Simon has been a photographer since he was 13, never wavering for a single moment.

An unusual mix of practical mechanic and visual artist, he grew up to the smell of photo chemicals as he learned the craft from his grandfather in their tiny home darkroom. Consumed by this magic, it took several years and a win as the AIPP Western Australian Student Photographer of the year, before realising he was able to harness it as a creative tool. Considered one of WA’s leading commercial photographers for over 30 years, with numerous state and national awards to his credit, including an unrivalled four times AIPP WA Professional Photographer of the year, he says working with Art Directors in a collaborative way is one of the most rewarding aspects of his career.

Despite a large proportion of his work stemming from the advertising industry, “I don’t consider myself to have a specialty area at all” says Westlake, who maintains experience is one of the best tools to have in your kit. “Back in the day, we had to achieve everything in camera, without the benefit of today’s post production, so commercial shoots were bigger and more involved. And I feel that experience has made me a guy who people come to with a tricky shoot that simply can’t be stuffed up. Having constructed large studio setups for so long, I now favour the spontaneity and unpredictability of achieving the animate image. It brings me untold satisfaction.”

Recently, he has shot unit stills on two Warner Bros feature films, which have forced him to alter the way he shoots. “Unable to direct, light or change a single thing, all the while in a visual toyshop, you just get on with it. Sometimes you only have seconds. There’s no fiddling about”. On the more recent film, he shot production stills on set, as well as the off set gallery shoots, working directly with the actors and studio creatives to produce the publicity images that will be used to create the movie posters. “I consider myself very fortunate, as photography has always been something I live, rather than do. I see images everywhere and am compelled to document them.”