A Studio Dune Story
Hi All! Maddie and Andre here
Together for half a decade (and counting), we share a love for food, culture, travel, and photography. Luckily, those passions feed into one another, and that's what led us here, to Studio Dune.
Studio Dune is our little passion project, born while living abroad in Europe. As we travelled, we were constantly capturing memories on our phones - photos we’d save for a rainy day, but that too often just sat there, forgotten in camera rolls instead of photo albums.
That all changed during the 2023-2024 winter season when we were skiing and working in St. Anton, Austria. After a few months (and a few Euros) saved, we decided to invest in our first camera to better document the adventure. From that moment on, the camera went everywhere with us.
This project is a reflection of the moments that moved us - quiet mornings, wild landscapes, bustling streets, small details we never want to forget. We hope our prints bring a little of that wonder into your space too.
A bit about us...
What made you fall in love with photography?
Maddie: A few years back while I was still in high school, my grandad passed on his old Canon film camera - the same one he and my grandma used to capture family moments through the '80s and '90s. That connection really stuck with me. It’s a shared passion I hold close, and it sparked a love for creativity and documenting life’s unique moments. Photography’s always been my outlet - it’s just evolved from film to digital over time.
Andre: Full transparency - when we first bought our camera, Maddie was definitely the one pushing the photo-taking. At first, it felt like a bit of a chore, but that changed pretty quickly. Once I realised I could take a photo that didn’t look half bad, and started sharing them with friends and family, the positive feedback lit a bit of a spark. Suddenly, I found myself a new hobby - chasing more of those epic moments and maybe hogging the camera a little more from Maddie’s reach.
Funnily enough, photography’s kind of in my blood. My dad, Rodney, was a photographer back in the ’80s—mainly black and white film, the odd wedding, and a darkroom set up in the family laundry. So maybe it’s just taken a generation to kick back in.
What’s your favourite kind of photo to take and why?
Maddie: I’m drawn to coastal landscapes and close-up details - the little things that might go unnoticed if you weren’t really looking. There’s something calming about the coast, and I love being able to zoom in on textures and patterns that tell their own quiet stories.
Andre: I enjoy capturing images with lots of moving parts - photos where every time you look, you spot something new. On the flip side, I also love photographing people in everyday moments. Those shots often end up being quite minimalist, but they carry a real sense of impact.
What’s the vibe you want people to feel when they see your work or buy a piece?
Maddie: I’d love our images to feel familiar - to spark a memory, or a feeling you didn’t realise you missed. More than anything, I want our work to feel accessible. You don’t need to be an art expert to enjoy it. If someone walks past a print on their wall and feels something every time, even if it’s just a little flicker of joy or nostalgia, then we’ve done our job.
Andre: Timelessness. I'd love for someone to hang one of our prints and still feel just as stoked looking at it in 20 years as they did the day they bought it.
What do you bring to the table in the partnership?
Maddie: I’ve always been a bit of a creative - whether through my work in advertising, sales, or marketing, or just the way I see the everyday. I love visual storytelling and finding simple, meaningful ways to share an idea or moment. For Studio Dune, I bring an eye for design, a practical mindset, and a bit of intuition for how everything fits together - from the style of an image to the way we share it with the world.
Andre: Definitely not the brains or the beauty! What I do bring is a sense of humour and freedom to Studio Dune. I like to think outside the box, which helps spark creativity in unexpected ways. Maddie and I have different creative approaches, but that’s what makes it work - we balance each other out in all the right ways.
Where does the next moment lie?
Maddie: Japan! Can't wait.
Andre: Japan, 100%. We’ve been lucky to travel to some amazing countries, but Japan is one we’re yet to do together. We can’t wait to fully experience and immerse ourselves in the culture, food, and history, all of which are bound to bring some epic moments worth capturing.