Summer on the Gold Coast for 2018 was off to a great start. Plenty of swell around in the early mornings so long as you could beat the winds and onshore conditions.
This weekend proved to have some nice waves hitting Burleigh Heads. Enjoy the video.
Burleigh Heads Sunrise - 4K from Jon Wright Photography on Vimeo.
Chasing Light, Lines & a Bit of Luck What an unreal day. Finally, the kind of morning you wait for. Clean light, solid waves, and enough time to properly document one of the best natural occurrences on the planet. There’s something about the ocean, the rhythm of the swell, the sound of boards hitting water, the quiet chaos of everyone paddling for position, it just hits different. It’s one of those things that never gets old. That said, it’s not exactly easy. These shoots take time, planning, and a fair bit of commitment. The 4am alarm was set, gear mostly packed the night before, and somehow I still managed to turn the alarm off and nearly sleep through it. Elite performance. After years of chasing sunrises and surf, you learn that early starts don’t always equal epic results. Plenty of mornings end with “yeah, that’ll do.” But today, today delivered. The sets were a bit slow to begin with. Lots of waiting, watching, timing. And while I’m not swimming out there like some of the legends doing it the hard way, I’ve well and truly retired from fighting the sweep, there’s still a fair bit going on behind the scenes. Launched from Currumbin and punched through a few early sets, carefully, the camera gear definitely gets priority over airtime. It looked promising, but after a quick check of the surf cams, Kirra was calling. So, with that early morning glow starting to creep in, it was time to head south. It took a little while to get the camera out, things looked busy at first, but then the sets started lining up. And when they did, that’s when it all came together. Perfect lines, backlit waves, everything wrapped in this warm orange glow. One of those moments where you just sit back for a second and think, yep, this is why I do it.
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Brisbane’s Riverfire Festival always knows how to light up the sky - and this year, I decided to capture it like never before. I’ve photographed Brisbane’s skyline countless times, but this was my first real attempt at Riverfire photos 2025 - and it turned into something completely different from what I expected. A Last-Minute Decision It wasn’t planned. One minute I was at home, the next I was weaving through the crowds, camera gear in hand, hoping to find a good spot before the first firework exploded over the Brisbane River. Turns out, I got lucky. A familiar location gave me the perfect view, and this time, with the sky set ablaze, Brisbane felt like a whole new city. The Roar & the Power of Heavy-Lift Aircraft Before the first sparkle of Riverfire 2025, the skies rumbled with anticipation. The C-17A Globemaster III made a dramatic low flyby - that transport giant cutting a silhouette against the fading daylight. Alongside it, the EA-18G Growler jets tore across the sky, each with a different character of sound, size, and speed. That moment, capturing metal, motion, and power against a backdrop of twilight, felt as epic as any firework. It grounded the abstract, reminding me that Riverfire isn’t just about light, it’s about scale, tension, and the beauty of contrast. From Fireworks to Cosmic Art When editing these Riverfire photos 2025, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was looking at something bigger than fireworks. The bursts of colour reminded me of deep-space nebulae and celestial storms, abstract, chaotic, beautiful. So, instead of the classic “skyline with fireworks” postcard style, I leaned into the abstract photography approach. The result? Images that feel part celebration, part cosmic explosion, Brisbane’s night sky reimagined. Brisbane Artwork & Prints from Riverfire 2025 These photographs aren’t just snapshots of a festival, they’re artwork. Each image captures the energy of Riverfire 2025 in a way that makes it perfect for Brisbane wall art and prints. Whether it’s a pop of colour in a home or a bold statement piece in a commercial space, these prints bring the Riverfire magic indoors long after the last firework fades. See the Full Collection If you want to experience Riverfire 2025 in a whole new way—or bring a piece of Brisbane’s biggest night into your home, you can check out the full range of Riverfire Festival photos and Brisbane prints, CLICK HERE.
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Over the recent Easter break, I had the chance to update my collection of Brisbane landscape photos, and let me tell you – the conditions were as close to perfect as you can get. Two mornings back-to-back, I set up along Kangaroo Point, overlooking the ever-evolving city skyline and the brand-new Kangaroo Point Bridge – Brisbane’s latest architectural statement. What makes this spot truly special is not just the view (which, let’s be honest, is a stunner), but the way the early morning light dances across the Brisbane River and city buildings before the sun peeks over the horizon. That moment – when the city is caught between shadow and soft light – is where the magic happens. Why Arrive an Hour Before Sunrise? I always recommend arriving a solid hour before sunrise. This is when the real drama unfolds – the sky starts to shift colours, the city lights are still glowing, and there’s a beautiful balance between the cool tones of night and the warming hues of the upcoming day. It's this balance that gives my Brisbane canvas art its distinct mood and depth. This also gives me time to explore different compositions – moving around, switching lenses, and looking for unique elements like reflections, birds in flight, or foreground details that add that extra something. Sure, you could rock up just before the sun cracks the horizon, but if you're chasing that premium light for photography wall art, you’ve already missed half the show. Kangaroo Point’s Star: The New Bridge The new Kangaroo Point Bridge is now a feature piece in many of my updated Brisbane canvas prints. Its bold design gives the city skyline a fresh dynamic, offering new lines and shapes for creative compositions. It’s not just a bridge – it’s a photographic playground. Framing the bridge with the city in the background during those pre-dawn moments added a new dimension to my Brisbane collection. New Wall Art Prints Available Now These latest captures have been carefully edited and are now available as Brisbane photography wall art prints, ready to hang in your home, office, or creative space. Whether you’re after a canvas art piece to bring warmth into a room or a sleek framed print for a more modern look – there’s something in this new series that showcases Brisbane in a whole new light (literally). You can check out the full collection here.
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