Capturing Courage PRIDE Series
Backstage, DT's Hotel, Richmond Victoria. by Karen Bryant
Capturing Courage PRIDE Series is a Midsumma photographic series by Chief Executive and Creative Director (and photographer) Karen Bryant. Finding its inspiration back when Victoria marked 40 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the project, in its original form celebrated iconic queer performance venues that have been shaping contemporary queer arts and culture for more than two decades. Set against a climate of rising right-wing hostility occurring at that time, including public Nazi displays, targeted hate campaigns, and heightened fear within LGBTQIA+ communities, Capturing Courage evolved into a broader testament to the courage, vulnerability, and PRIDE of LGBTQIA+ performers, their audiences, and community leaders.
In 2025, the project has been reactivated and reimagined. Through intimate portraits and on-record conversations, Karen will spotlight LGBTQIA+ community members across Australia, honouring the daily acts of bravery it takes to live authentically, to lead positive change within our diverse communities, and to uplift others to do the same with PRIDE. Each image series is paired with a short blog based on interviews about each subject’s work and the courage they embody.
“I am drawn to the question of how people interact with our world through intention. How we claim space and express elements of who we are. Lived moments of ordinary everyday life speak to the creation of the way each of us is viewed, and of the people we strive to be and the actions we strive to undertake. I find that enactments of our activities often stand as visual reference points of this. I seek portraits that invite us to look beyond the surface ‘spectacle’ of a person or activity, to deeper undercurrents of resolve and purposeful presence that ripple beneath. The Capturing Courage Pride Series project involves me interviewing individuals prior to photoshoots – and basing my approach to capturing their portraits afterwards on personal insights gained through shared discussion. The images are in black and white – avoiding the distraction of colour so that we might focus on the nuance of expression and gesture, as these become tools of communication.
I aim for a series that is a tribute to community action as expression, and in many cases to those who step forward, leading difficult conversations, and meeting challenges head-on, when others might step back. “ -Karen Bryant
Capturing Courage PRIDE series is an ongoing, growing project. Together, these stories build a powerful, hopeful record of courage in all its forms.
Capturing Courage, Dee Mason - Joy Media
On Thursday 17 April, Karen spent the (very) early hours in the JOY 94.9 studio with broadcaster Dee Mason, documenting her final Morning Brekkie show, for now, as part of my Capturing Courage PRIDE project with Midsumma. Dee’s sharp wit, warmth, and fearlessly curious interviewing have long stitched our community together, proving radio’s power to connect, challenge, and uplift. Watching her command the desk, juggling levels, tracks, guests, and coffee, was a masterclass in care and craft. A selection of images from this session will be added to the ongoing series celebrating everyday courage within LGBTQIA+ communities.
Capturing Courage - Dee Mason
Capturing Courage, Jessi Ryan
A July 10 session for Capturing Courage PRIDE features multidisciplinary artist and community archivist Jessi Ryan, a writer, dancer, performer, and custodian of queer stories. Their portraits lean into powerful dualities: soft strength, quiet courage, and bold visibility. Jessi’s tattoos map personal and cultural memory, echoing their work to honour and preserve queer narratives. More than a shoot, it’s a celebration of lived experience and creative resilience.
Capturing Courage - Jessi Ryan
Capturing Courage, Margherita Coppolino
Capturing Courage PRIDE spotlights Margherita Coppolino—queer disability advocate, artist, and intersectionality trailblazer—photographed on 14 September. From 18 years in an orphanage to Moomba clown, policy reformer, and co-founder of Inclusive Rainbow Voices, Margherita frames her journey as intentional disruption: moving “from shame to pride” and insisting on being “part of the architecture of decision-making.” Our candid portraits—hands in motion, iconic Akubra, pins and flags—capture a lifetime of courage and community care, and a clear call for everyday, intersectional action that builds truly accessible spaces.
Capturing Courage - Margherita Coppolino
Capturing Courage, Miranda Hill
To call Miranda a musician would be an understatement. She is one of those artists whose work reverberates far beyond the concert stage. She’s a connector, an agitator, a nurturer of stories. The Homophonic Respect Project is one of her more recent initiatives which sets the lived experiences of older LGBTQIA+ community members from regional Victoria to music, for voices and strings.
Capturing Courage – Miranda Hill
Capturing Courage, Ben MacEllen - Part 1
Identity is never a single note for Ben. It’s a chord, shaped by history, language, and the shifting ways people read him. In our conversation, he spoke about how liberating it was to finally inhabit himself as a man, but also how complicated visibility can become when different parts of his identity are recognised unevenly.
Capturing Courage – Ben MacEllen Part 1
Capturing Courage, Ben MacEllen - Part 2
Creativity became his first language of self. He wrote constantly, small plays, short stories, lyrics. “Writing gave me a voice long before I had language for who I was,” he told me. It became the place he could speak honestly, even before he understood what that honesty meant.
Capturing Courage – Ben MacEllen Part 2
Capturing Courage, Ben MacEllen - Part 3
The Placeholder isn’t a sweeping political conversion, nor a grand gesture meant to silence those already committed to their views. Instead, Ben is reaching for the quieter middle. The people who sit in uncertainty, good-hearted but underexposed, thoughtful but without lived context. He writes for those who may have never knowingly held a trans story in their hands before. He calls them “the ones who just haven’t met us yet,” and it’s with them that he sees possibility.
Capturing Courage – Ben MacEllen Part 3
Capturing Courage, Sasja Sÿdek
For many years, Sasja felt she had to choose between her faith and her identity. Raised in a devout Muslim family, she faced rejection and misunderstanding when she began her transition. Yet over time, she found ways to reclaim both her spirituality and her sense of self.
Capturing Courage - Sasja Sÿdek
Capturing Courage, Sam Martin
When asked what his biggest personal challenge is Sam doesn’t talk about funding, access, or even artistic risk. He talks about letting go. The hardest thing a creative person can do is hand it over. But I fundamentally believe that I cannot succeed unless everyone around me is succeeding; we're uplifting each other.
Capturing Courage – Sam Martin
