Why I created Zest Photography

‘Every person has greatness inside of them… it’s our job to magnify it’.

I created Zest Photography because I wanted to create truly meaningful, artistic images for people to have on display in their homes to make them feel great about themselves every day. I also wanted to have a place where photographers can express their individual, artistic and creative talent to interpret the meaning of our customers’ lives through different photographic styles.

We inspire people by showing them the greatness, strength and love within themselves and for others through a powerful, creative photography experience. Creating art for life is our mission, inspiring those we photograph to see their Zest; their worth, their strength, their beauty, their love. We create an uplifting experience where people discover their gifts in life.

Every person I have met had something unique and special about them, and most of the time they didn’t even know it yet. After photographing thousands of people, I witnessed what the power of a photography experience can do for a person’s soul, if done at the highest level.

Capturing great images of a person is not about just the photography – that’s the easy part. The key is understanding the way a person wants to feel about themselves and how they would like to see themselves.

And with that ethos, Zest Photography was born. A Perth Photography Studio that starts with curiosity - discovering who a person is, what makes them unique and what love they share in their lives. A Photography studio that creates art that reflects your life, and art that will last a lifetime and beyond. Our mission is that when someone sees a Zest image of themselves or of their relationship, they instantly feel empowered by seeing their strength and love creating massive self-worth. This changes the way they feel about who they are and what they have in their life.

“Creating art for life is our mission,
inspiring those we photograph to see their Zest;
their worth, their strength, their beauty, their love.”

Our team

Gary Levy

Studio Owner & AIPP Master Photographer

I’m Gary - owner of Zest Photography, professional photographer and lover of people.

Over the many years of photographing thousands of people, I realised that it wasn’t just photography I was passionate about, it was the people! People’s lives, people’s stories, people’s beliefs, people’s desires, and people’s passions in life.

Throughout my 20 years in the photography industry, my purpose has evolved from making people look good to inspiring them to feel great. I realised that the way to make people look great on the outside is by helping them to feel good about what’s inside. By connecting with people on a deeper level, I realised I had a gift of listening to people’s stories and I was able to show them insightful images of themselves in a way they had never seen before.

Family is such an important part of my life. I love being a husband to Elisha, and Dad to Oliver, Indiana and Georgia; they bring endless joy and remind me how quickly time passes by and how important it is to cherish each precious moment.

Born in Manchester, England I moved to Australia in 1989 and after my Australian journey began in Adelaide we moved to Western Australia and Perth has been my home since 1993.

I feel blessed to live in this incredible country and have the freedom to live on our terms, enjoying Perth’s iconic lifestyle.

When I’m not with my family and friends or at the Zest studio, I’m usually listening to an audiobook or participating in a workshop on personal development, health or relationships. I am currently on track to become a Master NLP Practitioner so that I can bring these skills together with photography to enhance the experience we create for people.

Master of Photography | The Australian Institute of Photography (AIPP)
2006 | WA Portrait Photographer of the Year

Call Gary | Email Gary

Jessica Truscott

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & AIPP MASTER Photographer

I’m Jessica, Zest Photographer and lover of stories.

One of my favourite things about photographing people is how it enables me to capture and create beautiful stories about their lives. I am inspired by the Victorian Romantic painters, Disney and Ancient Mythology, and I love to create images that have a feminine, magical and glamorous feel to them. In my spare time I am a compulsive reader and am extremely passionate about creating artistic self-portraits that now grace the cover of many novels worldwide.

I understand how it feels to be on both sides of the lens, and my goal is to make sure everyone is having a lot of fun and feeling very beautiful. I’ve found the secret to taking a great portrait stems from not being afraid to ask the deeper questions and lending a compassionate listening ear. When a person is feeling great their soul shines and I love that moment when a person sees a photograph I have taken, and it helps them to feel amazing about themselves.

As a child and teenager, my family moved around due to being in the Army. Adapting to my surroundings, making new friends and changing school and homes was a challenge for me; but one that taught me so many lessons about people and how we function as individuals and in challenging surrounds. My constant was creating beautiful art and remains so today.

I’m a creative and school for me was filled with time at the art room, painting and desires of becoming an illustrator for children’s books. Outside my passion for photography and fantasy fiction, I love puzzles, cosplay, coffee, pyjamas and dogs!

Master of Photography | The Australian Institute of Photography (AIPP)
2013 | Western Australian Family Photographer of the Year
2018 | Western Australian Family Photographer of the Year

Call Jessica | Email Jessica

Hannah Laurent

ZEST Photographer

I’m Hannah, a lover of all things photography and have a passion for connecting deeply.

