There’s something quietly mesmerizing about early morning light — especially when it’s your first ever sunrise with a camera in hand. That moment, standing at the water’s edge of the Canoe Pool at Newcastle Beach as daybreak unfurled its colours, wasn’t just a photographic beginning — it was a personal one.
The Canoe Pool is a charming coastal landmark on the eastern end of Newcastle Beach — a shallow, calm ocean pool that reflects the sky like a mirror on wind-still mornings. It’s a place people visit with family, for a swim, or simply for play, but it also has a quiet magic all its own when the world is still waking up.
On the morning I took this shot, the sky was painted in gentle pinks and violets, and the water of the Canoe Pool lay tranquil, reflecting the first light like a canvas. It was the first time I had intentionally brought my camera to capture a sunrise — a ritual that many photographers come to cherish but that, up to that point, I had never quite made time for.
There’s a deeper tie between this image and my life in my twenties. At the time, I had achieved major milestones — I’d joined the Air Force and passed my training as an Air Battle Manager. I had accomplished what I thought were huge goals, checked the boxes I was meant to check… and then I stood on that beach wondering what came next.
That dawn was a metaphor for that season of my life. I felt like I was standing in the pale light before sunrise — having reached milestones, but unsure of what direction the rest of the day (and my life) would take. Figuring things out, experimenting, and learning to embrace mistakes has been part of my journey both in photography and in life.
This particular image — Newcastle Canoe Pool Dawn — became more than just a beautiful coastal landscape. It became a reminder that the most meaningful moments often come when we step into the unknown, when we show up early, when we lean into the quiet transitions before the brilliant light of day.
It’s why I’m proud to offer this piece as a fine art print — not just for what you see in its soft hues and calm reflection, but for the story it can inspire in your own space and your own life journey.
Limited edition of 50 prints available to purchase here.