There are moments in life when you realise you are slowly becoming the person you were meant to be — even if you’re not quite sure who that is yet. This photograph from sunrise at Susan Gilmore Beach in Newcastle reminds me of that time in my life.
Susan Gilmore Beach sits tucked beneath the cliffs near Bar Beach, a quiet stretch of coastline known for its rock platforms, rugged cliffs and beautiful sunrise light. The beach has a peaceful, slightly hidden feel — the sort of place where the sound of the waves and the first colour in the sky seem to exist just for you.
When I made this image, my life was full of questions.
I had a demanding career in the Royal Australian Air Force and was starting to understand what really mattered to me. I knew that family had to be at the centre of my life. I also knew I wanted to balance that commitment with the career I had worked so hard to build. But creatively, I was still searching.
I hadn’t yet figured out what kind of photographer I wanted to be.
Like many photographers in those early digital years, I explored everything. I experimented with every genre I could — landscapes, street photography, architecture, even abstract work. I spent countless hours on the early photo-sharing websites, studying images that inspired me. When I saw something that spoke to me, I would head out with my camera and try to create my own interpretation of it.
It wasn’t about copying. It was about learning.
Each photograph was an experiment — an attempt to understand light, composition and emotion. Slowly, almost without realising it, those experiments started to shape the photographer I was becoming.
This sunrise at Susan Gilmore Beach was part of that journey.
The light was soft and quiet, spreading across the water as the sun began to climb above the horizon. The rocks and the sea created natural lines that drew the eye into the scene. Standing there with my camera, watching the light change moment by moment, I felt something that had been missing in other genres of photography.
Landscape photography felt right.
Out on the coast at sunrise, there was space to think. There was time to slow down. And there was a sense that the world was bigger than the daily pressures of work and life.
Looking back now, this photograph represents a turning point. I was still experimenting and still learning, but I was beginning to understand the kind of artist I wanted to become. Someone who tells stories through landscapes. Someone who captures quiet moments in the natural world.
Most importantly, someone who balances creativity, career and family in a way that feels authentic.
This image is not just a photograph of a sunrise on the Newcastle coast.
It’s a photograph of a time when the path ahead was still uncertain — but the direction was starting to become clear.
Limited edition of 50 prints available to purchase here.