The year in pictures: Canberra's moments that stuck with me

There’s no messing around, no luxury of extravagant fashion photoshoots that take days on end to perfect. You take your photo, and edit your images as soon as possible, all ready for online or the following day’s print edition.

We are all-rounders. One full day of work could include a set-up portrait, an out-of-control bushfire, and a Good Food cover shoot. The variety of work leaves us excited and unsure of what is around the corner. Many jobs can linger with you for days, some only for a couple of minutes.

I covered the national apology to victims and survivors of institutional child abuse at Parliament House this year, and this job was one that stuck with me for a while. I will never forget the emotion in the room. There was anger, joy, grief, and happiness, all in this one small space in the Great Hall.

The room was full of victims and supporters, and I felt like I didn’t deserve to be there, like I was invading people’s privacy by shoving my camera in their faces. After the formalities I had several victims approach me, wanting to tell me their stories. I was overwhelmed with emotion and realised that I wasn’t, in fact, the vulture; I was there to tell their story, and to document an important time in Australian history.

This is a photograph of two sisters who I spotted in the crowd that day. They only just reunited after four decades of separation. They were both put in orphanages as toddlers and they endured deep cruelty at the hands of sadistic nuns.

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