Some photographs become favourites for reasons you don’t necessarily expect.
This image has always been my wife’s favourite. As it turns out, she has pretty good taste—or at least a good eye for what other people will like—because it has also become one of my bestselling photographs.
For me, though, the image represents something more than a beautiful Canberra autumn scene. It takes me back to a period of exploration and optimism, when I was seeing a constantly changing city through fresh eyes while my own life was quietly approaching a period of transformation.
Seeing Canberra with Fresh Eyes
When I first arrived in Canberra, photography gave me a reason to explore.
There was always somewhere new to discover: another path around the lake, another lookout, another pocket of bushland or familiar landmark transformed by different light. The city seemed to change constantly with the seasons, and I was enjoying the freedom of simply going out with my camera and seeing what I could find.
Autumn was particularly captivating.
Canberra does autumn exceptionally well. Streets and parks that can blend into the background during the rest of the year suddenly demand your attention. Greens give way to brilliant yellows, oranges and reds. Fallen leaves cover paths and lawns, and even an ordinary walk through the city can become something worth photographing.
This scene captured exactly what I loved about that time.
I wasn't chasing some grand adventure or travelling to a famous landscape. I was exploring the place where I lived and discovering that beautiful photographs could be found close to home if I paid enough attention.
A Landscape in Transition
Looking back, the autumn colours have taken on another meaning.
Autumn is a season of transformation. The landscape changes visibly around us, shedding what came before and preparing for something new.
At the time I made this photograph, the same thing was about to happen in my own life.
I didn't necessarily know the scale of that change yet. There was still a sense of optimism and possibility—a feeling that Canberra was opening up new experiences, new places and new directions.
Photography was part of that exploration. It encouraged me to look more carefully and appreciate the landscape around me. What I didn't realise was how important that creative outlet would eventually become, or just how different my relationship with photography would be in the years ahead.
A pastime that gave me a reason to explore would ultimately become a much bigger part of my identity and my future.
A Favourite That Found an Audience
Perhaps that is why I'm particularly happy that this photograph has become so popular.
My wife loved it from the beginning, long before sales figures could prove her right. There is something immediately inviting about the colour, light and atmosphere—a celebration of Canberra at one of its most beautiful times of year.
For collectors, it might simply be an autumn scene that brings warmth and colour into their home.
For me, it will always represent a particular moment in my life: exploring a new city, looking at my surroundings with fresh eyes and feeling optimistic about what might come next.
The leaves were changing.
Before long, I would be too.