W: It’s pretty crazy and busy but I love it. Windfall has taken on some really cool projects and custom orders leading up to Christmas and I’m really flattered people are giving Windfall to their loved ones.

I’m not really sure where to start… I have always worked in fashion but always loved accessories and jewellery over apparel. I have always wanted to create my own clothing label but never really had the passion to design clothes. And I think its just an amalgamation of all of those things. My husband and I went to India and it was a real eye opener and made me realise I’m wasting a really cool opportunity living in Australia, to do what I want to do. And one day I just thought, fuck it; lets do this.

The journey has been amazing. It’s been so much fun and has forced me into taking some leaps I normally wouldn’t have dared do before and I’m so siked about it all.

How about the the idea for the name ‘Windfall’?

I love all things nautical so it was only fitting that my label had a nautical term.WINDFALL means: An unexpected stroke of good luck.
“A sudden unexpected rush of wind from a mountainous shore which allowed a ship more leeway.  Some English landowners were prevented to either fall or sell timber as this was reserved for building ships for the Royal Navy. However, this did not apply to trees which were blown down. Hence, a windfall became a financial blessing”

Many of the pieces look like they would have been very fiddly and quite complex – do you have any particular metal-work skills or is it just pure talent?

Yeah some are pretty difficult , fiddly is the perfect word! I have done courses in Silver-smithing but I like to think it comes down to just pure natural talent haha.

How long does an average piece take to create from the initial idea to the final product?

It depends on the complexity. People have asked me this a few times and I really don’t know how to answer it because I have never really started one project from start to finish without having a few others on the go at the same time. I like to have a big work load at all times!

I find your tagline ‘Uptown elegance with a downtown edge’ really interesting and based on the collections; appropriate.. Do you draw inspiration from any specific areas or does it just come fluidly?

I don’t think there is anything specific that I get inspiration from, its just everything around my life I suppose. Melbourne is a pretty rad place to keep your creative juices flowing. But I suppose the meaning behind that tagline is pretty self explanatory, I like creating high quality jewellery with a street feel to it.

Do you have any particular marketing methods or do you just rely on your own steam?

I have no marketing methods haha. I haven’t invested any money into marketing, everything has just happened from me pushing my brand and how passionate I am about it. I have made the brand come this far because I love it not because I have put money into marketing. Having said that, 2012 is going to be a big year for Windfall and I am probably going to have to develop a marketing strategy. Maybe.

What tools are required for creating a piece/What does your work desk look like?

Tools: I couldn’t live without  my craft knife, drill and sand paper!

My desks look like: One wooden drawing desk, one long, wooden trestle work bench and one wooden pedestal table

What is in store next for Windfall?

We are shooting a fashion shoot for the Rattlebones Collection and we will drop our 2nd collection in early 2012. It’s going to be a rad year for Windfall.

And a couple of not-so-formal questions…

Which celebrity/icon’s style do you really appreciate and why?

None. I don’t really follow that stuff.

What was the last book you purchased?

Life by Keith Richards

Where is the last place you traveled and what for?

Malaysia, India and Thailand in April. For fun.

What does an average day entail for Lani Williams?

Hang out in my studio. Walk my bulldogs. Hang out with my husband. In that order.

What are the last five web pages in your browser history?

Facebook, Google: Dog Breeds, Dogue de Bordeaux, Facebook, Wikipedia. How boring.

Solid Tooth Pendant or the PMA Ring.

See you in 2012.

Pieces featured from the top: Positive Mental Attitude Ring with packaging, Riblet Pendant, Rams Head Street Range, Scrap Metal Rings.

See more of the collections and the upcoming range on Windfall Jewellery’s Facebook, Big Cartel and Etsy. You can also see it in store at Designers Boutique, 416 Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney.

It’s been a long time coming for my first post up on This Life, and wont be the last.

Recently i travelled to San Francisco to document the “Young and Free” art show which included thirteen of Australia’s renowned street artists, but more about that later.

First thing i noticed in San Fran was vans get destroyed. so every time i had a camera and saw one i documented it, so here it is the vans of San Fran.  more adventures up at www.thatsmemiked.tumblr.com

www.thatsmemiked.tumblr.com

Melissa. x

So this is my first interview here on This Life and I couldn’t be happier to have done this with Melbourne based Photographer Kane Hibberd, a pretty big inspiration of mine, I hope to be doing more interviews for This Life down the track so keep your eyes peeled!

First up, thanks for your time, what’s been happening?

Hi there, I’m just finishing up my first solo exhibition of music photography in Melbourne entitled, “Searching with my good eye open” It was the first time I had done anything like that so it was a nerve racking learning experience that was definitely worth it. I had 80 images in it so that has been my focus for the past few months. Other than that I’m just winding down from festival season (which seems to get longer every year) and starting to work on some creative for up coming shoots.

For those who are unfamiliar with you and what you do, can you tell us a bit about yourself and walk us through your typical day?

