Water photography captures people, fabric and movement in and around the water, where everything flows, glides and shines in a way you cannot recreate on dry land. I shoot both stills and video, above the surface and below it, focused on the beauty of how things move when water is involved. That might be a dress trailing through a shallow river, hair lifting in the swell, a couple waist deep at golden hour, or the moment a wave breaks and the whole frame turns to light and texture. Wherever there is water, there is movement worth photographing.
Fabric drifts and folds, hair glides weightlessly, spray catches the sun and light filters down through the surface to make the whole scene shimmer, and that is why water images feel so dreamlike. It suits artists, couples, swimmers and ocean lovers who want something different from a standard shoot, whether that means floating beneath the surface, standing in the shore break or simply letting the river do the work. I make sure you feel comfortable, supported and safe the entire time, even if it is your first time being photographed in the water.
Pink hair blooming like coral in the current, she becomes part of the sea’s own quiet poetry. Weightless and wild, she turns with the tide as light dances across her skin, wholly at home in a world that hums softly, far beneath the waves
MULLUMBIMBY, NSW
The open ocean is where it all started. Shooting among the waves gives real energy and movement, every frame shaped by swell, spray and light that never sits still for long. Each body of water asks for something different. Calmer days and the clear river suit softer, more controlled images, where reflections hold steady and I can work slowly with composition and colour. Estuaries, rock pools, harbours and rain soaked coastlines all carry their own character, and learning to read the surface, the light and the movement is what turns a good location into a strong photograph.
The storm and rain work is where it gets special. Because my housing is built for water, I keep shooting when most photographers pack up, staying out through squalls, downpours and heavy surf to capture moody images full of atmosphere and drama. Wet weather flattens the light, lifts the texture in the sea and puts real weight behind every wave, and that is exactly when water photography comes alive. Whether the conditions call for bright open ocean energy, quiet river stillness or the raw drama of a storm front rolling in, the goal stays the same: honest images that hold the feeling of being there, on the water, in the middle of it.
Turtle
The Pass, Byron BAy
Sunbeams, shadows, and secrets the sea keeps close.
Beneath the surface lies a quieter, stranger kind of magic.
A shark and his Friend
the Deep waters of byron bay, nsw
Floating Above Water
BRunswick River, NSW
WHAT I LIKE TO CAPTURE
I create water photography and videography for brands, surf labels and small businesses, capturing products and people in striking aquatic settings, from open ocean and shore break to rivers, pools and rain soaked coastlines. I shoot both above and below the surface, and I take extra care to keep gear, garments and product safe so nothing is damaged or lost in the water.
For surf brands and surfers, the ocean is the natural home for your product, giving swimwear, wetsuits, boards, hardware and surf culture authentic, high energy content that looks like it belongs. For other brands, water imagery is rare and eye catching, whether that is a product half submerged, a model in the shallows, or a clean split shot with the horizon running through the frame. It is ideal for campaigns, websites, product pages and social media where you need to stop the scroll. I shoot both stills and video, so you come away with a full set of images plus reels and short clips ready to publish.
Answers to the questions people ask most before booking a water photographer in Byron Bay. From ocean, pool, surf and brand sessions to swimming ability, housing safety, weather calls and pricing, this section explains how I plan and shoot underwater photography.
Water photography is anything shot in, on or beneath the water, with the camera sealed inside a purpose built housing so I can work with whatever light, swell and movement the day gives. I shoot the open ocean, shore break, rivers, estuaries, rock pools and swimming pools across Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers, including Brunswick Heads, the Brunswick River, The Pass and Byron Bay Main Beach. Conditions, not the calendar, decide when an ocean shoot happens.
Water portraits and creative sessions, surf and ocean imagery shot from the water rather than the beach, swimwear and brand work, split shots that sit half above and half below the surface, freediving and ocean lifestyle content, storm and rain work, and pool sessions where conditions need to be controlled. Recent work includes a creative underwater shoot with Dominique in Mullumbimby and a water based music press shoot with Romeo on the Brunswick River.
No certification is needed, and no, you do not need to be a strong swimmer. Most sessions happen in water you can stand up in or return to easily, whether that is a shallow river, a shore break or the pool. If you are nervous in water we shoot in a pool where everything is controlled, and I establish your comfort before a camera goes anywhere near the water.
Both. Plenty of the strongest images are made at the surface: fabric trailing through a river, a couple waist deep at golden hour, spray lit from behind as a wave breaks. Underwater is one tool among several, and we choose the mix that suits your concept.
I shoot with a Sony camera in a Seafrogs housing rated to 40 metres, working with natural light. Housings are pressure tested and seals are checked before every entry. Anything you bring into the water, including product, garments and props, is secured so nothing is damaged or lost. I carry $5 million public liability cover and supply a certificate of currency to pools, venues and councils on request.
Visibility, swell, tide and light decide what is possible on any given day, so an ocean session booked for a fixed date may not be shootable on that date. Wet weather is often an advantage rather than a problem: because the housing is built for water, I keep shooting through rain and squalls when most photographers pack up. I book a primary date and a reserve date up front, monitor conditions in the days before, and call it early rather than wasting your time. Pool and river sessions are far less weather dependent and can be locked to a fixed date.
Sessions are priced per session rather than by the hour, with ocean sessions, pool and river sessions, and commercial or brand work each quoted on the brief. Pricing varies with location, image count and usage, and every shoot is confirmed as a fixed quote beforehand. A preview selection arrives within 2 days and the full gallery within 2 weeks. Send through your concept for a current quote.