HANGING from helicopters, trekking into the most dangerous parts of London at night or digging a waterhole in a glacier - It's all in a days work for Julian Wolkenstein.
But the world-renowned advertising photographer, now living in the Southern Highlands, takes the challenges and the obstacles in his stride.
As far as he is concerned he does what it takes to get the perfect picture.
It is a stand that has seen Mr Wolkenstein's work sought by advertising agencies around the world.
In fact, Mr Wolkenstein has worked on photographic advertising for some of the world's leading companies including E-Bay, British Airways, Qantas, Nokia, Toyota and Suburu.
His work has also seen him travel the world in pursuit of the ideal location for a shoot.
"There was one time, during a brief in London, it was decided we needed to shoot a wheat field. There was nothing suitable nearby so we headed to South Africa where we worked with fields on the outskirts of Capetown," he said.
"Meanwhile an idea for a cough medicine took me to France where we dug a hole in a glacier and created a waterhole to set the scene for the photograph."
Mr Wolkenstein's talents have not gone unnoticed by industry leaders with the photographer racking up a swag of awards including several gold, silver and bronze medals from the prestigious Canne Advertising Festival.
Despite the many accolades, Mr Wolkenstein remains humble about his achievements in an industry he describes as challenging, demanding and competitive.
Mr Wolkenstein said his first association in the industry began working in a photographic laboratory.
However, he said he soon began to branch out, starting his photographic career in earnest about 12 years ago.
"I started mostly working as a food photographer for Vogue Entertainment but decided within about six months that I needed a more creative challenge," he said.
"That's when I began working with advertising agencies on advertising campaigns.
"That is a great challenge - you have to work hard to create a two dimensional vision that offers an instantaneous and easy to understand message.
"It is easy to end up with mixed messages so you need to be direct and that can involve many hours of pre-production, research and planning with clients, agencies and the photographer before a picture is even taken.
"Everything down to the colour of a shirt in the background is carefully researched to make sure the right message is given in the final product.
"A one day shoot can be the result of months of pre-production planning."
Mr Wolkenstein's appreciation of the industry and his attention to detail has seen his work sought throughout the world.
He has agents in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States who promote him for projects and he spent three year's living and working in one of the world's most challenging markets, London.
"I had a choice to move to either New York or London to pursue my career and I chose London," he said.
"There is a lot more photographic work in New York but it is well recognised that if you succeed in the tougher, London market you can succeed elsewhere - I wanted to take on that challenge," Mr Wolkenstein said.
Mr Wolkenstein managed to crack the London market where he continues to work frequently.
However, he and his family, including wife Rebecca and daughters Betty-Jean, 3, and Evie, 18 months, returned to Australia about a year ago eager to be closer to family.
The family settled in the Southern Highlands about six months ago where Mr Wolkenstein continues to pursue his career with commutes to Sydney and regular trips overseas.
"Things have changed in the photographic industry over the years with the growing popularity of digital technology," he said.
"It is a tough industry to break into - if someone is considering a career as an advertising photographer they need to really want it.
"It's a matter of making a name for yourself before you get to a point where you can work with budgets that make the job financially worthwhile - that can take years.
"Ultimately a successful photographer is someone who is able to capture an emotion or scene, or portray a story and entertain in a single picture.
"This is achieved through the right lighting, directing the subject and talent, sourcing the right location and working closely with a team of people including stylists.
"It's a great career, but it's not easy."
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