About the Works

  1. Preying Fox – 2014, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    While walking through a nature reserve I spotted a dog like mammal in the distance, it did not look like a fox. Intrigued, I spent the next 45 minutes tracking it through bush, in the back of my mind hoping that it was a Thylacine. I found it jumping through the stubble of a neighbouring paddock, using the artificial landscape as cover to prey. I crouched down behind a fence post and “whistled it up” as best I could and it begun to head in my direction. It was a rare moment in wildlife photography where lighting was good, I had time to choose optimal settings and compose a composition. As it got closer I could see that it had a mangy discoloured coat and it was very skinny. The reason for its actions suddenly fell into place, we had not had any rain in some time, food was scarce, and this fox was taking a chance out of desperation. This is the moment that it caught wind of me, when it realised that I wasn’t what he bargained for and the moment I realised that it was in fact just a mangy a fox.
    Currawarna Reserve, Currawarna | 7/12/2014 4:45:35 PM | 1/500 f/8 ISO 100 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK I @ 400.0 mm
  2. Famished Fox – 2014, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    After hiding behind a fence post and whistling up this fox, I watched it bob up and down through a crop coming straight towards me. It came within close range pausing to put its nose up in the air and examine me through the stubble, it quickly realised I wasn’t what he bargained for and hightailed it back into the stubble crop. To my delight it stopped at a safe distance, sat and stared, allowing me to create this composition out of the artificial landscape. found this to be very peculiar behaviour, however this was the first fox I had ever outwitted, and I have since found that they are a very inquisitive mammal and this behaviour is not uncommon.
    Currawarna Reserve, Currawarna | 7/12/2014 4:52:43 PM | 1/400 f/7.1 ISO 100| Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK I @ 400.0 mm
  3. The Eyes of Extinction – 2017, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    This was my third close fox encounter, it amazed me how brazen they can be. While scoping the semi-wild landscape through my zoom lens, a familiar shape in the distance caught my eyes. I immediately took my usual approach, slowly creeping forward, pausing and taking photos at regular intervals. On this occasion, the fox became so comfortable with my presence, that it lay down & watched me. As I came within about 10-20m, it sat up, that’s when I captured this image. Then it was as if it said “OK, two can play this game” it had a big yawn, stretch, and proceeded to walk towards me. It became a game of chicken, a game that I lost by the time it got within a few metres of me, I shooed it away. It had given me enough time to see into its eyes, for a moment it was easy to forget that foxes are Australia’s number one introduced predator and they threaten the survival of much native wildlife. It was an ecological moment in time that had been wrought by over two centuries of European occupation.
    Pomingalarna Park, Wagga Wagga | 9/07/2017 5:54:14 PM | 1/320 f/6.3 ISO 640 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  4. Last Light – 2015, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    This young Eastern grey is giving his leg a scratch whilst enjoying the last rays of sunlight. Its mob resides on the fringe of town and is accustom to humans, allowing me to get up close. It was taking part in a summer evening ritual of grazing in grassland stripped of trees, ready for further urban development. Since this photograph, its mob has had to find another place to graze as this semi-wild habitat is now a sea of residential rooftops. It’s a tale that has become ever so common in contemporary times, a primary cause to the demise of many native species. The perplexity of urban sprawl is an unnoticed problem to an uninformed populace.
    Bourkelands, Wagga Wagga | 15/01/2015 7:14:35 PM | 1/320 f/5.6 ISO 200| Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK I @ 400.0 mm
  5. Grass Seed Gold – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    This Eastern grey can hear me but cannot see me; it intently looks around as the closing moments of the daylight shine through. This daylight is made up of photons emitted by our star eight minutes ahead of time and is now perfectly positioned to rim light not only the subject matter but also a sea of wild oats, an introduced species of grass scientifically known as; Avena fatua. The grass seeds gleam, not unlike stars and shimmer though my lens to create bokeh. A phenomenon caused by the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light, an event only made possible by the man-made artistry of photography. A collective of manufactured and natural events resulting in a scene only made possible by modern inhabitancies on Earth.
