Ares & Aphrodite, Mars and Venus, War and Love, Masculine and Feminine...

However you label it, they represent polar opposites often associated with the sexes. Remember Men are from Mars, and Women from Venus?

Ares & Aphrodite is an exhibition of photographic portraits that explore this gender divide. Including works by participants of the Workshops in a SNAP! Winter Programme, the images in Ares & Aphrodite are sexy, seductive, sultry and sensational.

Held in one of High Street's newer establishments, Breaks Cafe, this is an exhibition for those of you interested in seeing what can be achieved in studio portraiture with a bit of creative lighting, art direction and a lot of fun.

Ares & Aphrodite is on show at Breaks Cafe, 86 High Street Fremantle, from 3 September to 18 October.

Drop in for breakfast, lunch or enjoy an afternoon coffee with Ares and Aphrodite!

The exhibition is proudly supported by Carlisle Printing (www.carlisleprinting.com.au) and Breaks Cafe.

Featured photographers: Matthew Field, Geoff Kent, Songy Knox, Nathan Krisko, Seng Mah, Jacinta Mathews, Darren Miller, Nick Palasin, Jason Soon and Kerry Williams.

Breaks Cafe
85 High Street
Fremantle
> View map

Photograph by Kerry Williams

Photograph by Darren Miller

Would you like to improve your photography? Bring your skills to a level where you can begin making some money from photography?

The Workshops in a SNAP! Winter Programme was so successful that a new series of workshop is launching this Spring!

Running from September to November, these workshops have something for photographers of every level - from beginners, to intermediate and advanced enthusiasts.

A new addition to these workshops is photography teacher, Greg Perry. Greg is President of the Mandurah Camera Club and runs a successful photography business as a freelance photographer servicing wedding, family portraits and commercial sectors. Greg is also a seasoned photography teacher, having conducted classes, seminars and workshops in photography for many years.

So what's in store in the Spring Workshops Programme?

Beginners programme:

• Creative Composition in Photography: A workshop that will show you how to use key compositional techniques to produce great photographs. It doesn't matter if you're using a compact camera, or a high-end DSLR: it's not the equipment that matters, it's the eye of the photographer. And this workshop will help you develop that eye!
• Maximising your DSLR: This workshop is aimed at beginning photographers who have just started using a Digital SLR (DSLR) and who would like to learn more about their camera, its features and functions. f you've been taking photographs with your DSLR on the Automatic setting, and want to gain greater control over your camera and the photographs you create, then this workshop is for you.

Intermediate programme:

• Wedding Photography Essentials: Wedding Photography Essentials will give you the skills and knowledge to be well-prepared and well-equipped to succesfully photograph a wedding.
• Effective Outdoor Portraiture: A comprehensive, hands-on workshop that will equip you with the skills, knowledge and confidence to photograph portraits in outdoor settings using both natural light and flash. (Hurry, only 1 place left in this workshop)
• Photographing Real People: We all love photographing people - be it friends, relatives, family, at parties, weddings or even for formal portraits. But what's the secret to getting your subjects to relax, to photograph them in a way that goes beyond the "fake" smile that many people put on when you point a camera at them? Photographing Real People will show you how.

Advanced programme:

• Light Magic: Light Magic is a two-day photography workshop for new photographers who wish to learn about studio and location portraiture, lighting and digital post-production from picture capture to print. You will be guided in a variety of studio and location shoots that have been designed to develop your skills and understanding in lighting, flash/strobe photography, fine art portraiture, art direction and digital post-production using Lightroom and Photoshop. (Hurry, only 1 place left in this workshop)

For more information and to book your workshops, visit Workshops in a SNAP!

Creative Composition in Photography

Effective Outdoor Portraiture
Photographs by Greg Perry

Photographing Real People

Wedding Photography Essentials
Photographs by Greg Perry

Kick-started in 2008, Home is where my heart is is an annual exhibition of works by young people who have experienced homelessness.

This year's exhibition, held at the old National Australia Bank on William Street, was a resounding success, with a record turnout at the opening and more than $7000 in print sales!

Home is where my heart is focuses on demystifying the myths about youth homelessness, breaking down stereotypes of homeless young people and raising community awareness in the issues that result in and affect young people who are homeless.

Each young person participating in the exhibition has been mentored by an emerging or established photographer. Mentors this year included photomedia students and professional photographers, who shared their passion in photography with ten young people who had experienced homelessness.

The images in the exhibition explored notions of "home" for these young people; for many, the idea of a stable "home" is an elusive one. The photographs in the exhibition, accompanied by each young person's story, come to represent their conception of home and their search for stability in their lives.

The crowd at opening night

My portrait of Dave Frayne (aka The Frayne) has been shortlisted in this year's Iris Awards in Contemporary Portraiture, a national prize in photographic portraiture hosted by the Perth Centre for Photography.

About a year ago, I had it in my mind to create photographic portraits of people with fairly extensive tattoos. Dave responded to a callout I had placed through friends, colleagues and contacts, and dropped in for a shoot.

I'm intrigued by the significance of these images for the people who have them inked into their skin. People select designs that are often personal expressions of their thoughts, spirit, feeling, history, experiences and personality. Because tattoos are predominantly for life, a lot of thought is put into the selection and placement of these designs.

Dave's tattoos are unique and intricate; his left arm sports Tibetan and Buddhist motifs by famous UK tattoist, Xed Lehead, while freeform Samoan designs by Perth-based tattoo artist Marc Pinto adorn his right arm.

Of his skin art, Dave writes:

"The underarm piece is a Dorje. The Vajra or Dorje is one of the most significant ritual utensils in Tibetan Buddhism. This 'Diamond Sceptre' symbolises the supreme insight, which in its indestructible power cuts all suffering and illusion.The rest is Tibetan cloud work, the sun was my brain child - not original design I know but how I wanted it too look and come off the shoulder was my idea. I'm very happy with it. The script is a mantra used for meditation - something I'm trying my hardest to incorporate into my days."

You can see the portrait of Dave and his tattoos at the Iris Awards, which opens at the Perth Centre for Photography on Thursday, 3rd September at 6pm. The exhibition runs from 4th September to 27th September at the Perth Centre for Photography, 91 Brisbane Street, Perth.