Melbourne born, I lived my early childhood with my family in the residence of my father’s photographic studio in Prahran, close to the city. That was my first look into the art world – seeing the wonderful photographs my father produced. The early interest in photography has stayed with me.
I went on to study photography and eventually began exhibiting and selling my photographs.
There have been many artists and photographers in my father’s family, and my feeling is that their artistic genes have been passed down to me.
My father, Jim Payens, later went from studio work into aerial survey photography, working in remote areas in northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea. The Victorian Museum has a collection of his work.
As a young adult, I left Melbourne and (after travelling extensively) I settled in the Sutherland Shire which is a beautiful part of Sydney – enhanced by the ocean and bays which have been a major source of
