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Perth, WA, has built a strong reputation for producing creatively gifted individuals who embody both skill and humility. Shan and Naomi are no exception. Since landing in Sydney in 2022, they have independently and collaboratively worked on projects that many only dream of. Now, just two years later, they are preparing to begin their next chapter in London.

In an industry known for its competitiveness, they have carved out their own space with quiet resilience and an enigmatic elegance. We spent an afternoon with them discussing the paths that led them here, and how they navigate the rejection and comparison that so often come with the territory.

SHAN: First thing that came to mind was, I test my lights on Nai all the time in our tiny studio apartment. It’s really bare, natural & sort of exactly the way she woke up. I like to use a lot of hard & soft light and when I first started shooting I would read these massive stage lighting rigs. The first shoot I did was actually with Nai, so we’ve kind of done a little throwback to that.

NAI: I’m literally thinking about me waking up at 9 in the morning all greasy and stuff. Sorry, just a greasy girl haha.

SHAN: Some of the time there is no process, I just wing it and the process takes shape on the day. Other times I’m pulling references. I tend to plan a lot of my lights in 3D before I actually get to set, so I know exactly what I’m going to be doing by the time I get here. A lot of my process is after the shoot as well.

NAI: I just like to tick off all the boxes that make me feel fresh and ready for a shoot. Just washing my hair and shaving and doing my skincare and everything like that. That’s what will make me feel most naturally beautiful sort and ready to work.

SHAN: My work’s changed drastically over the last year. I feel like we’re all constantly bombarded with imagery from every corner of the world on social media. And so in the last year I’ve kind of tried to not pay attention to it and find references in books and stuff. I put a lot more production into my shoots now.

NAI: You go through castings and then you get told, oh, you’re going to be optioned for this shoot and then there’s a lot of rejection. Now I don’t take things personally because it’s just the nature of the industry I guess. And it’s not about me as a person, it’s just about whether I fit into the brief.

SHAN: Would probably be working with a good team that has your back, working with people that think the same things are cool that you do and just people you can trust really. And good shoes. And music.

NAI: Well one, this is very surface level, if I’m having a good skin day or the makeup and hair is nice. It would then obviously be having really nice people, friendly environment, being talked to like a person, you’re not just standing there like an object. You are part of the team. I feel like with modelling sometimes the models swap out so much, but then the photographer and the HMU people get to work together more closely and then they become friends and then you are just like, yeah.

SHAN: I would like to think it’s a little punk, a little edgy, elevated. I would like people to think that, but I don’t know.

NAI: Effortless

SHAN: Kind of nonchalant, but unapproachable, maybe kind of bitchy? Yeah bitchy and well dressed.

NAI: A little bit sassy, moody and independent. Strong woman vibes or whatever because that’s what I’m trying to work towards. And with modelling, when you get into character it’s easier to get there straight away as opposed to in your real life. Like when you’re going about your day and then you’re trying to be an independent woman, someone cuts in front of you in line and you’re just like, oh, okay, go.

SHAN: I’d say I’m not bitchy at all. I think I’m very soft and pretty friendly. Approachable? Yeah, I’d say not very close.

NAI: It’s inside me, but just sometimes it’s hard to coax out in real world situations. I think I do have a sense of confidence on set. In the real world I’m a little bit more reserved.

SHAN: Was actually not one where I was shooting, but when I was first starting out assisting and I got to visit some remote communities in the Northern Territory in Arnhem Land and we camped on country with the families and it was life-changing, as cringe as that sounds, but it was really cool. Really changed my perspective on a lot of things and it’s definitely one that I’ll remember forever.

NAI: I’ve done a couple in NT or when we were on Lake Argyle, that was really, really, really fun and beautiful and hectic and chaotic. But it was just such a good life experience that you always look back on it like, oh, I can’t believe I did that.

SHAN: The most challenging part of my job is to keep doing personal shoots, to keep developing my own style. There’s a lot of pressure to chase after work and get those consistent paid clients, but the beauty of photography is your own style, whatever you bring to it. I guess you get caught up in the rat race and finding time for yourself and your own process and expression is really hard. Especially now I feel like everything’s more expensive and there’s a lot of pressure to make money.

NAI: I guess my every day is about taking photos of myself and how I look and everything like that. It would be trying to pull away from that and see that there’s a bigger world out there and that my value isn’t just on how I look.

SHAN: The people that you get to meet, you work on a lot of sets and you end up seeing a lot of the same people all the time. And everyone’s friendly, everyone’s happy to see a familiar face. So just building those connections and getting to have a play around it never really feels like work. I would say as well. I haven’t really had a day in the industry where it feels like work yet. I guess that’s because I changed careers and found myself in the creative industry and it’s so different to what I was doing before. And so I think I just appreciate the fact that I’m not doing the job that I was doing before (accounting).

NAI: The randomness of it. I’ve always said I would try to put off working sort of a nine to five job. It’s just always changing. Different teams, different stories, different personalities. I just love that it’s always new.

SHAN: I will definitely go an energy drink, I tend not to snack on set. It’s such a hectic time. But I do find myself drinking a lot of coffee and it’s what keeps me going on those long days.

NAI: Something bite-sized, like a grape perhaps. Or a little jelly lolly or a bit of sugar. I need a bit of sugar sometimes I think.