Back to where it all started

I learnt photography developing in the darkroom 24 years ago. I loved shooting black and white film.

Since I’ve been shooting digital for the past 10 years, I’ve tried getting back into film every now and then — and to be honest, I felt like I sucked. At least, that’s what I thought until recently.

I was chatting to a friend, Baz Anderson who was a commercial film photographer back in the day, and he helped me realise something important: I’d been approaching film the same way I shoot digital — spontaneous, fluid moments, full of movement. I was photographing on film while out and about with people, but I’d forgotten that shooting film is more about framing the moment with intention. Slowing down to capture that one frame.

It’s not like surf photography, where you’re constantly moving, reacting to the conditions and the surfer. Even my lifestyle photography is about movement and spontaneous moments.

I opened up the photos again and started to see the recurring subjects I’m always drawn to: repetition and patterns in nature, interesting light, reflections, and portraits. I love textures and the repetition of elements — how nature can look like a blanket of intricate detail.

Lush fern forest on a recent trip to New Zealand.

This creative black and white film photography series is a return to my roots — exploring nature, light, and portraiture through the lens of traditional film. I’m currently based in Cabarita Beach, and much of my inspiration comes from growing up in Evans Head and spending time along the Northern Rivers coastline. The textures, patterns, and light in this landscape are what continue to draw me back.

So I decided to hone in on those subjects and create a black and white series around them. This post is here to hold me accountable to this creative project: a series exploring patterns in nature, light in nature, and intimate portraits — all in black and white.

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing pieces from this series here, and I’d love to know what you think. In this post, I’ve included the photos that helped piece together the vision, along with some of my very early black and white work from when I was 16.

A gallery of work from my film developing days in the darkroom at school.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me below!

Returning to Film: Exploring Nature & Portraits in Black and White