Personal Projects: Australiana Simon Eeles

Australiana is the result of a cross-continental road trip photographer Simon Eeles took in his homeland of Australia after years of working in the U.S. and other countries. When he returned, he spent time at his mother's house in Tasmania. Playing with his camera, he showed his nieces and nephews what it was their uncle had been doing during his long time away from home. Spending time with the people he loved, he noticed something in those moments. It was something about the hard Australian light and his family's honest youthfulness that seemed very Australian. Eeles believes that Australia's culture is "colorful and loud in a land of hardness," and that this is due to the country's perceived "newness" and even naivety. Australiana presents a portrait of the people who reside in the geographically separated, diverse landscapes that make up this unique country.