This week we catch up with award-winning Ryan Fowler Photography, who is based on the Tweed Coast in northern NSW.
He's a passionate travel, time-lapse, lifestyle and landscape photographer known for breathing life into his unique imagery.
Q1. How did you start out as a photographer?
A. I bought my first camera at a boxing day sale which triggered a small interest in taking photos. After a while, the interest grew into what became a real passion and I started photographing everything. It took a while to really narrow down what it is I was wanting to photograph and what made me happy from the images created but once I did and knew I wanted to capture landscapes and travel images, I was really hooked. After discovering this and being unhappy at my job, I decided to leave and start my own business, although not in photography straight away. A year passed after leaving my job when I started to realise I was making money from my images and although a bit premature, I dived into creating images for a living and loved all the highs and lows.
Q2. What is your favourite subject to photograph & why?
A. My favourite subject would have to be the ocean whether it's above or below the water. I've had a strong connection to the ocean my entire life and photography has really helped grow that. It's such an unseen world, especially underneath, that deserves to be seen.
Q3. What is your biggest challenge as a photographer?
A. The biggest challenge for me is to showcase a popular subject in a unique way. That's not a bad thing though, it really forces me to think creatively and look at a subject differently.
Q4. What’s your next or dream destination to photograph?
A My next destination will be visiting Canberra as I've never been and there are a few subjects down there I want to try and capture. But my dream destination would be Antarctica. Just to see the wildlife, landscapes and feel the atmosphere of the arctic would be incredible. Especially the penguins!
Q5. Social media - love it or hate it? What platforms do you use?
A. I think it's a great tool. For me, Facebook has lost a lot of its charm and Instagram seems to be changing in a way that's not for the better with limiting reach. I am a big fan of YouTube and really enjoy sharing content on there and being able to share so much with people.
Q6. What equipment do you use, favourite lens?
A. I use Fujifilm X-Series cameras and my favourite lens would have to be the 10-24mm as that wide angle perspective is amazing for so many things.
Q7. How do you know when your photo editing is finished?
A. When it gets to a point of me being able to sit back, look at it and feel there is nothing else that I could do to it that would make an improvement to the feeling it gives.
A8. What’s the most difficult/challenging place you’ve photographed?
A. Upper Antelope Canyon would have to be high on the list. Going in there, it's packed with people and the images are almost all preconceived by the tour guides. To create something unique was very tricky and therefore, a real challenge.
Q9. What is one question you’d like to be asked and have never been?
A. One question I would like to have asked is what is the funniest thing that happened when creating a photo? There are often times some really funny things that happen on location and they would really bring a smile to someone reading the answer.
10. What do you think about having jigsaws made from your images?
A. I think it's excellent. It's a way for people to really engage with the images and have fun doing it.