Q) Your images are incredibly diverse and beautiful and always contain an important environmental message. What in particular drives your passions both in photography and life?

A) Australia is so diverse, beautiful and unique in the world. I feel there is so much to do, see and experience in life. I have been pretty fortunate to be able to have got myself to see quite a lot of Australia in particular with a few overseas trips as well. I am constantly blown away by the beauty in all forms of nature and life. I love going to places and seeing how and why they are the way they are. Then if I can photograph them in such a way that encapsulates this or at that critical moment when all the elements come together to produce that very special moment when a place is at it’s most wildly sublime.
In being so lucky, I think it is our duty as the current collective custodians of our country and this planet that is our duty to leave it to our children and their children in at least the condition we have seen it at – as a minimum.
This is a never ending pursuit which is really evident when there are spectacularly breathtaking spots basically on my doorstep at home that I still have not got that special moment captured.

Q) You have visited many unique and rarely seen areas in Australia, where is your most favourite place to shoot and why?

A) There are so many and for so many different reasons. I seriously can not differentiate between an outback gorge, spectacular cliff lined coast or a monsoonal rainforest. I really do go through phases where I particularly miss a certain place or type of landscape, from that point my drive to return to whichever place it may be, becomes almost obsessive until I get there.
I guess it is partly climatically based as I am not a lover of the cold weather so most years I go live or travel in the tropics for a duration. From that I take in things such as the tropical rainforests or reefs or the more rugged terrain west of the east coast tropics.
At the moment I have a real hankering for some red earth and rugged desert ranges again or some wild storm chasing (of which I haven’t done in earnest for a few years). So it will be interesting to see which of these first becomes realised again.

Q) Which 3 images in your Portfolio are your personal favourites and why ?

A) Now this is a tough question ! I’ll actually have to go have a look a make a decision now !
Every photograph of mine has a massive story or adventure behind it – even if it’s something I’ve shot at the beach at the end of my road – it will be a particular setting, tide, sky, time of year, type of light that I may have been waiting for 15yrs for. Other images I really like because of the technical aspects to getting the shot nailed or how well I feel it depicts the place, its environment and climate.
So I’ll pick these 3 for various reasons;

1) ‘Top-end thunderstorm’ – It’s just a classic menacing looking thunderstorm. A lot of people think these storms and images are easy to obtain in the build up season of the top-end, nothing could be further from the truth – trust me ! So after years of being in the top-end during this particular time of the year I finally managed to get myself in position to experience a scene such as this and photograph it.

2) ‘Harsh country’ – This particular shot was in a remote part of Qld and I was camping at this gorgeous waterhole, I headed out for the evening light in hope that some of the compositions that I had scouted earlier would come off. It’s brutally rugged and hot country… rock and spinifex dominate. The sun was dipping to the west fast, behind the range where I was camping at the base of. Above the waterhole the ridge line had a gorge eroded through it from eons of erratic heavy rain. I was on the other side of this small valley, it amazingly looked like a shaft of light shining through the gorge may align the only termite mound within miles – in fact there are very few in the entire region.So I waited and waited – then bang ! It came off and I was so thrilled and to think that there was no one within god knows how far. I only took 2 frames on my 6×17 panoramic camera before the moment had passed.

3) ‘Angelic waters – Cape York’ I always endeavor to photograph things and places in my own unique style and how I see their beauty. This particular spot is about 800km’s from the bitumen and to say I love it here would be an understatement !
I had it all to myself for what seemed an eternity where I could not get the smile off my face – the beauty and refreshing nature of the spot was so divine, especially after all the dirty km’s and 4WD’ing. I was up for a morning swim and photography before the light cracked, by which time I normally put the camera away – but I saw this light squeezing through the scrub and bouncing off the divine tropical water and through it’s mist. I knew exactly how to take this one and I knew it would be a unique waterfall shot. And for me it really represents how this place was really heaven sent.

Q) What are your aspirations ?

A) To travel and experience everything that I can. I would love to do this with my best friends and someone special. I also hope to build and open my own gallery at some stage down the track as well.

Q) After using Fuji Velvia for so long how have you found the differences using digital, which do you prefer?

A) Cutting my teeth for so many years on the uncompromising slide film really taught me a lot. Nowdays I also have a Canon 5DmkII which is a great camera but I also still love shooting velvia. I don’t see it as film versus digi competition at all, I generally have better things to do than argue about endless topics like that. I think it’s horses for courses type scenario, as both have pro’s and cons and things they do better or that you can’t do on the other.
But if I am at a grand setting and the light and landscape is amazing I dearly love shooting the 6×17 with velvia.

Q) Finally, any words of wisdom to those just starting out ?

A) The biggest thing is to enjoy what you do, don’t get caught up in all the tech stuff of having the latest and greatest gear. You take the photos – not the gear. My 6×17 is about 25yrs old and it is essentially just a big lightbox with a very nice piece of glass on it. This camera is as relell svent today as it was then – I don’t think we will be saying the same thing about the latest DSLR’s in 25yrs time.
So just get out there and enjoy the journey and the moment. :)

I second that ! :))