I’m a freelance photographer shooting music and portraiture. There isn’t really such a thing as a normal day. It all depends on what is happening. If I’m shooting I might be on location or in the studio so I’ll be doing my thing. If I’m not shooting then I might be in the office processing images or doing post production. I could be preparing for a shoot, prepping equipment, doing pre production. Location searching, prop searching, visual research. There is never nothing to do.

Who has had an adverse affect on your style and the way you work? Where do you look for inspiration?

I’m more influenced and inspired by cinema, design and illustrative artists with my creative ideas than particular photographers. I do really like the work of Gregory Crewdson, Danny Clinch and Mark Seliger.

What is the best bit about your job?

Definitely the variety and I can choose my hours. If I’m not tied down to a particular time I can choose when I work as long as I get it done.

How long have you been doing photography and what influenced you to be a music photographer?

I’ve only been shooting music since 2005, from there I went back to study photography at RMIT, graduated in 2008 and here I am. I’m not really sure how it happened, it sort of just happened. When I went back to study, I didn’t actually set out to shoot music, it was just a passion. I originally wanted to do more travel and documentary work. I was also really interested in shooting interiors. It was weird, I never used to really like shooting people but my lecturers encouraged me as they thought I was good at it and thought I was really bad at shooting interiors.

What has been your favourite moment in music to photograph?

I don’t know if I have a favourite moment but some highlights would be meeting Dave Grohl, (legend), meeting Jimmy Eat World last year (more legends) Metallica at SXSW 2009 with 2000 other people and hanging Haydn from Calling All Cars upside down from a tree.

What is the best gig you have been to?

Again I don’t think I have a favourite but stand outs would be, Offspring back in 95, Birds Of Tokyo show last year at festival hall in Melbourne (one of the best shows I’ve ever seen them play), every Bodyjar show I’ve ever been too.

what do you prefer to shoot? Live or promo’s?

I don’t really have a preference. Both are two completely different things and each lets me explore different things. If I had to do just one I would get bored so the bonus is I get a variety of different things to shoot.

Did you ever come across a time where you felt like chucking it in? (being a hard industry to stand out in)

Definitely. Like any creative industry it’s hard work and there are plenty of obstacles but luckily the wins at the moment are out numbering the losses. Running any sort of business is hard enough but when you have to do all the business side of things as well as be creative, it takes a lot of time and can be frustrating. It’s all part of the package though so you just have to run with it.

I noticed you do a bit of editing with your band shots which I think is pretty rad and different is there any reason you choose to do that for some of your photos, and some just straight photography?

The post production I do on my images is always for a reason. From the pre production stages of an image I’ll have an end result in mind and the post production is the final stage in realising that finished image. Even images that look unedited have some sort of post production done to them to give them a look.

What gear do you use when you’re working? Is it different than what you would take if you just went out to take a few photos for yourself?

I shoot with digital Canon bodies and a variety of different lens. Most of my work is shot with a mixture of ambient and artificial lighting and for that I use elinchrom flash gear. I very rarely take photos for myself, I never travel with a camera outside of work so if I take a pic of something it’s with my trusty old iphone 3.

What’s in your pockets right now?

Studio keys and some crusty ear plugs, ewwww.

What have you been reading, listening to and watching lately?

I haven’t really been reading all that much lately, but I’ve started watching the series Sons Of Anarchy and Dead Wood. Also into HBO’s new series Game of Thrones. The last 3 things I listened to on my itunes is
Manchestor Orchestra : Simple Maths
Offspring : Smash
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows : D.R.U.G.S

Do you have any other hobbies and interests you like to keep up with?

I don’t really have a lot of time outside of work. I have a ps3 which I would love to play but never get any time. Sleep really interests me too!

Anything coming up that we should know about?

I’m looking at showing my exhibition in Sydney so I’m sure when I get that all confirmed you’ll see me spaming facebook pages. Other than that I’m working on creative for some up coming shoots and everything else is still under wraps.

Do you have any advice for people that are looking to become photographers, or more specifically, music photographers?

Don’t do it! Ha Um you need to be realistic about what you want to achieve and realise it won’t happen over night. Be prepared for a lifelong journey. We have a very small music industry here so almost immediately you are up against the fact that there is only a certain number of jobs around. You also need to think differently and spread your income over different channels. I have a few different ways I support myself within the industry so I’m not just relying on one source of income.

Where can people follow what you’re up to and view your work?

www.theartofcapture.com
http://kanyelens.wordpress.com
www.twitter.com/kanye_lens

Word association, you know the deal, say whatever comes to your mind when you read the word.

Australia – Confused

Internet – Procrastinate

Party – Hard

Tattoo – Sore

Religion – Cringe

Time – Poor

Wish – Hope

Fun – Time

Greed – Sad

Humanity – Lost

Peace – Forgotten

Freedom – Speech

Art – Love

Photography – Painstaking

Life – Living

Happiness – Life

Anything you want to say?

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my work.