    Pomingalarna Park, Wagga Wagga | 24/01/2016 8:14:41 PM| 1/400 f/5.6 ISO 400 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  6. European Australia – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    An introduced European Hare is at home in a disturbed grassland, in which I cannot identify one native species. A new age landscape bountiful with weeds including the yellow St John’s Wort and purple Patterson’s Curse. It is a classic contemporary Australian semi-wild habitat that did not exist only a couple hundred years ago. The European hare was introduced to Australia in the late 1830s in Tasmania, although this initial attempt to establish wild populations failed, further attempts saw them become widespread throughout much of south-east Australia by 1870.
    Pomingalarna Park| 4/12/2016 6:23:20 PM | 1/320 f/6.3 ISO 640 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  7. Space Invaders – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    I’m not the only living thing invading this natives space, this big Eastern grey buck shares it’s space with dozens of exotic flora, most prominent in this scene being the yellow St John’s Wort and purple Patterson’s Curse. It’s a semi-wild habitat that this kangaroo is accustom too, for he knows no different, perhaps slightly evolving to be able to eat exotic plants. This image was captured after this big boy had started to relax about my proximity to him, I could tell he was calmer because his paws are not as widely spread to when I first approached him. This is common behaviour used as a sign of intimidation, they also lean back and upright to increase size and flex their muscles. This display of strength sends a very clear message, it is my signal to stop my approach and stand my ground, and eventually they become more relaxed, and go about their business again.
    Pomingalarna Park, Wagga Wagga | 13/11/2016 5:57:54PM| 1/320 f/5.6 ISO 500 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  8. Flamin’ Galah – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    Galahs are one of Australia’s most common birds, obviously well evolved, adept for different habitats throughout most of Australia. They are perhaps thriving more than ever with abundance of semi-wild habitats such as crops and grass fields to feed on. Like kangaroos, they are so abundant that we Australians take them for granted, many consider them pests, yet when foreigners see them they are captivated by their unique beauty. I choose not to intentionally travel long distances to photograph things exotic to me, instead I prefer to photograph the subjects on my doorstep, and thus galahs are a regular subject matter. I like to capture their distinctive colour against overexposed clouds, particularly when perched on lifeless branches that I can use for the composition. It is said that Australian birds are noisier, more aggressive, more intelligent than in any other country. I don’t see galah’s raise their crest as much as other species of Cockatoos, they are however, just as loud and bombastic as the others. This galah is directly responding to my presence and showing off for the camera. To me this image encapsulates all this along with the character of this iconic Australian bird.
    Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga | 10/07/2016 2:26:33 PM | 1/800 f/8 ISO 1250| Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 360.0 mm
  9. Adaptation – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    Finding minimalism in the complexity of nature is challenging, I like to do it with the negative space of skies. Colour is also a big part of my work, so naturally I take any opportunity to compose a composition against a rainbow. As storms surrounded North Wagga, I singled out this cockie using an artificial perch, as I like the juxtaposition of the unattractive man-made elements against the natural beauty. To me it also symbolises the strength and resilience of cockatoos, a species that will continue to thrive in the face of disturbed semi-wild landscapes.
    North Wagga Wagga| 13/01/2016 7:42:32 PM| 1/400 f/5.6 ISO 160 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  10. Luna & Sol Lit Kite – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    Not much phases a Black-shouldered kite, they are not one bit concerned when I enter their space, they just keep hunting by hovering in one spot before dive bombing their prey. When they’re not hunting they seem to be perched in high vantage points, no doubt having a rest & looking for their next target. They seem to twist their head all the way to their back, giving them the ability to quickly scan 360 degrees. I observed several species of birds attack this one over a period of 30 minutes. Not one was successful in moving the kite out of their territory. I like to frame birds against the moon whenever possible and I feel this Waxing gibbous moon was particularly suited to this portrait, as it exemplifies grandeur of the reigning subject matter. Hence choosing a title with the ancient Roman goddess; Luna who is the divine embodiment of the Moon, often presented as the female complement of the Sun god (Sol).
    Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga | 14/08/2016 5:03:24 PM | 1/1000 f/10 ISO 200| Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  11. Hello Cockie – 2015, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    This Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is taking a break from feeding on grass roots in an old sports field to check me out. I had crawled closer inch by inch until it became alarmed at my proximity (about 3 metres) stopped feeding, stared at me and raised its yellow crest. It’s was the “decisive moment” as coined by the famous street photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. The ephemeral moment that I made a connection with the subject, that moment when eye contact is first made. This is the most important element of all my wildlife portraits, not only is it a connection between the subject and myself, the resulting image creates eternal connection with every viewer. Cockies feature in many of my works, as they are another resilient species that thrive in the disturbed habitats we have created.
    Wiradjuri Reserve, Wagga Wagga | 6/09/2015 2:33:20 PM | 1/400 f/5.6 ISO 100 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK I @ 400.0 mm
  12. Leafless Rosella – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    Birds in lifeless trees are a favourite subject of mine, I love the texture and lines that the dead branches create, which contrast with the negative space of the sky. With no leaves to obstruct the sunlight, I have noticed many birds perch to sunbathe, particularly on a sunny winter’s day. This is a good time to photograph them because they become so transfixed on the sunbathing, that they are undeterred by my presence. To me the vivid colours of the Eastern Rosella juxtaposed against the entanglement of lifeless braches are a perfect contrast for life and death. A contrast that exemplifies the beauty of life and its ability to bounce back in spite of adversity or difficult circumstances caused by human disruption.
    Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga | 28/05/2016 5:32:05 PM | 1/400 f/5.6 ISO 100 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  13. Treeless Rosella – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    This is a male Eastern Rosella, it’s unusual to see them on a rock like this and they are a little shy, this one flew away immediately after the click of the shutter. As in all my portraits I waited for the decisive moment when the subject makes eye contact. The unusual surrounds of moss and lichen covered granite gives a feel of a foreign landscape, I see it as a symbol of displacement, perhaps this would be more common behaviour in a future treeless habitat. Its vivid colours are a representation of the instinctive resilience for life that encourages all living organisms to do everything possible to flourish, in spite of adversity or difficult circumstances.
    Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga | 28/05/2016 4:03:10 PM| 1/250 f/6.3 ISO 500 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  14. Galah Impression – 2015, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    This image is from a series of animals in motion that I call “Impressions”. The abstraction of motion blur is a technique that I became interested in after a rookie mistake in 2005 that lead to an interesting motion blur out of a fleeing kangaroo. As a wildlife photographer it is a very unnatural feeling to deliberately blur an image, usually you’re doing the complete opposite to try get the sharpest image possible. I find it more difficult to get a nice composition out of a blur. Through countless hours of experimentation I have found a shutter speed 1/25 works best for my subject matter in dim light. I have also found that large flocks of galahs are easy subject matter when feeding on the nitrogen rich grasses in sports fields, which are another example of altered feeding habits instigated by what I term a semi-wild habitat. The effect conjures up what I perceive as an impression or fleeting memory, which threatened species may one day become.
    Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga | 12/07/2015 4:54:26 PM| 1/25 f/5.6 ISO 400 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  15. Banks of the Bidgee – 2015, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    This is one of the thousands of Sulphur-crested cockatoo’s that reside along the Murrumbidgee River in close quarters with us humans. It sits among the exposed roots of the River Red Gums, uncovered by years of flooding. In fact since European settlement of the area in the early 1840s there have been 78 floods of over 8 metres, including one the year the image was captured. Contrary to the colourful images in the rest of my Semi-wild Australia series, this image paints a gloomy picture of what future habitats may look like if they are continued to be altered by human interaction. The lone white cockie, a symbol of hope and strength, a species that will continue to thrive in the face of disturbed landscapes.
    Wiradjuri Reserve, Wagga Wagga| 26/04/2015 6:37:36 PM| 1/400 f/5.6 ISO 3200 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK I @ 350.0 mm
  16. Eastern Grey Shadow – 2016, digital print on lustre, 1000x1250mm, Editions 1- 3: $500
    This Eastern grey buck was named “Keith” the handsome model kangaroo, by Tourism Australia when they reposted him on their Instagram page. In order to capture this image I essentially had to herd Keith and his mob up a hill to an area clear of trees and wait for them to relax. The resulting portrait is the end of a long pursuit to make a kangaroo portrait against the back drop of the pink evening sky, known as the “Belt of Venus”. Have you ever noticed that the pink to blue gradient is consistently seen on the horizon on a clear dusk & dawn? The lower blue band is actually the Earth’s shadow that the Earth itself casts on its atmosphere. The upper pink is backscattering of refracted red sunlight due to fine dust particles high in the atmosphere. Providing that the viewing conditions are right, these colours can be seen twice a day, just before sunrise and just after sunset. At sunrise, the Earth’s shadow can be seen to set as the sun itself rises, and at sunset, the Earth’s shadow rises as the sun sets.
    Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga | 12/06/2016 6:13:47 PM | 1/250 f/5.6 ISO 1600 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 400.0 mm
  17. Kangaroo Shadow II – 2017, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    A silhouette is very easy to achieve in photography, getting in a position to capture wildlife silhouettes in their own habitat against a sky is not so simple. It often involves me running up and down hills at sunset and walking back in the dark. I find it worthwhile, as it gives the ability to pare back the complexities of the natural world and concentrate on the artistic elements of a composition. By using the negative space of the sky, I can than concentrate on composition, line, shape, colour and the moment. This image shows the typical pose of a Eastern grey buck trying to intimidate me with his size and big claws.
    Pomingalarna Park, Wagga Wagga | 4/03/2017 8:01:56 PM | 1/400 f/7.1 ISO 400 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK II @ 271.0 mm
  18. Contemporary Chauvet – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    Deer are not native to Australia and uncommon in the nature reserves that I frequent. This image depicts the last of three young buck Fallow Deer that briefly stood and stared at me before jumping through some damaged fencing. So this was a lucky capture of an unnatural subject behaving in an unnatural manner as a direct result of its disturbed semi-wild habitat. Later that night I watched a documentary about the Chauvet caves of Southern France where the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity are found, which is regarded as the most important pre-historic site ever discovered. I was awestruck by the beauty of the 30,000 year old artwork, but what struck me most was the uncannily similar shape of jumping deer, the same shape that I had captured only hours before. This was a profound moment of realisation that visual communication is fundamentally the same today as it was since the beginning of the modern Homo sapiens. It confirmed a few things for me; that we are essentially not so different to these early humans, that nature was just as vital for their survival as it is ours, that we can learn from the past and communicate with the future with the eternal form of visual communication known as art.
    Pomingalarna Park, Wagga Wagga | 29/01/2016 8:03:26 PM | 1/640 f/6.3 ISO 160 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK I @ 400.0 mm
  19. Chopper – 2015, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    This is “Chopper” who I have affectionately named because of the split in his right ear. Chopper heads a mob of Eastern grey roos that I regularly photograph. This image is a standout because it’s an unusual pose, leaning back, taking in the serenity of the setting sun whilst giving his tummy a scratch with his massive claws. Kangaroos have substantial hearing and are usually aware of my presence; on this occasion I was able to fly under the radar to capture an intimate moment as he watches over his semi-wild kingdom. What you may not be able to see, is the very faint light reflecting off a Coca-Cola bottle, just behind Chopper’s tail.
    Pomingalarna Park, Wagga Wagga| 24/01/2015 7:33:34 PM| 1/500 f/5.6 ISO 400 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK I @ 400.0 mm
  20. Venus & the River Red – 2016, digital print on lustre, 410x287mm, Editions 1- 5: $180, Editions 6 -10: $220
    The Eastern grey kangaroo gives scale to the size of an iconic native eucalypt known as River Red Gum, which are common in my area. They can grow to a height of around 30m and are thought to have a lifespan up between 500-1000 years. Another whole dimension to scale is added by the presence of the tiny white dot in the sky which is actually Venus. Known as our sister planet because of its similarities to Earth in size, mass and composition. To me this image epitomises the same sense of scale that was described by Carl Sagan in reference to the first distant image of our own planet “There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known…on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
    Pomingalarna Park, Wagga Wagga | 13/08/2016 7:09:04 PM | 1/250 f/5.6 ISO 2000 | Canon EOS 6D | EF100-400mm MK I @ 241.0 mm

 

All artworks also available in a larger version of 600x841mm, Editions 1- 5: $300