Whether it’s models stepping off the runway, surfers coming off a bitchin’ wave, or skiers plummeting off slopes, Vandevelde has caught them all: “I grew up shooting a lot of action. I spent three years photographing skiers jumping off of cliffs and stuff. I was always in the action.”

It was the late Eighties when Vandevelde, who loved surfing so much that he found it hard not to put down the camera to catch the oncoming wave, started frequenting house parties, drawn by the music. In addition to the dizzying beats, he found a crowd that clearly cared just as much about getting ready as they did about the party they were heading to. Vandevelde describes it as an era when fashion evangelists would construct a vision of themselves often with little to no money at their disposal: “There was no such thing as Zara or H&M or any of those stores and people would actually either go to thrift and second- hand stores and buy outfits or buy material and they would actually make an outfit.”

That DIY spirit kept Vandevelde coming back for more, snapping shots of the night’s more daring looks. Compared to the laid-back dress code of the beach bums he grew up with, it was another world for him. People would pose to have their pictures taken and ask to see the results. By word of mouth, he started to build up a fan base enamored by his imagery.

In between shooting editorials and Sydney’s nightlife, Vandevelde made contact with modeling agencies that would invite him to take test shots of their roster. Vandevelde highlights a point of tension between photographers who graduated from film to digital and the current group of contemporary photographers who work with Photoshop as much as the lens. Vandevelde likens photography to a profession such as medicine or, more prosaically, plumbing – photography for Vandevelde is a studied craft.

Some might dismiss him as a disgruntled elder. But Vandevelde doesn’t mind how photography has become more accessible to a new chapter of talent. He’s now 52 but “doesn’t feel anything like it”. He adores youth culture and its fresh energy along with the many talents from the latest generation. What he’s really against is shortcuts. Photography, a craft as much as an art, is not something you can just pick up (and clean up much as you like after). It requires an understanding of composition, the human figure and how the body moves to catch just the right balance of shadow and light – things you learn to pay close attention to when working in traditional analogue: “When you expose the film, you have to have it so spot on, there’s no such thing as Photoshop,” he says.