STORY BY MAHMOOD FAZAL, PHOTOS BY CHRIS TURNER AND TEAGAN GLENANE

“When I was starting out, coming from a small country town, I just felt so shy.” Working out of her bustling studio in Fitzroy, Teagan Glenane’s spirited personality is at odds with the person she describes, “I just felt out of my comfort zone everywhere.” 

Teagan’s work, as photographer and filmmaker with a social conscience and international agenda, has in many ways become an empowering testament to young country-town creatives across Victoria. Armed with her mum’s advice, she embraced the unknown and her dreams came true. 

“Now, I feel like actually being from the country is such an asset. I feel like I'm curious about everyone. I can be interested in everything because, from my initial urge to leave, I was just hungry for that.” When asked about the urge to leave, Teagan quipps, “There was nothing to rebel against.” 

Having been raised in Ballarat and spending a lot of time on her father's farm in Dunnstown, in the Shire of Moorabool, Teagan realised she wanted to kindle her creative spirit and leave country towns in the dusty rear view. “I just wanted change,” she protests. “Everyone I knew, had a real plan and I had no plan. Everyone seemed to be going into nursing or teaching and I was like, ‘I don't want to do either of those things.”

After making the state’s top arts program with a series of film-portraits of her sister, Teagan decided to pursue the art of photography. “My parents were really open and encouraging. My dad was a farmer and mum was a teacher. The year before I left, my brother moved to Sydney to become an actor. I remember mum saying, ‘just do stuff you like doing and it'll work out! Don't worry!”

In a whirlwind decision, Teagan went online and found work as a nanny in the UK. Two weeks later, she was on a plane to London. “I just realised there were so many different things I could be doing, so many opportunities. It was like my eyes were open to this whole other world of possibilities. The family I stayed with worked in the film industry. The dad was a cinematographer and his wife was a make-up artist. I was just like, ‘wow, there's so many other things and different kinds of people in the world!”

Upon her return to Melbourne, Teagan studied photography and earned a cadetship at Fairfax. “I started working on the Picture Desk, assigning the jobs to people and then just picking up jobs that popped up that no one else could do. They did give me the Australian Open and the Melbourne live music rally.”

After travelling around the world, Teagan came back home to Ballarat. “I was doing a lot of free charity work. I worked for a few different charities that I would take photographs for or make short films for. The Children First Foundation was the main one. I just fell in love with what they were doing. I worked with a couple of environmental groups and did a few things for the disability sector...just things I was really passionate about.”

Teagan has since worked with the Department of Justice, State Library of Victoria, Ballarat Regional Tourism, Women's Health West and the Inspire Group, among others. 

A career highlight, has been her coverage of The Australian Volunteers Program. “When you're picturing what your ideal job will be, it's probably a bit of travelling, documenting stuff and meeting different people. Working with people doing stuff that’s beneficial for the world,” says Teagan. “I think last year I went to Mongolia, Laos, Indonesia, Nepal.” 

But her spiritual connection to the idea of “country” was crystallized while working with the Yothu Yindi foundation in Arnhem land. “When I’m in Ballarat, I feel so connected to that place because it's my home, it's where I grew up. I've spent so much time there. It’s who I am.” Teagan’s voice wanders out into her memory. “And then you go up to Arnhem land and being on that country, it makes an impression in a totally different way. It makes me feel connected to Australia more universally, and makes me think about so many things deeper than I can even explain.”

Teagan Glenane                                                                                                                                         

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