Hi and welcome back to another week on the Chrissie Murphy Designs Blog. It’s Artist Interview time again! Yay!! And I have been so keen to bring you this interview with The Sugar Lane Collection (aka Troy and Tash Kapea) because I am so in love with their work! The Sugar Lane Collection are a photography company based here in Tully, North Queensland. To me their work is other worldly, ethereal even. There’s a magical look to their work that makes you want to climb inside one of their scenes. So, let’s get into my Artist Interview with the Sugar Lane Collection, I know that by the end of this, you’ll love their work just as much as I do.
Welcome Troy and Tash, tell me a bit about your background and how you got into this style of work?
Me and Tash (my wife) started off with videography first, mainly because we were both sick of seeing all the negative crap on social media. We have two kids of our own, 1 boy (9yo) and 1 girl (2yo), and we felt the need to put something positive online. Not only for our kids, but for anyone else to aspire to or be inspired about. Social media is a powerful tool and we felt that we needed to use it to create something positive!
Naturally, when playing around with the camera, we fell in love with shooting stills. We also fell in love with the ability to portray the world through our eyes, and the creative aspect that goes along with it. I’m Maori, and originally from the Waikato, (Hamilton) New Zealand, and art is very much a part of our culture over there. Tash is originally from Tully.
Where are you located and what sorts of things in your area inspire your art?
We are currently based in Tully, North Queensland and we just love living in this beautiful part of the world. Our style is mainly portraits and landscapes, and what better place in the world is there to draw inspiration for our work from. Rainforests are on our back doorstep, beaches/great barrier reef are out the front and beautiful waterfalls are scattered throughout the area. Our biggest inspiration of course is our kids!
You have developed a unique style to your work, what would you say is your favourite piece?
I personally love creating moody portraits that evoke emotions. My favourite piece so far is an image I created of Tash reaching for the stars.
What are your favourite and least favourite tools for photography?
My favourite tool would have to be my Sony A7rii camera, paired with the Sigma 85mm 1.4 lense. My least favourite would have to be the Zhiyun Crane 2 gimbal/stabiliser because its a pain in the backside to setup, and it’s heavy to carry around everywhere, but it is a necessity for video.
What has been your greatest triumph as a photographer?
My greatest triumph so far is being able to get the kids out of the house and get them excited about nature while at the same time being able to take epic photos!
What is the greatest lesson you’ve learnt as a photographer?
The greatest lesson I’ve learnt so far is being patient. Being able to stand back and think about the look and the message I want to portray with the image before rushing in to take the photo. It also helps to be patient, otherwise you end up forgetting something like memory cards, spare batteries and lenses lol.
What can we look forward to from you in the future?
We have plenty of epic photos and travel videos to come which will showcase some of the beautiful locations we have in Far North Queensland. We have merchandise like T-shirts and stickers that we are excited to launch very soon along with our website. And we have got more vlogs coming which will be on our Facebook page, where our previous ones currently are.
And lastly, tell us all the places where we can find you online…
You can find us on Instagram @sugar_lane_collections and on facey @sugarlanecollections. We’ll be launching our website very soon so keep an eye out on our socials for that announcement!!
And that’s a wrap on this months Artist Interview with The Sugar Lane Collection
I loved the triumph that Troy said he’s experienced as an artist, and as a Dad. Getting kids out of the house, excited in nature all while being able to create epic work is a triumph! He’s in a precious position of being able to leave a lasting legacy for his children and personally, I don’t think there’s any greater achievement.
Late last year, leading into Christmas I spent a fair bit of time reflecting on legacies. Christmas is a time that always brings this up for me, as I had grandparents who were uber creators. My Grandma was a woman who crocheted and cooked, and she could crochet and cook anything! My Grandad was a man who turned wood. Between them both, they were prolific creators. As a child, my Grandma would ask me early in the year what I wanted for my birthday or Christmas. I’d say I wanted Brisbane Bronco’s socks, or a Brisbane Bronco’s jumper, or a desk, or a chair, whatever…. whatever I asked for, I received, and it was always created by hand by them both. Christmas was always a time of great joy!
They left behind a positive legacy – one of creating and of giving handmade gifts
They have left me with a legacy of creating, and of giving handmade gifts. As I’ve grown to now have children of my own, I’ve been reflecting on the legacy I’m leaving them. I’d dearly love for it to be a passing on of the legacy left with me, mixed with a few bits and pieces that are uniquely my own. The goals and things I’m working toward in 2019 incorporate my desire to continue this legacy in a pretty big way. As I said above, I don’t think there’s any greater achievement than leaving a positive legacy for your children, because a legacy lives on long after you’re gone.
I love that Troy and Tash are living this now, and for them, it includes a visual story of their legacy being written. Their work showcases a story of photography, of travelling to the rainforests, beaches and waterfalls of North Queensland, to capture creation in all her beauty. What a truly beautiful legacy they are living with their children.
So what legacy are you leaving as an Artist?
This is a huge question if you haven’t considered it before… but what kind of legacy are you leaving as an Artist? There are only two types of legacies you can leave behind, a positive one or a negative one. Here’s the thing though, so many of us go through life without ever choosing the legacy we’d like to leave. Legacies just happen, whether you choose it to or not, so why not give thought to it, and direct your energy toward creating something positive for the generations after you. Leave us a comment below sharing the legacy you’re going to be working toward in 2019 so I can cheer you on.
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Until next time, listen to your heart and sharpen your coloured pencils. A masterpiece awaits!
Bless you my friend
Chrissie xx
