The long and winding road of photography

It has been almost eight years since I picked up my first ever digital camera and curiously started learning how this whole photography thing worked. I started as most people do bringing their camera to family events and photographing anything that I could find like flowers and landscapes. Some of my early images really make me cringe now days. One of my first images that I really put thought and time into was creating startrails overlooking Boguntungan. I thought it was the best photo ever - I couldn’t believe the fact that you could photograph stars so clearly!

One year later, I revisited the same spot with better knowledge in photography

A far superior photograph I think you will agree. After this, stars and night time photography was my drug of choice. Like a dog hanging its nose out of the car window getting high on all the smells being forced downhis nostrils, I was hanging my nose around Central West Queensland hunting for that perfect night time star image.

I traveled to Jundah, Winton, the Aramac Sculpture Trail, even in towns like Longreach and Barcaldine I was able to get some great night time photos. Every time there was a Super-Moon, or a Blue-Blood-Moon or a Purple-Fantastic-Constellation-Hair-Summer-Harvest-Moon, I was there with my camera planning weeks ahead the exact angle and position I would have to be to capture the moon as it rises above a well known landmark.

This was all good, however as I owned and ran the Barcaldine Bakery, I realised all the time I put into the photography was time taken away from the bakery. I needed a way to justify spending my time creating these photographs. I realised landscapes are great because they don’t talk back, but they also don’t earn you money.

I tentatively started taking photos of actual Human Beings. They talked back and moved, and made taking photos hard because I didn’t have three weeks to create the perfect image. I was now using someone elses valuable time, so I had to learn quickly how to adjust settings and plan photos on the spur of the moment.

Four years ago, I made the decision to perhaps start side stepping into the realms of professional photography and start drifting away from baking. Of course, it hasn’t been easy to give up making dough (pun entirely intended) and plunge into the uncertainty of photography - but I am making progress.

If you have been gracious enough to hire me to photograph you or your event in the last four years I have to thank you for letting me into your life! It has been a winding road to get to this place, however I am excited to finally launch my photography website! I will leave you now with two photographs, one from my first ever Formal Photos I took in Longreach, and one from my most recent job - creating beautiful formal photos in Longreach. I think I have come a long way since then!