Australian Photographer, George Byrne is a master of bringing to life what most of us seem to overlook, specialising in capturing unexpected angles and LA streets in all their marvel. His unique vision and sharp eye when it comes to colour combinations have seen him grow a dedicated International audience – Byrne has over 80K followers on Instagram.

Growing up in Sydney, he moved to California in 2010 with no intention of photographing LA, until finding inspiration being fully immersed in the city. Here, the talented artist and all-around nice guy chats with us about his success and the key to staying innovative as a creative.

What does a typical day involve for you when capturing your art?
A typical day is really varied and depends on where I’m at in the cycle of shooting, scanning, post-production and upcoming exhibitions. Right now I’m coming off the show I had in Sydney so I’m back in LA working out what to do next and getting my head around this giant 4×5 large format film camera I bought off eBay.

What elements are you drawn to?
For the Local Division (my latest series) I’m really looking at the interplay between form and color, and playing with the idea of recontextualizing really typical urban space.

How much of the photos are played with in post?
I’m totally open to manipulation, strangely enough, it gets me back to painting (where I started out). Some images get reinterpreted (a little or a lot) and others aren’t messed with at all. It’s really a case-by-case thing.

As a creative how do you stay innovative?
It’s a tough one, for me, innovation is usually a byproduct of doing. I can say that as a songwriter and as an artist the only times I’ve ever really broken into something that’s truly my own is when I’m really heavily immersed in it. Another good way to keep evolving creatively is to exhibit your work and see your output in phases.

I can say that as a songwriter and as an artist the only times I’ve ever really broken into something that’s truly my own is when I’m really heavily immersed in it.

Whose work are you inspired by?
Photographically I love the work of the early masters of color urban photography, William Eggleston and Stephen Shore. I also love the painting of Richard Deibenkorn and David Hockney.

What role has Instagram played in your success?
It’s been an invaluable tool creatively and commercially so without it I’d probably be working in Starbucks! I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

Where can we see your work next?
Large scale. I’m off on a 6 week American Odyssey with a large format 4×5 camera in August so my next body of work will be based on that. Wish me luck.

Photography Trevor King
Styling & Interview Jesse Arifien

By Oliver Grand