A LIFE IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Creative Journey
Connection | Creative | Practice
Shaping Connections Photography
These experiences, grounded in cultural documentation, performance, education, and sustained storytelling, now flow through my portrait practice, Connections Photography.
They also exist within my broader body of work as RMP - Raymond Mather Photography, where extended projects, cultural archives, and visual research are preserved and shared as narratives of place, people, and presence.
My work in portrait photography today is shaped by a lifetime spent observing, guiding, and collaborating with people across many creative and community settings, from dance and theatre to education, exhibitions, and visual storytelling.
Over decades, I’ve learned that meaningful images are never just about technique. They emerge from presence, trust, timing, and an ability to listen to individuals, to spaces, and to the quiet stories unfolding in front of the lens.
Connections Photography is the distilled expression of this journey. It brings together years of experience working with performers, families, educators, artists, and everyday people into a calm, thoughtful, and deeply personal portrait practice.
About Raymond Mather
Connections Photography is led by Raymond Mather, an Australian photographer and multidisciplinary artist with more than four decades of experience across dance, theatre, visual arts, and cultural practice.
Alongside his portrait and documentary work, Raymond is the founder of ART1 Fine Art Photography, an independent, artist-led platform presenting curated limited-edition photographic collections and a living professional archive.
For a comprehensive record of Raymond’s creative practice and professional history,
visit: Raymond Mather - ART1 Professional Biography.
From Archive to Portrait
Before Connections Photography became my primary portrait offering, I spent many years documenting creative projects, community initiatives, learning environments, and cultural collaborations across Australia.
These experiences shaped how I work today:
Reading emotional and physical cues
Creating safe, relaxed environments
Working intuitively with light and movement
Respecting personal stories and boundaries
Understanding how people inhabit space
All of this informs how I approach each session, quietly, attentively, and with care.
Community, Arts, and Cultural Projects
Long-term involvement in community arts and cultural initiatives has grounded my practice in collaboration and respect.
Cr8Studios Community Arts Hub (2011-2013)
Siren Theatre Company Archive
Paint My Place (Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery)
Carnivale Dance Co
Slingsby Earthenware
These projects reflect years of creative partnership and shared storytelling.
Education and Learning Environments
Working within schools, learning centres, and youth programs deepened my sensitivity to trust, confidence, and personal development.
St Augustine’s School
Canopi Learning Solutions
Young Actors Studio (YAS), Coffs Harbour
These experiences continue to inform my gentle, supportive approach with children, teenagers, and families.
Business and Creative Collaboration
Documenting independent businesses and professional creatives has strengthened my ability to translate brand identity into authentic visual narratives.
Café Aqua, Coffs Harbour
Country Dental
Magic Meatballs
Headland Café, Valla Beach
Andrew Prowse, Landscape Architect
Each collaboration required careful listening, adaptability, and respect for individual vision.
Performance, Events, and Public Storytelling
My background in performance and large scale events shaped my understanding of timing, rhythm, and presence.
MIPIK Project
Sing Along Mary Poppins
These experiences continue to influence how I work in dynamic environments such as weddings, celebrations, and public gatherings.
Explore the Archive
The following curated archive stories document many of these projects in depth, including creative process, context, and outcomes.
Community & Arts
Founded by Raymond Mather, Cr8Studios operated as an independent gallery and community arts hub in Coffs Harbour from 2011 to 2012, delivering exhibitions, education programs, and award-winning community initiatives through a professionally curated, artist-led framework.
Movement Director and photography, across multiple productions, including Connie and Kevin and the Secret Life of Groceries, Hard Swallow and Fox.
Exhibition documentation and artist residency photography, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery (2016).
Photography and Digital Media Production.
Documented and supported Carnivalé Dance Co. through studio portraiture, performance photography, media production, website imagery, and digital content creation, contributing to the school’s public profile and regional media presence.
Studio and exhibition documentation photography, Glenreagh and Sawtell, NSW.
Studio and process photographer for ceramic artist Rob Slingsby. Black-and-white photographic series used to promote his solo exhibition at First Avenue Gallery, Sawtell.
Education & Learning
Commissioned to produce a comprehensive photographic library documenting student learning, classroom practice, community life, and school culture. The imagery was used extensively across strategic planning documents, prospectuses, website publications, and official communications, supporting the school’s public identity and long-term development initiatives.
Production photographer for Canopi Learning Solutions, contributing imagery to national online education and training platforms.
Documented and supported the work of Young Actors Studio through rehearsal photography, performance documentation, student portraiture, and public showcase coverage at Cr8Studios, Coffs Harbour.
Business & Creative Partnerships
Integrated brand documentation and visual content system, Coffs Harbour (c. 2010s).
Hospitality brand documentation and image library, Valla Beach, NSW (c. 2010s).
Commercial food and lifestyle photography for national supermarket rollout (2015).
Commercial photography project developed with designer Stephanie Hunt, documenting regional service work, equipment installation, and brand storytelling in Northern NSW.
Andrew Prowse Landscape Architect
Published project documentation and resort photography, Burke’s Backyard Magazine (2001)
Principal Photographer.
Performance & Events
The Most Interesting Person I Know, the project culminated in a published book and public presentations, with proceeds supporting the CanDo Cancer Trust.
Performance of Sing Along Mary Poppins held in the Main Theatre at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace.
Where This Journey Leads Today
Every chapter of this journey, across art, community, education, and collaboration,
now lives quietly within each portrait I create.
Today, Connections Photography is where experience meets presence,
and where people are seen with care, respect, and honesty.
If you’re looking for photography that honours your story, gently,
thoughtfully, and without performance, I’d be honoured to work with you.
If this resonates with you, I’d be happy to chat.
Please feel free to get in touch.
- Raymond
View Raymond’s professional profile on LinkedIn.