Sum Effect Timeline
2002 – Retail Origins & Product Photography
Early 2000s, Matt Reed started a retail music store in Fremantle with good mates.
From day 1, there was a website to sell products online. So out came the camera and the product photography journey began.
For 9 years, there was opportunity to test and trial different photos to see what worked, and what didn’t. Matt got to see what increased sales, and what increased loyal fans.
2006 – Ecommerce Learning
In 2006, Matt relocated to the UK and worked as E-Commerce Manager with Two Seasons. Working with big name brands turbo-boosted his photography and ecommerce learning.
Matt was able to transfer learnings into his co-owned retail & ecommerce business back in Australia.
2009 – Ecommerce Growth
After returning to Perth, Matt got more excited about photography than running a retail store. In 2009, he transitioned out and started Perth Product Photography.
Ecommerce was moving from early stages into an essential part of retail worldwide.
Between 2010 and 2020, we saw remarkable change in retail. Ecommerce growth stats for the 10-year period are astounding. Our share of product photography and video projects grew exponentially too.
Ecommerce opened the world up for buyers and sellers.
2010 – Achieve More Online Workshops
From 2010 to 2012, Matt was a project partner and presenter in a dynamic group of 7 business owners who formed a unique joint venture, Achieve More Online, to help SMEs with their online presence.
Achieve More Online was aided by Federal Government Funding $0.5M, and State Government Funding $0.3M in partnership with Fremantle Chamber of Commerce.
More than 50 workshops were run across Western Australia and the Northern Territory teaching all sorts of people in business how-to achieve more online.
2012 – Products, People, Places and Projects
Simon Sinek’s TEDx Talk, How great leaders inspire action, on 29 Sept 2009 introduced the idea “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” This incredibly simple idea forever changed business storytelling online.
Businesses big and small started asking us to capture more than products and headshots. They wanted photos of their people at work, workplaces, and projects.
Doing this all under Perth Product Photography was a hard sell. So, in 2012 Photography Project, a more self-explanatory brand came into being.
Which meant two business footprints:
Perth Product Photography for product photos and videos.
Photography Project for people, places, and project images.
Over the next 10 years, our business became 50/50 product and image library focussed.
2014 – Brand Image Library
We started selling brand image libraries to businesses. All the right images of people, places, and projects at your fingertips, ready to plug-in to marketing as needed.
We continued to evolve. Introducing brand videos where it played to our strengths.
2016 – The Start of Outside the Frame
After gaining experience with product videos and brand videos, we stepped in front of the camera ourselves. Outside the Frame, our Behind the Scenes (BTS) docu-series, launched in 2016—an honest look at the creative process behind running a commercial photography business.
We found our groove, sharing the real moments, challenges, and wins that come with making strong, confident visuals for our clients.
2020 – A year of Change with COVID-19 Pandemic
Like many businesses, COVID in 2020 brought unexpected challenges, leading to changes within our team. We had to make the difficult decision to downsize through redundancy.
The people who moved on remain an important part of our story. Their creativity, dedication, and impact shaped Sum Effect in ways we’re grateful for, and we continue to cheer them on as they take their skills and talents into new chapters.
We moved out of our East Fremantle Studio after the first stay-at-home lockdown in 2020. We’d been at this Fremantle-base for 10 years.
COVID revealed the fragility of business online. Consumers turned to online shopping during stay-at-home lockdowns. Businesses moved predominantly to remote work and online meetings, sales, and marketing methods when attendance in person at workplaces was not allowed.
Having strong imagery and video became paramount to maintaining trade.
We navigated rolling lockdowns and rented studios around Perth as needed, to continue operating.
2021 – Sum Effect
In early 2021, after a year in business peppered with COVID lockdowns, our sum of parts became Sum Effect.
Our services evolved to: Branded Films, Image & Video Libraries, Business Portraits, Product Photography and Product Videos.
2023 – Long-Form Storytelling
Matt was keen to try long-form storytelling. We took a leap of faith and self-funded our own branded film called “Feel Proud Walk Tall. A Photographer’s Journey“. It was an awesome experience from start to end and inspired the team to seek more of these projects.
In early 2024, The Periscope Crew approached us to help them to make their first documentary. The Sum Effect team provided mentorship, production and post-production support.
The resulting “Everywhere” Film is a groundbreaking documentary that weaves together firsthand footage and powerful interviews from the 2023 World Transplant Games held in Perth. Told through the crew’s own lens—both in front of and behind the camera. This film is a testament to collaboration, determination, and storytelling that makes people feel proud and walk tall.
2025
We continue to grow as team and evolve as a commercial photography & filmmaking business.
Watch this space.