While the Australian sun has a reputation for beating down rather harshly, the snaps of Alice Springs-based documentary and portrait photographer Genevieve Walshe feel the complete opposite. Taking in Gen's photos is like wandering through a perpetual magic hour, when the shadows are long and the fading light makes everything glisten anew. We had a chat with the talented lass to find out more.  

What is your name and how old are you? My name is Genevieve Walshe and I'm 24. 

Where were you born and where do you live now? I was born in Geelong, Victoria and I now live in Alice Springs, in the Northern Terrority.

What do you spend your days doing? The usual things: eating food, pottering around the house, browsing the internet for too long, talking to friends, staring into space, reading and looking forward to holidays.

Has moving to the Northern Territory changed your photography? Somewhat. I think I shoot for myself more now. The change and a new landscape also changes the way you see things, but it [taking photos] has the same feel as it always has.

What kind of subjects do you enjoy shooting most? I enjoy shooting people the most – friends and strangers. I like movement and faces that are both familiar and unfamiliar.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in pursuing photography?  One of the challenges has been figuring out what the point of it all is. And then also having confidence in my work and not getting caught up doing stuff I don’t actually enjoy doing.

What drew you to photography as a medium and what keeps you shooting? I'm drawn to capturing a moment and freezing of time. When I first began shooting, it was just something to do with my friends. And then I found a community through taking photos and that's why I've stuck with it. There's something meditative about photography as well. 

Did you study photography formally? I did a short course on basics years ago but other than that, I haven’t studied formally. I just kept shooting and eventually, it made sense to me. It also helped to have talented photographers around me.

Which photographers do you admire? Saul Leiter, William Eggleston, Michal Solarski, Petra Collins, Hoda Afshar, Ryan McGinley, Daniel Arnold, Harley Weir, Olivia Bee and many more.

What are you working on at the moment? I'm working on pulling together a body of memories from the past few years – it's a reflection of sorts. I'm also working with images printed on fabric.

Where can we see more of your work? Over on Instagram @genevvieve or at my portfolio.