RED GALLERY 157 ST GEORGES ROAD FITZROY NORTH VIC 3068
The North side of Melbourne, Fitzroy North, in particular, stands as a testament to Melbourne’s 1880s boom, the era of “Marvellous Melbourne” when builders poured care and craftsmanship into their buildings. Great pride was taken in creating façades that stood out: decorative brickwork, elaborate pediments, capstones, stained glass windows, and finely detailed parapets were common. Each row of terraces or shops tried to outdo the next, resulting in streetscapes that, when viewed above shop level, still display remarkable cohesion and artistry.
This exhibition celebrates what normally goes unseen.
I started taking photos around the age of six, with a variety of roll film cameras inherited from my parents, sadly no results survive.
At 16, I saved for a year for my first serious camera a Minolta SRT 101. Then l embraced the Summer of Love, was fired from my telecoms job and started in photography, sweeping the floors in a 'Society' portrait studio. I moved to an architectural studio as 'dev boy' locked in the darkroom all day long, and then assisted a famous London food photographer and fell in love with Hasselblad.
In 1968 l started as an assistant in a London advertising studio where I spent the next five years, progressing to second photographer and making a number of lifelong friends. I worked at freelance reportage for a time and then diverted into Hi-fi for the rest of my working life. Now I am back with camera in hand and and seeing shots on every street corner. Watch this space!
AUGUST 2024 - Unbelievably, it has been almost 60 years since I was haunting Hi-Fi shops for the first time as the ‘box-boy’ at Audio-T London. The industry has been fun, but it’s not fun anymore, so it’s time to go. I have officially resigned from StereoNET, and my new life starts here.
I plan to help my son Tom through the next couple of critical teenage angst years, sort out the Melbourne house extension, tweak the Airbnb properties, re-roof the beach house, lose weight, reboot my art photography career and lots more 😱
CLOSED FOR RENOVATION Q3/4 2025 I own and run a deluxe two bed AirBNB in Fitzroy North, one of Melbourne's coolest inner suburbs.
Stylish privacy. Bright, light and airy. The highest standards of fit-out and supplies.
Unlimited high-speed internet - free Netflix and Apple TV+ - minutes to parkland and the CBD.
Over 175 5-Star reviews as of July 2024!
My wife Andrea Kirby, runs one single source of effective, productive and enjoyable networking & consulting for the Australian Talent Industry. Her Talent Table events have proved amazingly successful over the last five years and many more are planned for 2024/5. Look out for TalentPalooza in Melbourne and Talent Think Tanks nationwide. She says “We will be working with HR, Talent Acquisition and People Analytics communities across ANZ, to advance the industry’s understanding of total talent and how it can impact the business.” and have a lot of fun doing it!
LOCATION
Fitzroy North
Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Robert Follis Associates
CONTACT
robert dot/ follis at/ gmail dot/ com
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