Earth

Earth -  A showcase of special imagery along my journey with a camera on this planet we call home. Single moments that havent seemed to fit anywhere, but as a collection, fit together perfectly.

Earth IV - a one of a kind moment between friends as the Indian Ocean meets the land at a special place called Wyadup. A small stretch of coastline I have frequented well before the beginning of my photographical journey. This moment features two of the best bodyboard athletes in the world, Lewy Finnegan (riding) and Davis Blackwell in the foreground watching on.

Earth IV

Earth -  A showcase of special imagery along my journey with a camera on this planet we call home. Single moments that havent seemed to fit anywhere, but as a collection, fit together perfectly.

At the beginning of what is predicted to be a long hot summer, small swells frequent the shorelines of Western Australia have challenged my thinking on how to showcase breaking waves in the the ocean during a time when many put their camera away. 

Earth III - features an ethereal moment as the Indian Ocean meets the land at a special place called Wyadup. A small stretch of coastline I have frequented since the beginning of my photographical journey. 

Im fascinated by the trick of the eye this image creates making it difficult to distinguish its scale and where the wave begins within the incredible clarity that comes when the ocean settles down.

Earth III

Earth -  A showcase of special imagery along my journey with a camera on this planet we call home. Single moments that havent seemed to fit anywhere, but as a collection, fit together perfectly.

At the beginning of what is predicted to be a long hot summer is where this body of work will start. Dominated by a strong El Nino pattern, The small swells that frequent the shorelines of Western Australia have challenged my thinking on how to showcase breaking waves and the ocean during a time when many put their camera away. 

Earth I - features the Indian Ocean on the first day of summer in 2023 meeting the land at a special place called Wyadup. A small stretch of coastline I have frequented since the beginning of my photographical journey. Small swells settled the sand banks making for clark little esqe conditions.

For those wondering, yes I got skittled along the sand as if id been hit by a bowling ball a split second after this moment was documented.

Earth I

Earth -  A showcase of special imagery along my journey with a camera on this planet we call home. Single moments that havent seemed to fit anywhere, but as a collection, fit together perfectly.

At the beginning of what is predicted to be a long hot summer is where this body of work will start. Dominated by a strong el nino pattern, The small swells that frequent the shorelines of Western Australia coupled with low tides have challenged my thinking on how to showcase the ocean during a time when many put their camera away. 

Earth II - features the Indian Ocean on the first day of summer in 2023 meeting the land, at a special stretch of coastline called Wyadup, a place I have frequented since the beginning of my photographical journey. 

There are many moments along the journey too and from the ocean in my quest to document breaking waves, A high afternoon tide trapped water creating a natural pool and the opportunity for an interesting frame, which way is the ocean?

Earth II

Caladenia excelsa, commonly known as the giant spider orchid. 

A species endemic only to the South West region of Western Australia. 

Flowering from late August through October.  The ever elegant orchid is listed as Critically Endangered under the Wildlife Conservation Act  
1950 in Western Australia. 

Earth is a showcase of imagery along my journey with a camera on this planet we call home. One of a kind moments that havent seemed to fit anywhere, but as a collection, fit together perfectly.

Earth X

Venturing deep into the heart of the Boranup Forest in springtime will immerse oneself in a biodiversity smorgasbord. 

Caladenia excelsa, commonly known as the giant spider orchid, is a species of orchid endemic to the south west region of Western Australia, holding onto a single water droplet formed by condensation on the cool spring morning. 

Earth is a showcase of imagery along my journey with a camera on this planet we call home. One of a kind moments that havent seemed to fit anywhere, but as a collection, fit together perfectly.

Earth IX

Some would call this, the path to heaven. 

Boranup Forest. 

Earth is a showcase of imagery along my journey with a camera on this planet we call home. One of a kind moments that havent seemed to fit anywhere, but as a collection, fit together perfectly.

Earth VIII

This Is Water

Winter storms that collide with the South Coast of Western Australia are some of the most powerful on earth. Some of the waves we chase require the energy from these swells to form and break. 

The biggest storm of two thousand and twenty two was the wildest sea state I have ever experienced. In the five hours spent in the thirty to forty foot sea state this day, I witnessed a constant change of dramatic lighting conditions, combining with the enormous swell and ferocious winds the energy focused on a particular slab of granite sitting metres below the surface was a terrifyingly beautiful spectacle.

Surrounded by ominous storm fronts this terrifying mass of water looks almost delicate as the afternoon sun shimmers from its windswept face. 
Created on the Canon r5 the detail in this image is spectacular.

Midnight

Midnight was the time I laid my head down on a pillow after a long drive through the forest, to a remote location on the South Coast of Western Australia. 

With a large swell predicted the next day and gravel protruding through the thin layer of foam between me and the ground it was going to be a rough nights sleep, before getting into a freezing cold wetsuit and heading out into the Southern Ocean as daylight broke. 

Regardless of the challenging environment there is an unspeakable allure to coming here. A sense of peace being amongst the elements with no one around. The knowledge that there are ridiculously thick slabs of water creating some of the most beautiful displays of live art one could ever witness, drive me to the lengths that I have to go to to witness moments such as this. 

