Caer-Awen

James has always believed in giving back to the Community, directly with meaningful helping hands rather than extravagant shows of self promotion. From a solid and dependable Pioneer Family in Australia, see page 26 below of the Corrigin Chronicle, James' Grandfather was William George Rendell of Wandoo Farm in Corrigin.

James' Maternal Great Grandfather, Sydney Charles Gill, is pictured below in Clare, South Australia in the late 1890s with his Trotter, Jemina. James Grandfather, Howard James Gill, from Hampton Plains Farm, Corrigin was well known for organising many busy bees in which the town came together to harvest a crop to support a farmer who was injured or suffering from illness.

James followed this example through Volunteer work in the Anglican & Uniting Churches and running Youth Groups, including in 1985, the largest Wilderness Camp for Young People in the Bunbury Diocese of the Anglican Church. These Youth Leadership roles resulted in James being named the Young Australian of the Year for the Corrigin Shire in 1986.

James Has worked as a Volunteer for the following Organisations:

St Matthews Anglican Church, Corrigin WA (1980s-1987), Bunbury Diocese Youth Ministry Advisory Committee (1986), Youth Synod Action Group, Perth Anglican Diocese (1986), Anglican Volunteer Service (1987), Churches Commission on Education Chaplaincy Training (1987), Baptist Theological College, Certificate of Youth Leadership Training Course (1987), WA AIDS Council (1992), Victorian AIDS Council (1994), Asthma Foundation of Victoria (1984), Australian Association of Heath Promotion Professionals, Victoria (1984), Brunswick LETS (1995-96), Mitchell Tyrie Teddy Bears, Melbourne (1996-97), AIDS Foundation of New Zealand, World AIDS Day PhotoShoot (2004), Talkabout Magazine, People Living with HIV/AIDS NSW (2005), WA Rep and Photographer, Adelaide Conference, National Association of People with AIDS (2005), Bears Perth (2005-07), People Living with HIV/AIDS WA Inc (2005-2007), Inclusion Disability Group (2005-2007), OPI Perth (2005-2022), Alphabet Soup Community TV Show Melbourne (2010-11), Yvonne Gardner's Positive Attitude Lunch Club, Melbourne (2008-2011), Friends of Palestine WA (2013-2015), Artists for Palestine (2014), Tranz4mations (2015-2018), HIV Institute of WA (2018), Friends of the WA AIDS Memorial Group (2018-Current), HIV Consumer Alliance of WA (2018-Current), Al-Falaq Photography (Current)

 A pivotal influence in James' early career was the example set by Dr Geraldine Elliott of the Asthma Foundation of Victoria who formalised this concept of the in kind Sponsorship Programs. Following this example CADT Photography has a long standing tradition of offering in kind Sponsorships by providing a documentary photography service for Not for Profit or Volunteer Organisations running public events to highlight issues of public importance, when we support the issue.

CADT Photography is a leading grassroots Organisation in the area of Public Health Sector making free Health Promotion materials for Volunteer Support Groups. The gallery below contains some of the health promotion educational materials made by CADT Photography. 

Community Events for Organisations.

We understand that photographs are an important way to document community history and our media coverage is an important way to make sure after an event the issue is seen and heard by decision makers and influencers in the public policy making sector. This is especially important in an age where the Lamestream Media fails to cover important community events, matters of public interest, human rights issues and corruption that the controllers wish to sweep under the carpet.

This is why We have a Sponsorship Program to document public events to highlight issues of public importance, especially if we support the issue, run by Not for Profit or Volunteer Organisations. To access our in kind Photography Sponsorship Program Contact Us using our form above with your "application".

To support the Muslim Ummah, we choose to promote Muslim businesses who share our values, have products or services we like or who genuinely display good citizenship in the Community. We prefer to support local organisations that support local grassroots initiatives or events.

Please note, We do charge a fee to photograph Large Commercial Arts festivals and Cultural Events run by large funded groups or for profit organisations. 

CADT Photography is proud to Sponsor the HIV Consumer Alliance of WA. (HCAWA)

HIV and BBV Virus have a large impact upon People effected by the conditions. Long term survivors have a range of injuries from experimental substances along with side effects from current medications. Stigma, Discrimination and intra Community Bullying have huge impacts that results in complex trauma and the vast majority of grassroots people are unsupported by the outdated, toxic, PR driven NGOs. 

The HIV Consumer Alliance of WA is a Volunteer Peer to Peer Support Group that Welcomes People without discrimination, judgement or factional voting decision making processes. HCAWA recognises that HIV & BBV Virus Diagnosis is often associated with complex trauma from difficult life events. The Organisation is a friendly informal and private social group, not a pickup site, events are not held in public venues which serve alcohol and abusive behaviour or bullying is not tolerated.

For more information about the HCAWA go here!

Portraits for Individuals and Families.

"We like to be as happy with the photographs as you are"

Groups, Individuals or Families arranging private events can commission us to create a set of images of posed Portraits and candid photographs to provide a lasting memory of milestone events. We can work on location or at a home. We specialise in using natural lighting to produce classic images and we can produce black and white photographs for that timeless look displayed on the walls of your home. 

We prefer to undertake a needs assessment with clients to establish the boundaries and expectations before the event and this may include lighting and venue checks to ensure we are fully prepared. Our artisan approach means taking the time to ensure the image brief is met. Collecting the images required means we need to know in advance if the final images are to be printed or sized for splashing around social media or both.

