Same Same would be nothing without our talented team of contributors. Over the coming months we’ll be paying homage to our most dedicated and talented photographers in our Same Same’s Shooting Stars series. The first photographer in the spotlight is Sydney’s Morgan Carpenter.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Um, I’m a 42-year old mongrel who loves learning new tricks. I moved to Sydney in 2005 at the end of a long relationship, and got involved with an online photography group. It’s developed into a passion that has changed my life. I’m still single, though, and sometimes open to offers…

When and why did you first pick up a camera?
I can remember having a summer holiday on a beach when I was a kid, and I bought an SLR when I was at college. I never weaned myself off the automatic settings though, so I never really took it seriously.

After a few years with just a basic compact digital camera, I bought my first digital SLR in May 2006. Both as a kid and as an adult, I was trying to record my life and the things around me. Now that I really know what I’m doing it’s a lot easier to translate what I see into a photographic image.

What is the best event you have ever shot?
I’d have to say the 2007 Mardi Gras Parade. It was the first time that I’d photographed the parade as media, and the first time I’d done something other than watch from the side. And it was an extraordinary and affirming experience. It’s easy to forget that there’s little else like it anywhere in the world.

What is the worst gig you have ever shot?
The ones that didn’t happen.

What would be your number one tip for aspiring photographers?
I think there might be two tips. Keep experimenting and trying new things, because that’s how you learn. And find your own way of looking at the world. Don’t just copy what you see other people doing – show us how you see it.

Check out Morgan’s Shooting Stars gallery here.