We met in 2017. I was the runner, and she was the photographer documenting a music video shoot.
It turned out we knew the same band member, albeit for different reasons. That’s partially why we kept in touch afterwards. Thanks to Suzanne, she and I also ended up working at the same not-for-profit community-based social enterprise for a few months.
Along the way, I learnt more about her true calling. And because March 2026 is all about the “Woman-Kind” on Silly McWiggles channels, I’m joining Suzanne in celebrating another year of her iconic project, which champions cis and trans women and gender-diverse people of Melbourne/Naarm through photographic portraits.
PART 260 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
On social media, Suzanne Phoenix goes by the name of her brand – photospunctuatemylife. This short phrase is the true essence of her professional endeavours (and a big part of her personal life, I’m sure).
“I’m endlessly curious about people and places”, she says. And you can clearly see it in her work.
She has been capturing faces in the form of portraits and documenting daily life through street photography for many years. Not all of her activities are strictly related to the music business, but live events and performances are definitely Suzanne’s cup of tea. She has also self-published numerous books and zines to preserve those precious moments in a more lasting format.
Many of her photos tell the story of how the Melbourne/Naarm music scene has evolved over the years. She was one of the first photographers to notice that “special something” about Amy Taylor when Amyl and The Sniffers performed at local venues at the beginning of their music journey. Years before they blew up, both nationally and internationally, I might add.
Apart from hiding behind the camera, Suzanne is keen to share her vast knowledge of her craft. She offers workshops in photography, photobooks and collage, photo walks and other forms of creative collaboration.
Her work has not gone unnoticed. In the last few years, she has been acknowledged by several prestigious national industry accolades. That includes winning the 2025 Women in Music Award for Music Photography, the Upper Yarra Visage Portrait Award and the Martin Kantor Portrait Prize People’s Choice Award 2025.
Some time ago, I interviewed Suzanne about her live music photography practice. It was a proper lesson on the pros and cons of the profession, which is the object of desire for many (young) people. We covered a lot of ground that time, including the price of photographic gear, the income instability in her line of work, the risks of taking photos from the crowd’s perspective, and men’s domination in the music business, in general.
It was clear to me back then already that representation and community are important to Suzanne. Hence, her artistry and creative pursuits often revolve around providing visibility to diverse (and marginalised) groups, especially the queer family.
Her annual project for International Women’s Day is a testament to that.
She has been running it since 2012. The concept is pretty simple. Each year, Suzanne photographs a select group of inspiring, courageous and outspoken cis and trans women and gender-diverse people related to Naarm/Melbourne. The objective is to create a visual snapshot of the fierce, funny and extraordinary people who inspire her world. Her subjects also leave a written note about what IWD means to them.
When I scroll through the history of Suzanne’s iconic project, I notice that, at first, the portraits seemed more casual and spontaneous. But themes began to emerge when the concept became a recurring event. I wholeheartedly relate to the one from 2017, “Women who hate having their photos taken challenging themselves to do this.” From then onwards, I feel like the photos started to form a more elaborate, thought-out series rather than being random, individual shots.
In recent years, Suzanne’s curated photography project has also been exhibited in local galleries and launched at special events. I was fortunate to attend the 2019 edition.
Looking back now, it was a pretty special one. I’m a fan of quite a few of the fabulous femmes Suzanne portrayed that year, like First Nations singer-songwriter Alice Skye, multi-hyphenate music biz professional Mary Mihelakos and the already-mentioned Amy Taylor. The book launch at The Alderman in Brunswick East is still one of those “Good times, good vibes, good people” kind of memories for me.
Fast-forward to 2026. Suzanne has photographed 23 new subjects, bringing the total number to nearly 200 inspiring humans over the past 15 years. They are raw and honest portraits of activists, artists, authors, dancers, models, musicians, photojournalists, singers, connectors and collectors.
And that diverse 2026 cohort has some thoughts on what International Women’s Day means to them. Here are just a few.
“Non-men should be cherished, honoured, celebrated and taken seriously every damn day.”
Evie Vlah, artist, diva, allround hype girl (member of Public Figures)
“Women have always rocked, we are just louder about it now!”
Freya Tanks, The Antics’ frontperson
“The ultimate rebellion is to take up space and live life with joy, kindness and pride.”
Kahlia Parker, member of Licklash
“What does it mean to me? It means so many things. It’s a place for me to channel my energy in response to the daily grind of misogyny living in our patriarchal society. And the belief system it creates that women and gender diverse people are less important than men. Which we know leads to so much violence.”
Suzanne Phoenix
Reading through the quotes, it becomes obvious why the project is so unique. By creatively challenging the status quo, it empowers cis and trans women, and gender-diverse people to advocate for change in a safe space where they feel seen, being a part of something truly meaningful.
The paste-up in one of the iconic Melbourne CBD lanes has also become an integral part of the event, as well as an opportunity to directly involve the community. This year, the series will adorn Hosier Lane again. So, if you feel like helping Suzanne put the portraits up, save 10am on Sunday, 8 March in your calendar. Here is the group for more info.
But that’s not the end of the celebrations. As usual, there’s the annual book, perfect for collectors. Or if you’re more of a practical person, for the first time in the project’s history, you can grab yourself a tea towel. The 15th year and 200th portrait in the IWD series will also be exhibited at Queen Victoria Women’s Centre in Melbourne/Naarm, from 4 March until 15 April 2026.
When I opened Suzanne’s recent newsletter, announcing the IWD 2026 project, something else struck a chord with me. So I’d like to leave you with an excerpt from it, which exposes the frequently sugar-coated reality of working as a creative freelancer in the music business.
“I have deliberated for months over sharing this message. But here we go. From the outside, it appears like I am flying, and I am in so many ways. But I am not managing to make a living as an artist. So please book me or reach out if you’d like to work together. Or if you know of a ‘regular’ job, let me know ha! Cheers, Suzanne x”
This honest confession – paradoxically – is also what the IWD project is all about – having each other’s backs. As a fellow creative, I empathise with Suzanne’s plea. But I also refuse to accept that someone who has been doing a stellar job shining a light on the communities that don’t usually find themselves in the mainstream spotlight should have to pursue a different path in life to make ends meet.
So if I can ask one thing of you, dear readers, it’s this. Please let this talented and dedicated photographer know that you believe in her calling, too.
And Suzanne – here’s to the next 15 years and many more beautiful faces of bad-ass cis and trans women and gender-diverse people portrayed in your inspiring IWD series!
All images in this post are by and courtesy of Suzanne Phoenix, unless stated otherwise.
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