Photography: February 2025
Oh my word, February was an absolute monster of a month for photography—and that’s just the photography I did for fun! I have two more blogs about paid projects as well. I don’t know how I managed to fit all of this in, especially given the size and scope of some of my other projects this month. It’s only now, looking back at my work, that I realize just how productive I was.
So, let’s talk about it.
09/02/25
The month started a little late, but with one of my favorite subjects—abandoned locations. I don’t know what it is, but they just keep drawing me in.
This time, it was Armidale’s abandoned Greyhound track. I don’t know much about its history—while poking around, the most recent documented date we could find was from 2018. Funnily enough, it’s actually a location I’ve shot at multiple times without realizing I could access the main building.
Unfortunately for us (I was joined by Evelyn from Peacock Photography), the weather was pretty stormy, leaving us with very little light. I can’t say I particularly love the shots I got on this occasion, but I think if I go back on a sunny afternoon with a tripod (and maybe a mask so I’m not breathing in what is most likely spore-filled air), I’ll be able to capture some great abandonment photos.
It’s an incredibly surreal environment, full of strange furniture and broken glass, so I’d call this a successful scouting shoot.
14/02/25
I was also invited to NEGS to shoot their Open Day (something that will get its own blog post) but I wanted to share a couple of my personal edits of my favorite shots from the day.
Equine photography is completely new to me, but I liked a small handful of shots I managed to capture during the event, I even managed to capture one for the portfolio. Can you guess which one?
16/02/25
A couple of days later, I was in desperate need of a mental break as I was juggling far too many projects at once. So, I went for a nice, slow walk around town for a couple of hours, just snapping whatever caught my eye.
It was my first time walking around with the intent of simply taking relaxed photos since early January, so it was pretty enjoyable. The lighting was perfect, allowing for some fantastic silhouettes. I also took some shopping trolley photos—something I hadn’t really done since late last year. I was obsessed with them for a while and had originally planned to make a book on the subject, but over time, it started to feel a bit depressing. I guess it’s okay to dabble with the theme every now and then, though…
18/02/25
Next, it was off to New England National Park with Evelyn from Peacock Photography, Amy from Temptations Boudior and Krystal from Krystal F Keeley Photography to capture B-roll for a short documentary project I’ve been working on since September. While I was primarily there to shoot video, I couldn’t resist taking some photos as well.
It was my first time visiting the park, and I instantly fell in love with how ancient and lush the entire place felt. It truly felt like traveling back in time—which makes sense, given that large portions of the park are Gondwana rainforest. It’s hard to put into words just how magical locations like this feel, and I have a ton of ideas for future shoots in the park. I look forward to sharing them if and when they eventually happen.
20/02/25
Speaking of that documentary, a few days later, I found myself traveling all around the Northern Tablelands before eventually stopping at Quoll Headquarters in Tenterfield for the night.
It’s an absolutely stunning reserve, packed full of macropods and other wildlife. Once again, I was primarily there to shoot video—and I shot a lot of it—but I managed to snap a few photos in between takes as well.
21/02/25
The following morning was all about feeding joeys and filming interviews, but I managed to snag a couple of shots before we left our accommodation.
Wildlife photography is something I have little to no experience with—and it shows—but there’s definitely something relaxing about it, especially in a location like the one I was working in. Thankfully, my videography from the occasion is a step up from my photos.
I’m really excited to be putting this film together over the next few weeks. I think it has the potential to turn into something pretty special.
22/02/25
Apparently, I wasn’t sick of either travel or abandoned buildings just yet, because the next day, I headed back to Inverell (where I had been filming two days prior) with Peacock Photography to visit her childhood home—a now-abandoned apartment block—to take some photos.
Well, I say abandoned, but in reality, there were squatters living there, which made the whole experience far less comfortable than it otherwise would have been. I think that discomfort shows in the quality of the photos I took (though, to be fair, I don’t think I got any particularly good shots on this trip).
That said, given the air quality in the apartments, the less time spent inside, the better.
Once we finished at the apartments, we made our way to the tiny village of Elsmore to explore her father’s property.
We were greeted by some very curious horses (seriously, what’s with all the horses this month?) and some pretty stunning landscapes. I’m not sure what else to say about the property, other than that it had a ton of personality.
We also took a short drive to Joseph Wills Park, a charming little campsite that looks and feels more like the Northern Territory than New England.
We had to pass through Inverell again on the way home, so we decided to take a quick detour to Lake Inverell. When I was filming in the area a couple of days earlier, there were tons of pelicans around, but I didn’t get any photos.
This time, there were far fewer pelicans, but I did manage to capture what was probably my favorite shot of the day—two pigeons caught in the light, flying beneath the shadow of an underpass.
Wrapping up the trip was a stop in Bundarra to photograph an old bank I had been wanting to shoot for the longest time.
I had assumed it was abandoned (fair enough, I thought, with plants growing out of the front door), but when I went around the back to explore, some dogs ran out from inside—so I can only assume I was mistaken.
By this point in the day, the sun was directly overhead, so the lighting wasn’t at all what I wanted. But at least I finally got to check it out—and now that I know it’s not unoccupied, I can officially take this classic building off my photography backlog.
24/02/25
Rounding out the month, I was taking staff portraits for the YARM daycare center at UNE. In between each portrait, I couldn’t stop admiring the morning sun filtering through the leaves.
Between the light and the veins seemingly glowing, I couldn’t resist snapping a few shots. I can’t imagine a more relaxing way to end the month’s photography.
