New South Wales

I was on a quick trip down the East Coast of NSW one afternoon and it was approaching sunset/dinner time. I did a quick google of a town near by with something of photography interest and came across Woolgoolga. The sky was looking interesting and I didn't have much time to get myself organised, but that's ok, as very rarely it pays off like this one did. 

As the last light of the day fades on the Coffs Harbour Jetty, I was setup and waiting for the lamps to turn on. We had had dinner in the area and Aria my Daughter ruined a few images by playing with my tripod legs, but luckily patience won the day, and I managed to capture a steady and still image, right at the end of sunset. 

 Captured while staying at Belmont Pines Holiday Park in Belmont, NSW (Lake Macquarie area) over summer, this stunning sunset shows what the Lake Macquarie area is known for, fishing on calm waters. I was just managed to capture this artwork before the rain begun, but Amanda missed out as she was too slow walking with the dogs and Aria to meet me, it doesn't look like the rain was coming, but it goes to show how the weather can change so quickly. 

 Captured while staying at Belmont Pines Holiday Park in the Lake Macquarie area over summer, this stunning sunset looking towards Belmont 16s over Belmont Bay is a calming idyllic artwork that the area depicts. I was spoilt for choice with the caravan park surrounded by water that I left it up to the clouds to decide which direction I'd be shooting this evening. 

Hastings Point, NSW and the Hastings Point Lookout was a picturesque location with views as far North and South as your eyes could see. Taken during Golden hour, I loved the colours and shapes of the rocks forming the base of the Hastings Point headland. I love the movement of the clear blue water in the foreground against the steadiness of the rocks. It makes me feel grounded, yet free.  

Hastings Point, NSW and the Hastings Point Lookout was a great afternoon out with my family. After taking in the views and playing on Pottsville beach it was time for some work. I predicted the clouds were going to be too thick in the direction of the sun to allow for any bright colours, however, I really liked these mossy rocks on the beach. After sending the drone up for some aerial images and footage, I turned my attention back to these gems in front of me, It is not often you get such nice mossy rocks surrounded by smooth sand.  The clouds did come to life and the reflection on the wet sand and pools of water allowed me to create this unique artwork.  

Taken on a rare sunrise for me is the 3rd artwork in my Corindi Beach collection. I had previously scouted this composition from walks along Corindi Beach, NSW (in the Coffs Harbour Region) and my sunset captures. I was unsure how the tide would impact the capture, but as with all my photography artworks, unless I head out to have a look, I don't know. The hard part with sunrise is you can't really see to tell before then rushing to get the right composition.  This time it paid off and although I usually like some clouds in the sky for interest, I rather prefer the simplicity of this image and the sun rising against the blue water. 

"Corinidi Sunset" is the 2nd artwork in my Corindi Beach collection. This spectacular sunset evening at Corindi Beach, NSW (in the Coffs Harbour Region) had a rainbow of colours and tones, with the weather changing drastically over the hour that sunset took place.  This image shows the calming tranquil beach that continues through to Woolgoolga. Although it doesn't look like it, to capture this image, I was ankle deep in water and had the waves crashing against my tripod. This always makes me nervous, but it is worth it to ensure I can create the artwork I imagine in my head. 

Sunset at Corindi Beach Point was magical this night. We were staying at the Reflections Caravan Park near Coffs Harbour, NSW where it is a short walk to the beach. Amanda convinced me to head out for sunset as the clouds were similar to the previous night where it unexpectedly lit up all around us while we were having dinner. I'm so glad she did as it was one of the most amazing sunsets we'd had in some time. I knew from swimming amongst the rockpools earlier that day that the water was a crystal clear blue so had already decided I wanted that in my artwork.  This is the first of 3 images in this Corindi Beach collection as the sunset lasted a long time and changed so much, I couldn't resist continuing to capture three totally different works. 

See the video of he three Corindi Beach captures at https://youtu.be/9PWrId2PWdI  

 Newcastle Baths, my favourite photo spot in Newcastle, NSW. I love it so much because there are such a variety of things and seascapes in a small area, with 3 different sides, so no matter which way clouds are lighting up at sunset or sunrise you can get something beautiful.

