Warren Kirk, the photographer formerly known as the "Westographer" for his popular documentation of Melbourne's changing western suburbs, has turned his lens toward rural Australia in his latest book "Beyond Suburbia." The collection captures the rapidly disappearing signs of country life across Victoria, from weathered storefronts to aging motels and the people who inhabit these fading landscapes.
Kirk's therapeutic approach to photography involves hitting the highway whenever he feels down, drawn by the liberation of open spaces and big horizons. "There's something really liberating for me about driving and being in open space, seeing the clouds in the sky, the big horizon, and then just pulling in wherever and having a wander," he explains. "We're crowded in the city, even if we don't realize it."
The book features images collected over approximately 15 years of road trips spanning from Nhill to Beechworth and numerous points in between. These photographs document a reality that Kirk believes is vanishing quickly from the Australian landscape. The collection includes a foreword by Don Watson, Paul Keating's former speechwriter who grew up on a farm in Korumburra, Gippsland. Watson, clearly familiar with small country towns, writes that "the photographs in this wonderful book wake the dead."
Kirk's artistic eye is particularly drawn to buildings and structures that show their age and character. He focuses on beautifully weathered houses with crumbling paint and faded signs, as well as wonderfully cluttered and distinctive interiors. "Really plain Jane [things] almost as well, a certain era. If they're too ornate and historic, that doesn't interest me," Kirk says. "It's more that middle ground, from the 1930s through to the 60s and 70s. If they look too historic or town hall-ish, even some of those Masonic lodges that have had a lot of money thrown at them, that's not interesting."
The photographer seeks out establishments with charm and character – milk bars, butchers, motels, and barber shops that have retained their authentic appeal. "The ones that have got a bit of charm to them, they're the sort of things that jump out at me," he notes. "Classic things like your old service stations, shopfronts with old school signage" are among his preferred subjects.
"Beyond Suburbia" presents a mix of architectural photography and portraiture, though Kirk's people photography goes far beyond standard headshots. He creates environmental portraits that place subjects within their surroundings, believing this approach tells a more complete story. "They're environmental portraits, so you've got the person in their environment – that tells the story of who they are," Kirk explains. "Unless someone's got an incredible face, just a shot with no context is boring. Their work environment, their home environment, the things they surround themselves with, it adds to the picture of who they are."
Despite being a photographer, Kirk prefers to remain behind the camera and avoids having his own photo taken. He also deliberately provides minimal information about his shots, offering only location details and letting the images speak for themselves. In an era of oversharing, this approach creates an inherent mystery that encourages viewers to use their imagination when interpreting his work.
In 2023, Kirk somewhat reluctantly joined Instagram with the account "pretty_0rdinary," seeking a platform to showcase his older film photographs from the 1990s. "I was looking for somewhere to show all those beautiful old film shots from the 90s," he says. "Virtually every one of those old buildings would be knocked over." While traditionally known for suburban landscapes and the rapidly changing inner-city environment, Kirk finds clear inspiration in escaping his usual surroundings.
The photographer describes the profound sense of freedom that comes with rural exploration. "There's this feeling of being more open, not going about your own routine. It's a journey of discovery, the excitement of what am I going to find," he reflects. Beyond the expansive skies and open landscapes, Kirk particularly values the human connections he makes during his travels.
Country people, Kirk has found, are remarkably welcoming to his photographic endeavors. "I hardly ever get a knockback in the country. They're not self-conscious at all," he observes. "I just tell people I'm a bit of a historian with a camera and they are generally fine with it." On the rare occasions when someone prefers not to be photographed, Kirk reassures them about his intentions: "Very rarely I'll get someone say, 'You can shoot in here but I don't want to be in the photo.' I say, 'Yeah, it's not a photo shoot, it's not a glamour shot.' And they get it. Because that's what it is – it's real life. Things that are hiding in plain sight, things that aren't everyday anymore."
Kirk's passion for photography began around 1985 when someone first put a camera in his hands. Initially focused on sports photography, he quickly became consumed by a new passion that has never left him. "Having a camera put into my hands and just instantly falling in love with the process, it was like a fated thing," he recalls. "It completely changed my life." Describing himself as someone who becomes obsessed with things, Kirk has since built an impressive archive of approximately 80,000 images, including about 75,000 digital photographs and over 5,000 film shots.
"Beyond Suburbia" is published by Scribe and represents Kirk's continued documentation of a changing world, preserving moments and places that might otherwise be forgotten. Through his lens, he captures not just buildings and landscapes, but the essence of a way of life that is gradually disappearing from rural Australia.
