LOCAL boy Chris Rowlands is leading a double life: community planning officer by day, avid photographer by night.
It’s an interesting dichotomy; planners are traditionally unimaginative, while photographers live and breathe creativity.
But when it comes to Chris, the two work hand-in-hand.
His photography allows him to document the beauty of the rugged Mallee landscape, and his planning background means he is fascinated by the way issues within a community cause that landscape to evolve.
An interest in the township of Manangatang resulted in a photo essay titled ‘Manangatopia’ — exploring the breakdown of that community through evocative images of boarded up shops, empty streets and abandoned homes.
He says it’s one of the best things he’s ever created, although it’s another more recent photograph that most associate with the Chris Rowlands name.
When Swan Hill was plunged into darkness in the February blackout, Chris and his camera were out and about, taking advantage of the darkness to snap a very special shot.
The photo of the Swan Hill clocktower flanked by a brilliant Milky Way featured on the February 21 front page of The Guardian and, in the words of Chris himself, “represented Swan Hill in a way that’s never been done before”.
Anyone lucky enough to see other work by the young photographer (he’s only 22) knows that Chris is particularly drawn to night-time landscapes.
His photos of starry skies convey a sense of infinity, like he’s captured a slice of time and stretched it out for the viewer.
But Chris says he just really likes snapping photos, and the fact that others like what he captures is simply a bonus.
“I know it’s a good photo when someone comments and says, you’ve made me feel like I was there.”
It all began back when he was a Year 8 student, picking up his mum’s old film camera to snap a fleeting photo of his grandfather’s sheepdog.
That photo turned out better than anyone imagined.
“I guess that spurred me on to pick up a camera from there and go and teach myself how to shoot properly and it’s grown from there into the ridiculously expensive hobby it is today,” he reveals.
Since then he’s been through three camera bodies, purchased countless different lenses (including a massive Tamron 150-600mm), and taken a staggering 150,000 photographs.
Chris has never had any formal photography training, and says that he’s “kept tapping away at it, I suppose the same way you’d teach yourself guitar.”
He’s still tapping away at his planning degree too via correspondence, with the goal of graduating next year.
But when he says he staying firmly put here in his beloved Swan Hill, you get the sense he means it.
“I was in Bendigo for four years for uni and I didn’t think I’d miss it that much, but the river — it’s just bred into you. You can’t get away from it,” Chris says.
“At times I think I could live in Melbourne but I think I’d actually lose it… couldn’t find enough quiet space or enough space that hasn’t been touched by us to go round and do my thing.”
And although Chris claims he’ll never go down the professional photographer route, he’s yet to find anything that rivals the joy of taking a good photograph.
“Each one has a story behind it,” he explains.
“That’s probably the biggest thing with my photography.
“I know it’s a good photo when someone comments and says, you’ve made me feel like I was there.”
Check out Chris’ work in full here.
Watch Manangatopia here.