These fisherman were standing right in the way of my composition, I loved the leading line of the water channel drawing the viewers eye into the image. I quickly thought about the final image I wanted and decided to take advantage of the fishermen to really set the scene, an iconic Australian past time in a beautiful setting.

After a great weekend photographing Autumn Colours in the Blue Mountains, Amanda and I were returning home, hoping to stop at a beach on the Central Coast for sunset on the way. (That was the plan at least!) We encountered heavy traffic transiting through North Western Sydney, and ended up stopping for an early dinner.

As we got onto the freeway, the sun was already on its last legs. I was resigned to not getting to shoot this particular sunset, which looked like it would be pretty amazing, lighting up several cloud banks and starting to go pink.

We were frantically trying to think of places close by that we could stop to shoot, when it hit me that we were coming up to the Brooklyn Bridge, on the Hawkesbury River. We turned off the freeway, headed onto the Old Pacific Highway and I made a frantic dash to the waters edge with the camera to setup the gear.

It was now that I discovered (of course) that I must have left my shutter remote actuator somewhere in Mt Wilson in the Mountains... Thankfully my camera has a time set mode that I frantically programmed to try and get the last of the colours being displayed.

I only just managed to pull it all together for this beautiful shot, featuring Spectacle Island as it sits on the Hawkesbury River, with the last of that amazing sunset lighting up the cloud bank behind, in this, one of the most easily and often seen (but least thought about) landscapes in the Hunter Region of NSW.

After a full on day in my Gallery, I was pumped to stop talking about my artworks with people and get out and capture one!

This was my 4th attempt to get a nice Redhead sunset, each previous attempt foiled by nature, people or my own forgetfulness (Apparently I need a tripod to shoot).

I had really high hopes for this evening, there was a strong wind, and interesting cloud formation. I had hoped to get a nice vertical panorama with beautiful lit up clouds overhead.

As sometimes happens though, nature has its own intentions, and I just have to roll with it. This soft cloud glow was the best of the night, as the sun sank into a dense cloud bank before it really had a chance to bring much colour to the clouds.

I used the opportunity to get some muted sand and water colours, brought together by these incredible rock formations and the surf lifesaving tower. The quick moving clouds created a nice soft sky for the tower to stand against.

All that remains, a row of pylons emerging from the calm evening waters of Shoal Bay. This sunset was one that was beautiful in all directions, however the access to each different vantage spot was made extremely difficult as it was on a breakwall filled with large, slippery boulders. To change from one vantage to another was a painful, difficult experience.  

The main decision I had to make for this image during the composition process was the height that I wanted the pylons to appear, whether I wanted them above the horizon or not. I ended up choosing a composition that showed the pylons against the backdrop of the smooth waters of Shoal Bay.

This is a unique location, sheltered under Mt Tomaree, that has become a favourite picnic spot for my family and I.

One summer evening we decided to join friends for a picnic at Warner's Bay. They told us it's usually lovely there for sunset, music, cheese and crackers. But this particular evening there was a storm approaching after a rainy day so the music was cancelled. We convened with our friends and decided to risk the weather and enjoy a night off from working. Ha, who am I kidding, I'm always working when we are out and about at sunset.

We were all sitting there and then all of a sudden we looked at each other and said 'I think the sunset might actually do something interesting'. I left Amanda, Aria and our friends, Erica and Ash and ran to the car to get my gear.

As I set myself up, this young couple perched themselves on the end of the pier, enjoying the moment, each other's company and their love for each other. The sun continued to set and give off these amazing sun rays and light up the sky. The lake was silent, calm and elegant, it matched the mood of this young couple perfectly.

The storm was still getting closer, so not long after this shot we packed up to head home before we got wet. Such a contrast to what was miserable rainy day.

Sometimes you just have to try and try (and try!) again. This is how I felt recently attempting to take this iconic Newcastle scene, but it really was worth it.

This iconic Newcastle Landmark, the Nobbys Lighthouse, juts out in the Newcastle Harbour on this glorious sunset evening. We decided to have an afternoon splash at the beach before the cooler weather begins and of course whenever we head out for the afternoon the camera comes too.

