BTS: Portrait Pop-Up, Melbourne

Photo Credit: Pauline Morrissey

To kick off the new year, MADE IN KIN hosted its very first Portrait Pop-Up in Naarm (Melbourne) – bringing together our inaugural lineup for our Creative Directory. Held at The Loft Studio Melbourne, the shoot marked our first IRL gathering after months of quiet outreach, private DMs and late-night emails sent with crossed fingers.

After so much dreaming, planning and anticipation, the day finally arrived. No longer building MIK behind my laptop – toggling between emails, Google Docs and Facebook Marketplace listings for plastic chairs – I found myself in a sunlit room with the very people I’d been admiring, messaging and inviting into the mission. Some were meeting for the first time, others arrived as familiar friends, but everyone shared a collective excitement about what this thing we were building could become.

Reaching the studio meant climbing three flights of stairs – an unintentional but perfect icebreaker. Slightly puffed and a little flushed, everyone arrived ready to shake it off. At the top waited a bright, open space that immediately softened nerves and set the tone. Across the day, each person arrived as themselves – some carrying cultural objects, one popping in before work, another slipping in straight from a shift. Each added something distinct, stitching together the fabric of MADE IN KIN, one joyful layer at a time.

Chloe Morris
Videographer • Photographer

First to arrive and first to shoot, Chloe wasted no time setting the tone. Calm, cool and completely locked in, she stepped in front of the camera before heading straight off to film for the Australian Open. Despite the tight turnaround, she moved with total ease – her legs-on-the-chair moment an instant favourite. Watching Chloe work made it immediately clear why her career is already moving at the pace it is.

Pauline Morrissey
Writer • Founder of MADE IN KIN

Stepping in front of the camera was easily the most confronting part of my day. I’m far more comfortable behind the scenes, writing quietly in my own space, so the nerves were very real. Still, the focus stayed firmly on why the day existed. Once my session wrapped, I happily returned to my true role – making sure everyone else felt at ease and helping them choose their coloured plastic chair of choice, the truly important stuff.

Connie Cao
Urban Permaculture Gardener • Author

From the moment Connie stepped into the studio, the room felt brighter. Arms full of produce picked that morning, she brought her garden with her – generous, joyful and full of life. She confessed mid-shoot that she can’t help but smile in photos, which only made everyone smile back. Connie’s energy lifted the space, and it shows on screen – the same warmth and abundance that define her work in the garden.

Bella Loke
Director • Photographer

Behind the camera was Bella – our captain for the day. Though she mentioned it had been over a year since she last photographed portraits, having shifted her focus toward directing, you would never know it. Guiding a busy runsheet with calm assurance, she made even the most nervous among us feel at ease. That attentiveness reflects how Bella approaches all her work – and when the roles reversed briefly, she was a natural at that too.

Jess Magtalas
Creative​ ​Director ​• Producer

Jess arrived with a quiet confidence that didn’t need direction – something genuinely inspiring to witness. She moved through her shoot with total ease, helped by the fact that our photographer Bella is a close friend, the two of them flowing effortlessly between frames and laughter. With a sharp eye and contemporary sensibility, Jess carried the same assured presence she brings to her work across concept, production and storytelling.

Tyron Tran
Artist • Graphic Designer • Art Director

From start to finish, Tyron was cool as a cucumber. He stepped into his shoot with relaxed self-assurance, dressed simply in a crisp white singlet and looking completely at home on the cream-coloured plastic chair. Also friends with our photographer Bella and Jess, the three brought an easy familiarity into the room, quietly embodying just how rich Melbourne is with young, brown creatives fully and proudly in their stride.

Grace Guinto
Baker • Co-founder of The Entree.Pinays

Grace arrived carrying more than props – she arrived with history. Framed photographs joined her on set, including images of her as a child with her father and her late mother, Cora, whose name lives on through her baking business, Sweet Cora. Warmth moved through her entire shoot. True to form, Grace stayed long after her session, cheering on her fellow Entree.Pinays, Kristina and Maysie – a natural community leader through and through.

Kristina Naray
Culinary Curator

Before the camera even came out, Kristina admitted that having her photo taken brings a sense of discomfort – a quiet confession I could completely relate to. What followed surprised everyone. Soft-spoken with a dry, disarming humour, she moved through her shoot with grace, wearing a woven garment she had crafted from her motherland, the Philippines. Her presence mirrored her work as a cook and storyteller – considered, calm and deeply grounded.

Maysie Lecciones
Multidisciplinary ​Designer • ​Photographer

Fresh from a New Zealand trip and newly engaged, Maysie arrived glowing – and the room felt brighter for it. Congratulations were exchanged, laughter followed and by the end of her shoot, people were asking how she managed to lean on a plastic chair so effortlessly cool. Working across photography, visual design and illustration has clearly prepared Maysie for moments like this – she instinctively knew exactly what the frame needed.

John Gatip
Artist • Architect

John arrived in brown overalls, arms carefully carrying lighting designs adorned with capiz shells from his homeland, the Philippines – instantly wowing the room. I joked, very seriously, about sneaking one into my car before he left. John’s confidence isn’t loud or performative – it lives in the precision and poetry of his work. Whether seated on a brown plastic chair or on the floor, his portraits were among my favourites from the day.

Yusuke Sato
Commercial Photographer

Later in the afternoon, Yusuke popped in and instantly softened the room with his affable demeanour. His presence felt like MADE IN KIN in human form – a bridging of cultures, generations and creative practices. Though typically found behind the lens, he wore the moment beautifully. After his shoot, we chatted about his family and home garden, where he grows produce for Japanese recipes – his former life as a chef, mentioned ever so humbly.

Sebastian Pasinetti
Cook • Writer

Sebastian had the final slot of the day, fitting us in around work. Even when asked to stay back, he jumped into an Uber and made his way to the studio, determined to be there. In and out like a shooting star, he arrived smiling, delivered absolute magic in minutes and still found time to connect before heading straight back to his shift. It was a perfect snapshot of who he is – committed, generous and deeply present.