Montalbetti & Campbell

Powerful, distinctive, electric, hyper-expressive, unique and dramatic are all words I believe, best describe the work of Denis Montalbetti and Gay Campbell.

Denis Montalbetti and Gay Campbell have been working as an artistic partnership for over a quarter of a century. In that time they have developed a unique approach to image-making that has garnered them an international reputation for excellence. Award-winning masters of photography, they harness the full potential of digital technology to create images with a timeless quality. 


Born in Canada, Montalbetti and Campbell have lived and are recognized widely in Australia. They have received numerous awards including a Gold World Award at the New York Festivals Advertising Awards, Canon AIPP Professional Photographer of the Year, Communication Arts and American Photography. Their work is represented in public, private and print collections nationally and internationally including the National Gallery of Australia; National Portrait Gallery of Australia; Australian Museum of Sport; Australian Institute of Professional Photography; Australia Commercial and Media Photographers.

While many contemporary practitioners begin a work with a concept and build an image that illustrates it, Montalbetti & Campbell begin with purely visual elements, fragments of a mental image. The images are developed through studio disciplines (costume, hair, make-up, setting, lighting) and post-production. Ideas emerge from the purely visual, evolve through the act of making and find meaning with the viewer.

I noticed that in a lot of their work (see above), Montalbetti & Campbell use a technique to black out the background so that the subject stands alone and the view is narrowed. This technique of underexposing the backdrop so that the foreground jumps out, is used mostly in portraiture by many artists such as Annie Leibovitz. I would like to try this technique myself and intend on researching the lighting requirements needed to create the effect.

As shown below, the camera is only a small step in an extensive artistic process.

In conclusion, I do not believe the work of Montalbetti & Campbell constitutes a specific theme and think it would appear out of place as an artistic collection in a gallery. Rather, I would put their images under the broad genre of commercial editorial and fine art photography.  

“It is always a privilege to honour someone’s presence on the other side of the lens, whether they have achieved a level of public account in their lives or not. It’s never about their fame, it’s about the person.”

- Montalbetti and Campbell