I often stop and look at a house, as it stands, in the course of its life. It could be old, it could be new, it could be run down, it could be spruced. I find all kinds of houses, in all kinds of repair, beautiful, in their own way. The only time houses are deliberately photographed though, is when they’re ‘for sale’, or if a builder or architect wants to document their work. I decided to start photographing houses for the love of them. For the dignity of them. I started photographing them, basically, out of respect.

I like to think of myself as a portrait photographer. I started taking “portraits” of houses.

I also saw, around where I live, a great number of houses being demolished. My interest is not just in old or rundown houses, but with some of these houses it was a “last chance to see” moment. I’d see a house standing in beautiful light and think, If I don’t capture it now, I might never get the chance again.

I took a photo of a house in Altona and, to my surprise, it was demolished a couple of weeks later. I’ve looked at this photo a lot since; I’ve developed a keen affection for that old, overgrown house. It now feels as though it was a privilege to capture it, sitting there in the sun, on what turned out to be its death bed.

I took portraits of houses for 2-3 years. During this time I was often frustrated when cars (or people) were in the way of the shot.

I slowly realised though that cars weren’t marring the shot; they were making it.

I then started to deliberately include cars in these portraits of houses and buildings. It was natural then to include people too, if they happened to walk into frame.

This is how The Beauty of Suburbia Photography Exhibition came to be. The Beauty of Suburbia Photography Exhibition is a portrait series of houses, cars and people in their landscape. I made this series for the love of it. I find these buildings and cars, these lines, these colours and these textures, exquisite.

Life is beautiful, even when it’s not. It has to be.