My Italian mother, a housewife who always wanted to be a Hollywood actress. At 84 she still watches late night gangster movies at 2 or 3am. My dad used to be perpetually shooting on a super 8 , I thought it was normal. I lived and went to school in Tuscany, spent 2 years in a 13th century Tuscan elementary school ,I ended up with the same teacher as my mother and father. In 1980 I saw Paul Weller on TV and decided to call my self a “ MOD”. A teenager obsessed with wearing strictly black and white clothing -60’s British “Mod” style, they nicknamed me ‘Two Tone Tonelli’. My obsession with anything British pop culture was legendary. In1989 I followed my passion for sixties rock and roll all the way to London ,where I felt right at home. I established a dynamic career that kept me away from home for almost a decade. My music  photography work has been featured in every major music publication in England and Australia.Including photographing legends like Pavarotti, Schumacher to Bono to Oasis.Photography has been a passport into so many lives, my  work has taken her to over 80 cities world-wide. Im passionate about people.When I shoot portraits I feel like I'm holding up a mirror to the person.I love drawing out character.I`ll always be interested in what makes you tick.CC

CONTACT

Email: kim@kimtonelli.com

Phone: +61 418 393 241

ABOUT KIM

Growing up in Melbourne and Tuscany, I was surrounded by creativity and passion.My Italian mother, a housewife with Hollywood dreams, would watch late-night gangster movies, while my father compulsively captured our life's moments on his Super 8 camera. I attended a 13th-century Tuscan school, where I weirdly had the same teacher as my parents.

In 1980, I discovered musician UK Paul Weller and band The Jam, sparking my retro 1960s "Mod" obsession. I wore only black and white clothing, earning me the nickname "Two Tone Tonelli." My love for British pop culture was obsessive.

In 1989, I followed my passion for sixties rock and roll to London, where I established a dynamic career spanning nearly a decade. My photography has taken me to over 80 cities worldwide, capturing legends like Pavarotti, Schumacher, Bono, and Oasis. My work has been featured in every major music publications and record company in England and Australia.

I`m a people person ,enjoy connecting, drawing out peoples unique character, honesty and quirks.

During the 2020 pandemic, I embarked on a series of personal projects . I photographed my quirky Italian mother. The image was selected as a finalist for the National Portrait Gallery's "Living Memory" exhibition. Another personal project, capturing my proxy aunt in her unique environment, earned an Honourable Mention at the International Photography Awards (IPA).

These experiences ignited a passion for storytelling and conceptual photography.

Recent travels to Hanoi Cuba and Hanoi ,I have discovered a new joy in personal projects, idea development, and narrative-driven photography. This shift has redefined my trajectory as a photographer. I continue to seek inspiring experiences, meaningful connections, and captivating stories to share through my lens.

Awards

  • National Youth Media Awards. -1st place

  • Rolling  Stone Magazine Music Award.

  • National  Portrait  Gallery 2021 Finalist - The  Living  memory  2021

  • Lens Culture- Honourable Mention 2022

  • I.P.A Honourable Mention 2021

  • I.P.A Honourable Mention 2022

  • I.P.A Honourable Mention 2023

Exibitions

  • 'In your face”  - Brunswick st 2004

  • RMIT class of  `85 Reunion Goya  Galleries 2005

  • These Days 2021.

  • Ballarat  Biennale  “No 1 Michael Gudinski ‘2021

  • Head on 2021 - Vulnerability - Guilty Moose

  • Pollux Prize Exhibition 2024- Barcelona.

  • Head On - Cuba Series Bondi

Celebrities:

  • Pavarotti

  • Blondie

  • The Who

  • Schumacher

  • Bono

  • Paul Weller

  • Led Zeppelin

  • Rolling Stones

  • Blur

  • Oasis

  • Ben  Harper

  • Justin Timberlake

  • Jet

  • Wu Tang  Clan

  • Def jam

  • Elvis  Costello

  • David  Bowie

  • The Who

  • Ben Folds

  • Prodigy

  • Robert Smith The Cure

  • Jeff Buckley

  • Sound Garden

  • Manic Street preachers

  • Radio head

  • The  Charlatans

  • Pulp

  • The Veronicas

  • Super grass

  • Stereo phonics

  • Travis

  • The  Stone  roses

  • Happy Mondays

  • Phil Collins

  • Bruce Springsteen

  • Iron maiden

  • Cher

  • Boyzone

  • N-sync

  • The Blue Tones

  • Suede

  • Daft Punk

  • Kula Shaker

  • Texas

  • The  Chemical Brothers

  • Underworld

  • Leftfield

Books:

  • ‘A day in the  life “ of Year 2000

  • “Brunswick st” The Book

  • Rainbows and Lollipops.


    Film sets

  • The  spider and the fly

  • Bushido

  • Crimson

  • Dr Robert

  • Aliens  Sex Fiend

Live Performances

  • Bonsai - War  Child - Pavarotti

  • Royal Albert hall x30 Paul Weller performances

  • Brixton Academy -over 1000 concerts