Craig Wetjen Photographer, wood worker and general shed tinkerer

I think it is only fair and after subjecting over 60 shed subjects and counting, that I become a subject of my own photography in my shed. In taking this photo I had 2 great helpers my beautiful daughters Eliza and Alexandria.

My interests in working on things I can distinctly remember as a kid playing with my dads tools in the basement building little things. I remember one Christmas my auntie and uncle giving me a tool kit. In 7th and 8th grade my favourite subject was Tech. In the metal working shop I remember making a shiny tac welded toolbox with handles, a lock and a tray. I also made a replica pirate ship canon moulded with molten aluminium with a carved stand I finished in wood working and it was in the word working class I distinctly remember making a foot stool which is still in use today and sits proudly in my dads office.

In high school I moved on to the automotive class. It was in the class I continued my passion of everything to do with cars from the restoration of a 1969 Ford Mustang to changing the oil, wheel alignment, tyre rotation and the general maintenance of my own car a Nissan Pathfinder. Since then I have always wanted to have either a 1965 Ford Mustang or a 1957 Chevy. With seeing some of the sheds that I have photographed the car envy runs think. Through the years I continued to tinker around the garage maintaining my car and my wife's car.

Over the years I was always the go to person for my dad and my brother for all the around the house maintenance. For my dad I built a deck which still stands after 15 years. I renovated my brothers basement and it was then my brother Keith coined my nickname “F'n Bob” (After Bob Vila from the TV show This Old House) he even gave me a Hat with the writing “F'n Bob” on the front. All the construction knowledge came from the year I worked as a general builder for a family friends home construction business where I help build my family home back in 1988. I build my own photography darkroom in the basement of this house after getting kicked out of the laundry room.

So I will close by saying it was fun photographing my self portrait in my shed/garage. In this photo I built a bird feeder with my 2 daughters and since it was hung in the tree out in the backyard we have had a pair of beautiful crimson Rosellas and sulphur-crested Cockatoos stuffing their beaks.