The story behind the stunning images that adorn R.M.Williams online marketing material and catalogues this year.
Story by Terri Cowley
Christian Fletcher has had a love of small planes and flying since he went to an air show in Perth at the age of 12. Being asked to shoot aerial photographs for R.M.Williams was a dream job.
The work of the landscape photographer, who has two West Australian galleries and a thriving online business, adorned the cover of R.M.Williams OUTBACK in October–November last year, and caught the eye of the retail side of the business. Early this year Christian was commissioned to take a series of abstract aerial landscapes of the country that was important in the life of our founder, Reginald Murray ‘RM’ Williams. Originally the brief was to concentrate on areas of South Australia, such as the Flinders Ranges, where RM fashioned his first pair of riding boots with the help of itinerant worker ‘Dollar’ Mick. But Christian is based in Dunsborough, near Busselton, WA, so he had to fly over the centre of Western Australia. RM also had connections to places in the west, such as Kalgoorlie, so the shoot expanded to include this area as well.
Christian’s identical twin brother Michael complements Christian in the photographic business by doing research and shooting video while Christian concentrates on top-quality stills. “For us it was a dream job – we love aviation and we both did pilot training,” Christian says. “It was a bit of a boys’ trip.” The pair teamed up with pilot and friend, the aptly named Roger Avery, who they’ve often worked with. “He’s an amazing pilot who’s been flying since before he could drive,” Christian says.
This story excerpt is from Issue #108
Outback Magazine: Aug/Sep 2016
