Our Creative Director was flown to Snapper Rocks to capture one of the years major surfing events. Armed to the teeth with a tonne of photographic equipment Andrew and Ben Thomas had amassed for the trip we were truly prepared for something epic. Once there they met Ronnie Blakey Mick Fanning's manager who introduced me to the man himself who was calm, genuine and deep. The sky had darkened by the afternoon. At the time this was a chosen aesthetic. The darker side of visuals. Purely because it illuminates subjects with light.

We're always thinking about symmetry and mathematical values.

"Perspective, angles, lines, and spatial ratios are a constant consideration when I position my subjects. I feel that, although this happens mostly in my subconscious, it all adds value to the final delivery of the subject’s emotional state to the viewer. I enhance this emotional content by featuring supporting landscapes and reducing distracting elements. If I can take myself out of the equation and leave the raw emotional connection between people viewing my images and the subject then I have been successful. Within the next year I received a phone call from Sarah Engledow, Curator of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Who told me that they would like to acquire "The Mick" as we called the work. It now hangs in the galleries permanent collection" - Andrew Maccoll, Saturate Founder.