirations. Recently, he has even gone back to doing Polaroid transfer, tracking down cameras and old stocks from far and wide.

When Chuck isn't shooting, he is spending time with his wife Marijo and two boys, aged 17 and 14, sailing as crew on a 30-foot Currawong yacht called "The Angry Penguin", skippering his own Laser or banging out some classic rock & roll as the drummer in a 60s & 70s cover band.

He has three Polaroid transfers in the Polaroid collection in Cambridge Ma., has been a finalist at D&AD and AWARD, twice a finalist in the Folio Awards, has silver and bronze awards from AIPP, and has had numerous pieces accepted into the ACMP collection.

In the past few years, his commercial work has been in demand amongst clients including Optus, IBM, American Express, QANTAS, Bundaberg Rum, Jim Beam, and Telstra.