I use photography to understand the world around me, while also using it to understand more about myself. One of the things I love most about taking photos is how you can use the camera to capture raw emotion in moments. To create time stamps of memories throughout your life, that you can always look back on and be reminded of. I like the way I can capture the beauty in the world through the lens, but also more importantly how I can alter the world around me to create new perspectives, to create art.

I have always used Art as a means to express myself. As a child, I explored every medium in order to understand my emotions. As a teenager, school was all about Art and I was always hiding in the Art room working on my own creative projects. I spent time studying the Art Nouveau movement and fell in love with a painter/designer/illustrator called Alphonse Mucha. His work always spoke to me, so much so that I got some of his pieces tattooed on my body.

Dance has always been a big part of my life, whilst attending WAAPA here in Perth, I quickly fell into the dance scene. I found myself drawn to this community of creatives and dove into taking photos of contemporary dancers and choreographers. This lead to an amazing opportunity to collaborate with a WAAPA dancer to create an award-winning show for the 2020 FRINGE Festival.

Whilst I am not taking professional portraits of people, I am travelling and travelling has always put life into perspective for me. I feel I have used the perspectives I have learnt to relate to all kinds of people.

I do also love to binge-watch the american series ‘Friends’ when I have some alone time and when I really feel taking some me-time, I really enjoy to sit and listen to music as my therapy. The beach is the one other place you will find me on my days off!

But all in all, I love having the camera in my hand and bringing out the best in people and sharing my gift to show people a side of themselves they have always wanted to see.

CALL HANNAH | email HANNAH

Lei Brockie

CLIENT CONSULTANt & lover of all LIVING THINGS

Hi, I’m Lei and I love creating incredible opportunities for the people I speak to over the phone. I have always lived my life by giving and I truly believe that by giving you receive in return.

My passion is Family! I live and breathe for them and am so very lucky and humbled to have a husband who is my soulmate, five beautiful and strong children plus have been blessed with ten gorgeous grandchildren.

Pets and animals are another passion of mine having worked as a vet nurse at Vet clinics in New Zealand, so the emotional connection to so many of my beloved pets is close to my heart. After leaving veterinary care I moved into the mature-aged health industry helping people to have a pain free and happy life and after many years doing this found myself ready for a change and then I found Photography.

Having not come from the industry, I joined Gary’s team 4 years ago, knowing that I just wanted to help people in some way and I could see that photography would be able to capture memories and moments in time for my clients, little did I know the empowering impact it was going to have on people.

Within a few weeks of being in the studio, I organised a photoshoot with my family. Having a massive New Zealand family I knew we were in for a crazy and loud experience. When we saw the photos, the feelings for me was so powerful and empowering to say the least and made me feel so proud of each and everyone of my family. Today, I look up at my family being together on my living room wall and this makes me feel strong and now, I want this for all the people I speak to.

What I have now learnt over the years is that a portrait session isn’t just about getting photos, its about showing people their confidence and strength, to love themselves and the way they look.

CALL LEI | EMAIL LEI

Laura Moreno

CLIENT CONSULTANt

I’m Laura, Zest Client Consultant, and lover of Photography,

I view my life as one big art project. It is constantly shifting and changing. A story that unfurls and grows, and within it there are lessons to learn. When I look at a photograph, the same thing happens within my soul. Photography has always made life make sense. Upon this realization, I knew I wanted to make it my life’s purpose. Back in Melbourne I studied an Advanced Diploma in Photography, then in 2019 I moved to Perth and completed my Bachelor of Arts & Communications majoring in film and theatre.

Over time my Photography has developed into a unique landscape of mostly black and white imagery that I describe as ‘Experimental Documentation’. I like exploring the settings I find myself in as well as the people within it. I have spent the last few years developing a body of work surrounding local live music. It started with my love of live music and shooting Melbourne bands and now I document local Perth bands. I like to capture the grittiness of bars and venues and the feeling of ‘punk revolution’ – think CBGB in 1979. I also love capturing the dancing audience. To me, dance is the purest form of expression, a universal language. Dance, music, art, fashion, and culture are constant sources of inspiration for my photography and film projects. I am inspired by people like Vali Myers, Leonore Fini, and Jean Luc Godard.

Like most creatives, I hate the idea of a ‘regular job’. However, at Zest, I’m lucky to be a part of a company that supports my dreams, which is rare! While I am helping clients achieve their dreams, I’m closer to mine, being the best photographer I can be. Our clientele gives me a great insight on how unique everyone’s story is. Through this I’ve developed the ability to be an amazing listener and ultimately a better photographer, by understanding what it takes to craft an image that our beautiful clients are going to love!

When I am not at Zest or taking photos, I am probably making friends with a street cat, listening to French music, enjoying a nice glass of red wine, painting or travelling 😊

CALL Laura | email laura

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