Photographer Harrison Moss is about to launch a project and book featuring images of the people and places that make Williamstown unique.
The 22-year-old RMIT photography student, who attended Williamstown High School, will publish 30 of his images in a book under a project titled A Sheltered Harbour.
His book of the same name will be on sale at a photographic exhibition opening at Footscray’s Ruffian Gallery in October.
“Because I moved from Coburg to Williamstown when I was young, I’d always felt like an outside observer taking in his surroundings while growing up in this community,” he said.
“As time went on, I grew a particular type of affection towards the peculiar characters and quiet environments found in Williamstown.
“Williamstown was once a working-class society. Through a process of gentrification it’s now been transformed into a quiet and wealthy enclave, a town within a city.
“Williamstown is a unique area, there’s nowhere else like it in Melbourne.”
Moss says his photos aim to capture the suburb’s sleepy, seaside nature.
“I’d always wanted to explore a body of work on Williamstown, but it wasn’t until I saw work by American contemporary photographers Alec Soth and Williams Eggleston that I was spurred on to take it further,” he said.
“Much of the work explores that forgotten character of Williamstown, which should be adored and loved.”
The exhibition opens at 6pm on October 23 and runs until November 6.
Gallery hours are 3-6pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit harrisonmossphotography.com