This Is Water.

Allure

A moment between the clouds at Evils. Id never swum this wave in the evening, being so remote and daunting to want to swim out too considering the multitude of dangers. But one id wanted to see up close in the afternoon with the correct swell and some sunshine. 

This wave seems to begin at a stand still. revolving in on itself, draining below sea level before charging along the barnacle encrusted sloping granite slab.

I had dreamed of seeing this wave lit up from behind but hadn"t the courage to be in the water at this place late in the evening. This afternoon that all changed. This is the resulting moment, one i am very proud of.

Illumination

Sitting out on the ocean in 30 to 40 foot seas in the biggest storm of 2022 was an incredible experience. Regardless of the safety plan in place if something was to go wrong out here, I"m completely screwed. there was no mucking around. This day was the wildest sea state I have ever experienced. 

There is a huge amount of uncertainty and involved with these expeditions. Shooting in the ocean requires you to know where to be when. When you are there, it requiresn know where to be when, or where not to be. 

When things come together it feels like striking gold.

Striking Gold

One of the things I love about this pursuit of ocean art, I have no idea what is going to happen when I go out. Which makes this collection of artwork so much more special.

The South Coast of Western Australia is one of the most remote, raw, wild and weather battered coastlines on the planet. This image is created about 630 in the morning, via a half an hour jetski ride. 

We needed to launch in the dark to be here at this wave for this moment.  
The rising sun refracting through the back of this wave with all the elements combing, creating a frogs face. One of the rarest displays of light Ive ever captured.

The sibling of Obsidian. 

This wave was too enormous, too imposingly powerful to release just one moment. A wave which would"ve devoured anyone who got close

This was a moment the whole ocean seemed to fold in on itself. A gigantic moving sculpture focussing all of its energy onto a huge granite slab metres below the surface. Creating a vibration that I can only describe as similar to an earthquake, but on water.  A sensation I"ve only experienced this once, like the ocean was a bowl of jelly. Sitting on my jetski the vibration came up through the hull and through my body. 

A moment I am proud to have witnessed while in one of the most challenging sea states I have ever experienced.

Goblin

The middle of winter.

The middle of the biggest storm  to hit the South Coast of Western Australia in 2022. 

Alone on the wild Southern Ocean in 30 to 40 foot swell kilometres from shore, even with the the correct equipment, a full safety plan in place I was relying on a lifetime of ocean experience to keep my self safe. Anything was to go wrong, I am in serious trouble.  

This was a moment the whole ocean seemed to fold in on itself. A gigantic moving sculpture focussing all of its energy onto a huge granite slab metres below the surface. Creating a vibration that I can only describe as similar to an earthquake, but on water.  A sensation I"ve only experienced this once, like the ocean was a bowl of jelly. Sitting on my jetski the vibration came up through the hull and through my body. 

A moment I am proud to have witnessed while in one of the most challenging sea states I have ever experienced.

This is Water.

Obsidian

A place I"d heard stories of, near on fifteen years ago.

A bare granite slab sitting just below the surface, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, on the south coast of Western Australia. Covered in barnacles, ungodly amounts of water, unrideable. 

Swimming around out here is wild. The undercurrent after every wave does not stop trying to drag you into the middle towards certain doom.  My experience was worsened by the four-metre swell slamming the coastline on what was actually a rare cloudless, beautiful day. The contrast between the beauty of the surroundings to the seriousness of the situation and immense danger was so vast. 

The amount of time between knowing of this place, and experiencing it leads me to wonder... Australia is so old. 

How long has this wave been doing this? 

Did the indigenous see it from land? 

One can only assume it was like this in the Dreamtime. 

This Is Water.

Dreamtime

On a knifes edge. trusting in your equipment, trusting in your expert experience, trusting that you have the skills and ability to do everything correctly to one keep yourself safe and also create a piece of art.

I love the contrast between the light breaching through a sliver of the lip, that same light transferred onto the face of the Wave. I wouldn"t reckon necessarily recommend hanging your JetSki off the side of a large wave. I wouldn"t even recommend the fact that I did it, but I did it. 

This is the moment. This Is Water.

Knife Edge

This image was captured in a 30-40 foot swell in the biggest storm of 2022. A day where a relentless barrage of weather produced a myriad of  dramatic lighting conditions. Here the whole ocean is folding in on itself as the afternoon sun glistens in between the storm clouds.

The Southern Ocean is a spectacular canvas. Some of the moments witnessed in the ginormous swells that slam into Western Australia"s Southern Coast are terrifying, but at the same time exquisite. The more time I spend documenting it, the more I am drawn toward abstract moments. 

This was one of the most challenging sea states I have ever witnessed, but the resulting image is easily some of my best work and deserves its position in This Is Water.

Flow

Ive lost track of the hours spent in the ocean waiting and hoping for a spectacular moment to materialise itself through my camera viewfinder. 
This image is the result of two opposing pieces of moving ocean on a moody autumn day on the South Coast of Western Australia.