Photography: May 2025
May absolutely flew by. I can’t believe it’s already over and that winter “starts” tomorrow. We still haven’t even had our first frost, but we’ve certainly had plenty of rain and grey skies. Hopefully June sees a little bit of colour make its way back into my life.
Between dog races at Nundle, weddings on the Gold Coast, and a bunch of other things in between, there’s been a lot of time spent on the road. Thankfully, June is looking quiet, which I’m actually looking forward to.
BUT, I’m not here to talk about June. I’m here to talk about May, so let’s get to it.
04/05/25
We had an absolute blast at The Great Nundle Dog Races this year, after having to miss them last year. It was chaos of the best kind—as it always is. Not every dog is there to race; plenty are just there to chill and vibe, and who can blame them?
And what would The Great Nundle Dog Races be without people bringing their puppers to the event in the first place? The day is always full of absolute characters, proper country camera fodder.
We did enter our dog George into one of the races, and when the race started, he did quite well. Unfortunately, however, he decided the exit was a more interesting place to go than the finish line…
On the drive home, we decided to stop at Gostwyck Chapel for our annual sunset photo of the building before all the red leaves had blown away. I feel like we made it just in time this year, as there weren’t many leaves left.
It was nice to see the sheep were still around. I can’t help myself, I have to take photos of these guys every year.
We decided to take the tourist drive back to Armidale, a road we had never taken before, and while I didn’t get much in the way of photos, it’s given me a new idea for a project: walking the 27 km back road from Uralla to Armidale, photographing whatever catches my eye along the way. Maybe when spring rolls around.
16/05/25
The Big Chill Festival was held once again in Armidale, and the Armidale Regional Council was kind enough to let me in with my cameras, despite not being there in an official capacity this year. Unfortunately, due to other work commitments (a story for another time), I was only able to attend on the Friday night.
The music and performances that night were absolutely excellent. Goldheist was a fantastic opener for the event, and there was plenty happening outside the main tent as well.
The second set of The Big Chill Festival on Friday night was Sam Buckley Band, absolutely killer set. Incredibly dynamic blues musician and captivating to watch.
The final batch of photos from The Big Chill Festival with MARVELL inviting me to take their band band for the night. Absolutely fire show and an amazing way to wrap up the night.
22/05/25
Before we knew it, it was time to travel to the Gold Coast for a wedding. We decided to do the drive over two days, with the first day dedicated to driving from Armidale to Lennox Head. I didn’t take many photos, but we did stop at Ebor Falls, which was absolutely roaring due to the recent rains.
23/05/25
The following day was the big one, my buddy Mark’s wedding. Before hitting the road, Kelly and I decided to take a walk up to the headland to see the sunrise. Unfortunately, clouds blocked the view of the sunrise itself, but it was still a great start to the day.
Once we arrived at the Gold Coast, it was time to climb Mount Tamborine, with the wedding being held at a winery at the top of the mountain. If it wasn’t for Mark inviting me out to take photos of frost with him at Nundle early one morning three years ago, I don’t know that I’d be taking photos now, let alone doing it for a living. Kind of crazy how it all worked out in the end. So of course, I was going to make my way up the coast for his wedding.
The event was beautiful. I met a bunch of new faces, and a couple I had only been familiar with through their photography online (Mark being a photographer, of course he invited a bunch of photographers). I didn’t really get any great shots, but that wasn’t the point. I was there for a good time, and a good time was certainly had.
24/05/25
With the wedding now behind us, it was time for the long, long drive back from Mount Tamborine to Armidale. Before we left, though, we had to get some shots of the sun rising against the silhouette of the Gold Coast. Unfortunately, the sun was once again blocked by cloud, but oh well, it was still a really positive way to start the day.
Looking back from Mount Tamborine to the Scenic Rim to the west was also a pretty stellar view, I’m not going to lie. I kind of wish we’d had a bit of low-lying fog to make the landscape a little more dynamic, but I don’t control the weather, so… oh well, I guess.
We also stopped off at Carrs Lookout on the drive home, a place I had no idea existed. You wouldn’t know it by looking at it, but this is actually the top of the ranges… what a spot.
And that was it for May, not a whole lot to actually photograph, but the things I did capture were big and meaningful. Now, let’s see what June brings.
