One Image, One Story
Once a month, I choose one photograph from my collection and share a little of the story behind it. Where it was taken, what I remember about the moment, and why the image has stayed with me.
Mooloolaba Magic
Featured photography - August 2026
There are some mornings when getting out of bed before sunrise feels completely worth it.
I took this photograph on New Year’s Day a couple of years ago at Mooloolaba Main Beach. I was meeting a group of local photographers for a social shoot, which meant a particularly early start. Sunrise in Queensland in January doesn’t leave much room for a sleep-in. Thankfully, this was one of those mornings that rewarded the effort.
As the sun began to rise, the sky filled with the most amazing shades of pink. The colour seemed to stretch across the entire sky and was reflected in the wet sand and water along the shoreline. Rather than appearing for just a few minutes and disappearing, it seemed to keep going.
The pinks gradually changed and intensified before eventually giving way to vivid oranges and golds. It felt as though the sunrise lasted forever that morning, with each change giving us something new to photograph.
There was also something lovely about experiencing it with a group of other photographers. We were all very happy we’d made the effort to get up so early, enjoying the changing light and comparing what we had captured as the morning unfolded.
Once the colour finally faded, we packed up and headed to a local café for coffee and breakfast. It was a pretty good way to begin a new year.
Mooloolaba Magic captures one part of that long, colourful sunrise, when the beach and sky were filled with soft pink light.
Mooloolaba Magic is part of my Sunshine Coast Collection and is available as a fine art print in the Shop.
Ocean Pool 2
There’s something very different about familiar places before the day begins. I took this photograph at the Kings Beach ocean pool several years ago on a clear winter morning. I arrived before sunrise, early enough that even the usual morning walkers hadn’t appeared yet. For a place that becomes so busy during the day, having it completely to myself was unusual.
It was one of those crisp winter mornings where the sky was completely clear. There were no dramatic clouds or changing weather to work with, just a gradual shift in colour as the sun came closer to the horizon.
The sky began in warm pastel oranges, casting a soft glow across the pool and the white umbrellas. With no one around and barely any movement in the water, the reflections were almost as clear as the scene itself.
As the morning continued, the orange gradually faded and the sky moved into pale pinks. The first walkers began to appear and Kings Beach settled into its usual morning routine. For a short time though, I had been there early enough to experience it completely still.
I often head out for sunrise hoping for interesting clouds or dramatic light, but this morning was a reminder that clear skies can create something beautiful too. It was the simplicity of the colour, reflections and empty pool that caught my attention. Beach Pool 2 captures Kings Beach in one of its quieter moments, before the day had properly begun.
Beach Pool 2 is part of my Sunshine Coast Collection and is available as a fine art print in the Shop.
Featured photograph — July 2026
Coolum Mornings
Featured photograph — June 2026
Some mornings don’t look promising when the alarm goes off. This was one of them.
I headed to Coolum before sunrise under heavy cloud, with rain never seeming far away. The conditions felt ordinary at best, and as I stood on the beach waiting for first light, I couldn't help wondering whether I might have been better off staying in bed.
The sunrise itself didn't offer much encouragement either. The clouds remained thick, and there was none of the colour that photographers often hope for at the start of the day. It seemed as though the weather had already decided how the morning would unfold.
Then, after the sun had risen, things began to change. Patches of blue started appearing between the clouds, gradually growing larger as the morning unfolded. The ocean picked up those cooler tones, and the light became softer and cleaner. What had started as a grey and uncertain morning became something completely different.
I moved my attention to the rocks along the shoreline, watching the waves flow around them as the changing sky reflected across the water. Looking back, what I remember most is the surprise.
It's easy to assume a morning isn't going to deliver much when conditions aren't ideal from the start. Sometimes the best moments arrive later than expected, long after you've considered packing up and heading home.
Coolum Mornings captures one of those unexpected moments. A reminder that patience often matters just as much as the weather forecast.
Coolum Mornings is part of my Sunshine Coast Collection and is available as a fine art print in the Shop.
Noosa Boardwalk
Featured photograph — May 2026
Some mornings don’t arrive with colour. They arrive quietly.
This image was taken just as the sun was rising along the boardwalk at Main Beach, Noosa. It had been a cloudy morning with light showers passing through, and there was never that moment where the sky lit up. Instead, everything settled into soft blues and gentle tones.
At that time of day, the boardwalk feels completely different to what most people experience.
It’s empty. Still. The beach stretches out without interruption, and the sound of the water is more noticeable without the usual movement of people. It’s a short window, but it’s there every morning before the day begins.
