Photography: June 2025
After months of jam-packed shoots, June turned out to be a bit of a break from all the chaos, most of which, to be fair, was self-inflicted. Maybe it was the weather, which hasn’t been particularly favorable for weeks, or perhaps it was the lack of travel and events, but the camera didn’t see much action outside of commercial work. That said, I still managed to pull it out a few times in my never-ending quest to figure out exactly what my style is.
07/06/25
The month’s first little adventure was a trip to New England National Park, just before a massive cold front came through to kick off winter in earnest. It was my wife Kelly’s first time visiting the park, so naturally, she ended up being my main subject. We arrived far later in the day than I had originally hoped, and my chosen lens didn’t have an ND filter that fit. This ended up being very much a learning experience, one that had me ordering a new 2–5 stop ND filter the moment I saw the images. It was something I was long overdue for. That said, as they say, it’s about the journey, not the destination. We had a great time during the half-day we spent in the park, even if the photos turned out pretty mediocre.
08/06/25
The following day we found ourselves in Walcha for the Winter Markets. Unfortunately, due to the cold, I didn’t manage to get many photos, it turns out you can only crank your shutter speed so high to compensate for a shaky set of hands. Still, they were cute little markets, even if the line for coffee could best be described as excessive.
14/06/25
Once the cold front had passed, I figured it was about time for one of my photowalks around town, to see what had changed, and what new shopping trolleys had raised their heads. I also thought it would be nice to shoot in black and white, as it had been quite a while. I don’t know that I captured anything I truly love, though the trolley in front of the train comes close, but it was nice to go for a long walk with the camera for the first time in a while. And hey, I even found some street couches to mix things up a bit!
21/06/25
After another cold front made its way through, I decided it was too warm not to go out for a walk. This time, I took a path I hadn’t explored before, all the way up to the university. While I don’t think it’s the most photogenic trail of all time, it was nice just being out in the sun for a good while. I do really like the photo of a plastic chair with a fence and tree behind it, I'm not sure why, it just feels very urban Australia to me.
That evening was the winter solstice, and we decided to go to the Uralla lantern parade to check out the celebrations. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it in time for the actual parade, but we did arrive in time for the lighting of the bonfire, and what a bonfire it was.
28/06/25
Wrapping up the month was a visit to my sister’s place in Tamworth, with my parents making the drive down from the Northern Rivers. Usually, at these family get-togethers, I end up taking an insane number of photos, but for whatever reason, this time was rather reserved. We went out for a golden hour walk, checking out all the construction happening around a new local estate. When I first visited the area, there was nothing but rolling hills and kangaroos, so it has certainly changed over the years. But that’s the march of time, I suppose.
And that’s everything from June, short and sweet. Winter always feels like a bit of a dry period for photography; it’s generally bleak outside, and when it isn’t, it’s too damn cold to hold a camera steady. Ah well, let’s see what July brings.