Originally training as a fine artist, majoring in time based media,

Simon eked out a living in theatre, and live events, then later, in advertising and feature film lighting,

graduating with a Best Boy credit on The Frighteners' , Sir Peter Jackson's horror – comedy, and visual fx tour de force.

Concurrently, he was developing a stop motion photographic resume with production company Flying Gherkin International,

highlights include the William S Burroughs novella adaptation, The Junkys Christmas, a lauded short film that was inspired by the crime scene photographs of Weegee; and a music video for international act Alice In Chains, completed in claymation and puppetry techniques.

In 1997 he completed a Masters Degree in Cinematography (Drama) at the AFTRS.

Early professional work chiefly involved the acquisition of filmic elements for animation and title designers' in the field of broadcast design, and later, practical FX elements for feature film title sequences including “Willfull” and “Charlotte Grey” for Animal Logic.

A music video focus as a director/cinematographer yielded projects exclusively in black and white for Australian artists including Leonardo’s Bride, The Whitlams, and Karma County. The former attaining an Aria Gold Record.

Live action television commercial and network promo work followed,

including Australian Cinematographer Society awards for high speed cinematography work at state and national levels.

Recent years have re-focussed Simon’s specialisation in mixed-media cinematography, combining live action and in-camera techniques, a highlight being a reimagining of James Wan's production company title for Atomic Monster.