Not long after sunrise, the rhythm changes.
Walkers, joggers, and early swimmers start to arrive, and the quiet gives way to a steady flow of activity. The same space feels busier, more familiar, and a little less removed from the pace of the day.
This image sits right in that in-between moment.
The pandanus trees frame the scene, the boardwalk leads you toward the shoreline, and the ocean holds that soft, muted colour that comes with a cloudy sunrise. Nothing dramatic, just a calm start to the day before everything shifts. Noosa Boardwalk captures that brief pause, a quieter version of a place that doesn’t stay that way for long.
Noosa Boardwalk is part of my Sunshine Coast Collection and is available as a fine art print in the Shop.
One Tree Hill
Featured photograph — April 2026
Some locations become familiar before you’ve even stood there yourself.
One Tree Hill in Maleny is one of those places. A single tree set against an open paddock, with the Glasshouse Mountains stretching out in the distance. It became well known over the years, especially when the property was available to hire for photography, with proceeds going to charity.
This image was taken about eight years ago on a winter morning. It was cold, the kind of early start where you feel it the moment you step out of the car. My sister had come along with me, but the warmth of the car quickly won her over, and she stayed inside while I stepped out into the stillness.
There was a layer of mist settled low in the valley, softening everything beyond the foreground. The Glasshouse Mountains rose through it, their shapes fading slightly into the distance as the light slowly shifted with the sunrise. Nothing about the scene felt rushed.
The tree stood quietly on its own, unchanged, while the light and the landscape around it moved gently through those early morning tones. Even now, looking back, it’s the simplicity of it that stays with me.
One Tree Hill captures that moment of stillness. A familiar landmark, a cool winter morning, and a view that felt calm without needing anything more.
It’s a place that has changed over time, but the feeling of that morning has stayed the same.
One Tree Hill is part of my Mountains Collection and is available as a fine art print in the Shop.
Mudjimba Morning
Featured photograph — March 2026
Some mornings begin with quiet expectations.
On this particular morning at Mudjimba Beach, the sky was heavy with cloud and light rain drifted across the shoreline. I had arranged to meet a small group of photographers for a relaxed social shoot, and it felt like the kind of morning where the conversation might be more memorable than the photographs.
But just before sunrise, something changed.
The clouds began to shift and open, allowing the first light of the day to filter through. Soft gold tones appeared along the horizon, and the sky above Mudjimba Island filled with layers of moving cloud. The ocean reflected the changing light while the waves rolled steadily toward the shore.
Moments like this arrive quietly and disappear just as quickly.
At the time, I appreciated the atmosphere but still assumed the morning had been more about enjoying the company and the experience of being out before dawn. It wasn’t until I arrived home and began reviewing the images that I realised how beautifully the scene had come together.
Hidden within that grey, rainy morning was a moment of unexpected magic.
Mudjimba Morning captures that brief window when the clouds parted just enough to reveal the first light of the day, creating a dramatic sky over one of the Sunshine Coast’s most recognisable coastal landmarks, known locally as Old Woman Island.
Sometimes the most memorable photographs arrive when you least expect them.
Mudjimba Morning is part of my Sunshine Coast Collection and is available as a fine art print in the Shop.
Serenity Falls
Featured photograph - February 2026
I took this photograph late one afternoon at Serenity Falls, several years ago, visiting with my sister and my nephew. We went there specifically to photograph the falls, choosing a quieter time of day when the light had softened and the warmth of the afternoon was beginning to ease.
The air was thick with that late-day stillness you often find in shaded bushland, and we were lucky to have the place to ourselves. Although it’s an easy spot to reach, not everyone knows it’s there, particularly visitors to the area. At other times, the water can be busy with families swimming and voices echoing through the trees, but that afternoon it felt calm and undisturbed.
The light filtered gently through the canopy, settling on the rock face and the surface of the water. Nothing about the scene asked for attention. The water moved steadily, quietly, doing what it has always done. I remember standing there for a while, not waiting for a moment to happen, but allowing the place to reveal itself.
What I keep coming back to with this image is the pause it holds. It reminds me how grounding it can be to experience a familiar place without distraction, and how much clarity can come from slowing down enough to notice what’s already there.
When I look at this photograph now, it brings back that sense of unhurried time. Of being present, of staying a little longer than planned. It’s an image I return to when things feel busy, a quiet reminder that calm is often closer than we realise.
This image is available as a fine art print in a range of sizes.