My wife and I both haven’t been to this part of Stockton before, and it is always great to explore new places and get great photos at the same time. The sunset gave us a pastel rainbow style sky and the Harbour was quite calm, without many ships coming or going.

This Port Stephens sunset image captures the relaxing atmosphere of the peninsula perfectly.

I have never seen the waters of Tilligerry Creek, Port Stephens as calm as at Sunset on this winter’s afternoon. Sailboats and Houseboats alike sit moored at this calm inlet, as the sun sets away from them, leaving the simplicity of the vessels and their reflections to imprint my camera sensor.

The peach and apricot colours of this image are offset by the white of the skies edge and the pink blush starting to come through the glow.

Relax with this strikingly simple image decorating your lounge room, office or bedroom, and think about these peaceful vessels at sunset.

It was a breezy winters afternoon when my family and I headed down to the Bogey Hole, Newcastle, intent on capturing its unique beauty for a fine art photograph. Neither Amanda or I had been here before, so it was an exciting new venture for us.

As we predicted, there was some interesting cloud cover, and we were hoping they would hang around in the right place and produce one of the elements for making a great sunset. I risked slipping over when climbing some wet mossy rocks, to test various different compositions, until I settled on the one I liked and could use for my creative piece I had in mind.

After the majority of the sunset had been, I quickly returned to the main platform which is just above the level of the water and grabbed this vertical shot. This was the second creation I imagined which shows the layers of both sky and water, as the last of the sun lit up the band of clouds.

We imagine this art piece being featured at the end of an entrance way or hallway, due to the simple, clean composition and lively summer feel.

An early winter morning on the way to the Gallery saw me attempting to make my way to the beaches for what promised to be a beautiful sunrise.

Glenrock Reserve had been on my list for a while so after leaving Charlestown, Amanda and I spotted a massive storm heading straight for us from further inland.

We quickly decided to head to a spot we had heard about but not been to yet, Glenrock Lookout. We arrived just in time to see the leading edge of the storm, and ran out to the lookout with our equipment. I scouted a few compositions but wasn’t blown away by any of the images I got.

The rain started to hit heavily, so it was a wet jog back to the car to sit it out.

As we were in the car, I started to see an amazing glow behind me, as sunset started to hit the rear of the storm overhead.  The worst of the rain was past, so I jumped back out and absolutely sprinted back to the lookout, headed to one of the compositions I had previously scouted and setup. The light lasted like this only long enough for me to capture the 3 images for this panoramic sequence. The shots before and afterward completely missed the rainbows.

This image reinforces to me the mantra of, Right place at the right time!

This playful image shows sun lovers basking in Summer at one of Newcastle’s most famous beaches, Merewether. The waves rolling in over the sand produce a beautiful intense blue that contrasts perfectly with the light yellow of the sand.

This image is a snapshot of summer, watching surfers and swimmers taken from above.

When creating this image I was aiming to bring warmth, happiness and sunshine to any space through it, whether it be a loungeroom, bedroom, bathroom or office.

I have spent many mornings and afternoons bodyboarding the Newcastle coastline and each time I look into this artwork, I am caught up in a wave and find myself reminiscing the many good times the Newcastle beaches made available.

It was a cold cold winter's evening at Catherine hill Bay, but what's landscape photography without enduring all of the seasons? We wandered around to various locations surrounding the bay and the jetty, unsure what the sunset was going to bring.

I settled on this composition as I loved the contrasting colours and the idea of how something threatened to be demolished sees the end of another day, surviving, just a little longer. Once used for loading coal, this jetty lies sleeping with many photographers enjoying its presence, its history and its unique character.

Taken at the gorgeous Fingal Bay Spit, in the Nelson Bay region of NSW, this image brings to mind the things that the two separate bodies of water, constantly clashing and joining together can tell each other, and how it speaks of two people talking and sharing ideas, with the sandbar in between representing our individual understandings and beliefs. 

It shows time continuing to pass and how change and movement are required, bringing growth and development. It correlates with bringing peace and happiness to individuals and groups of people in varying situations, whilst keeping some stability and flexibility like the sand.