How long have you lived on the Beaches?
I’m lucky to have lived here for 16 years now.
What’s your favourite beach?
Has to be Curl Curl. It’s where my family and I would always go, there’s a lot of sentimental value there. It’s got amazing textures, rock formations and moods depending on the conditions. Plus, it’s usually a bit quieter than other beaches, which I love.
If you had to live anywhere else in the world, where would that second-best place to live be?
The South Island of New Zealand, a photographer’s dream, insane landscapes everywhere you look. And Canada. Massive mountains, forests, wildlife and coastlines, hard to beat.
What inspired your cover art/photograph?
This image was shot on a summer afternoon at Freshwater Beach and was part of my ‘TIDES’ exhibition last year. It was taken during a pretty reflective period in my life where I was spending a lot of time in the water. Being in and around the ocean is one of the few things that completely clears my head. It blocks out all the noise and lets me be fully present in the moment. I had this idea of capturing a wave with the sunset glowing in the background as the sun dropped lower. I ended up getting lucky with some offshore winds blowing the spray back into the lens, which created this golden splash effect through the light.
How’s it feel to be Tawny’s first ever cover artist photographer?! J
ust pure gratitude. There are so many talented artists on the Beaches, so to be the first photographer featured as a cover artist is pretty special. And honestly, why not mix it up a bit right? It’s nice to see photography included alongside other creative art forms.
What inspires your work?
I love creating, especially images of natural landscapes, and usually where animals are found within them. Whether that’s in the ocean, up in the mountains, underwater or from the air, I’m always trying to find new and exciting perspectives. To be able to make a living from photography and filmmaking honestly makes life a hell of a lot easier, and at times I feel pretty overwhelmed by how fortunate I am to be doing what I love.
How would you describe your photography?
There are two different sides to my photography work. One is the commercial side, where a client has a specific brief. The other is my passion work, where all my prints and the images you see across my socials come from. That side of my work is driven by capturing places and moments that inspire me, and hopefully inspire other people too. A lot of it centres around the ocean and the wildlife within it, because I’ve always had a massive love for the ocean and its creatures. I hope that by sharing these environments through my work, it encourages people to appreciate them a little more and hopefully do what they can to help protect them and make them flourish.
Which inspiring people, dead or alive, would you most like to have dinner with?
Sir David Attenborough, especially now after just having his 100th birthday. I’ve been a fan for a very, very long time, watching all his documentaries and following his work over the years. The places he’s been, the things he’s seen, and the work he’s done to help educate people about the planet is beyond inspiring to me.
What advice do you have for young or aspiring photographers?
Get out there and shoot. The act of constantly shooting, experimenting and learning different techniques is what taught me the most over the years. Then the more time you spend creating, the more naturally your own style and eye will develop.
More from Darian
Follow Darian’s work on socials @darianwoodsss and @surf2summitmedia
Visit darianwoods.com.au for his art prints, and surf2summit.com.au for his commercial work.
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Feature me
Are you an artist local to the Northern Beaches and want to be featured in the Tawny Frogmouth? Email mail@thetawnyfrogmouth.com.au