We know how to use our photography to make small events look bigger and we take the time to gather images that include everyone. We expect you to arrange the photo permissions and inform your guests that you have a photographer in attendance. We are always happy when the client lets us know in advance who is not wanting to be photographed so we all avoid misunderstandings! 

Our packages are tailored to meet the needs of our clients and our fees are flexible. We do not charge by the hour, so we do not rush in and run around and disappear in a cloud of dust. Our fees are based around the time taken to create the images plus the time required to do editing of camera proofs that includes variables such as preparations for printing, colour touchups and resizings for social media.

We provide fee paying clients with a complete set of edited camera proofs and curate a gallery of the best images for your convenience and viewing pleasure. 

Community Events for Organisations.

We understand that photographs are an important way to document community history and our media coverage is an important way to make sure after an event the issue is seen and heard by decision makers and influencers in the public policy making sector.

We have a Sponsorship Program to document public events to highlight issues of public importance, especially if we support the issue, run by Not for Profit or Volunteer Organisations. To support the Ummah, we choose to promote Muslim businesses who share our values. We do charge a fee to photograph arts festivals and cultural events run by large funded groups or for profit organisations. 

Please note, we do not do candid photography at rallies or public events as we know it is important to obtain appropriate consent and our editing process smudges out the faces of background people to protect privacy.

It is impossible to collect images of everyone at large public events so we try to collect images that represent the event to support the organiser's mission. See our Palestine Rally Photographs in our Archives above. We do charge a fee to cover festivals for large funded organisations. 

Pet Photography

We understand that your fur babies are not just pets, they are members of your family and photographs of them provide lasting memories that of their lives with us. It's not just an excellent way to spoil yourself but good photographs are a big way to mitigate the future without them. For dog lovers, we will consider undertaking commissions of your fur baby. For cat lovers, we understand you know how difficult it is to get a good cat photograph and we're willing to work with you to collect an image package of the little people who rule your homes with rods of fur.

We like to undertake photography in a relaxed and low stress environment ergo in these days we prefer to cover events where alcohol or other substances are not on the menu. We can do weddings but for health reasons we are not currently providing this service. We would be prepared to provide our image making skills at a Wedding for people who like our particular photography style, support our mission and wish to utilise our photography service in conjunction to the main event photographer.

More information can be obtained by contacting us through the Contact Us Page above. 

About CADT Photography.

CADT Photography aka The Caer-Awen Discretionary Trust, Est in 1998, is a Family Owned and Operated Art Studio with an Interest in Health Policy, Culture and Community Development. 

James' Undergraduate Degree a Bachelor of Arts with a Double Major in Religious and English Studies from ECU. The academic practice in the Religious Studies Department was the phenomenology of religion including the the Abrahamic traditions and a focus on Research Methods, Psychology and Education. 

James completed a Post Graduate Diploma of Health Promotion at Curtin University in 1993 and has worked within the Health Policy, Research and Evaluation areas within the NGO and Charity Sectors. James was employed as a Health Promotion Officer with the Asthma Foundation of Victoria and a Research Assistant in the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Sydney.

James began a journey into Photography when in 1998 he was given a professional level Nikon film camera in exchange for some pretty groovy house furnishings when leaving the Emerald City aka Sydney.

After a few years of events and landscape photography, in 2002, James completed the Graduate Diploma of Communications (Photomedia) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Mt Lawley and was accredited as a Journalist with the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. 

At university the focus was on film processing and the then emerging digital photography industry. James' Portrait image making is informed by the work of August Sander (Germany), Dorothea Lange (USA), Diane Arbus (USA), and Alfred Stieglitz (USA) while his landscapes are inspired by the work of the great Ansell Adams.

 Upon graduation James invested in a Nikon D70 and embarked on a journey in making images of people and landscapes that involved travel as a photojournalist around Australia and overseas to Asia, Europe, South & North America and New Zealand where he completed the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at the English Language Academy at the University of Auckland.

About Caer-Awen.

Caer in the Keltic, signifies fortress and here it signifies empirical (scientifically provable) Truth as the foundation of wisdom and cultural understanding.

Awen also from the Keltic, is the Holy Awen, an often fleeting, inspirational, mystical gift of knowledge and understanding that, the Kelts say, comes unbidden from the hands of the Gods.

In the monotheistic traditions, Awen signifies the Holy Spirit or a mystical intervention of God that occurs as the result of prayer or through an “Act of God” that alters the course of a situation by initiating a mitigation of pain, grief, and the removal of harmful effects of a state of affairs!

Together, Caer-Awen signals a binary opposition, the place that balances, between light and dark, two ends of a continuum, the space and time conjunction where all exists as one.

“Awen: (usually, Holy or Sacred Awen) lit., the Muse or sacred poetic gift of inspiration; as used by the bards, the personified creative spirit.” From: Keneally, P. (1990) “The Hawk’s Grey Feather” Grafton: London, U.K. (p.452)

Don't forget, James has a Blue Check Mark on X formerly Twitter so follow him @JamesRendell17 to keep up to date with the latest news, views and current events. Use the Contact Us Page above to book your event and let us know if you want to be on our information mail list so you know when we publish new event photographs etc.