Kirra Beach is a right hand point break on the southern Gold Coast, and on the right swell it is one of the best waves in the world. It is also, quietly, the most photographed few hundred metres of sand I own. This is a look at four Kirra Beach prints from the collection, what was happening the morning each one was made, and where each of them tends to end up on a wall.
I have been shooting this stretch for over fifteen years, from the Kirra groyne down to Coolangatta and back up to the point. It changes constantly. The sand moves, the swell direction swings, and a spot that produced nothing for two months will suddenly turn on for three days. These four came out of those days.
Mick Fanning, Kirra Beach
Mick Fanning, Kirra Beach, QLD Australia
A world champion deep inside a Kirra barrel, shot from the water on a morning when the bank was doing exactly what everyone waits years for. There is a version of this photograph that is about the wave, and a version that is about the surfer, and this one manages to be both.
It carries a living room. In light oak above a leather sofa it reads warm rather than sporty, which is why it works in rooms that are not surf themed at all. Go large here, the detail in the spray rewards the size.
The Upside Down
The Upside Down, Kirra Beach
This one was runner up at the Gold Coast Photography Awards, which still surprises me a little, because it started as a mistake. An inverted view of Kirra that people take a second or two to resolve, and then cannot unsee.
In raw oak on a white brick wall it does what good art in a dining room should do, it gives people something to talk about. It also sits comfortably in a hallway where you walk past it twice a day and keep noticing new things.
Kirra Surf, in black and white
Kirra Surf, Kirra Beach, QLD Australia
A surfer walking the shoreline with a board under his arm, the lineup busy behind him. Stripped of colour it stops being a photograph of a particular morning and becomes a photograph of every morning at Kirra.
Black and white is the safest choice in a room you have already committed to a colour scheme. It sits against grey, against timber, against white, and it never fights the furniture. This is the one people buy when they are nervous about getting it wrong.
Kirra Happiness
Kirra Happiness, Life's A Beach Collection
Kirra rush hour, from above. Boards, bodies, umbrellas and the pale sand doing that thing it only does at Kirra. It belongs to the Life's A Beach collection, which is the part of my work that is less about the perfect wave and more about what everybody else is doing while the perfect wave happens.
It is a busy image, so give it room. A wide wall, a stairwell, or a kids' room where the detail keeps them occupied. Oak keeps the whole thing feeling like a summer afternoon.
Choosing a Kirra print for your wall
A few things worth knowing before you order.
Size. Barrel shots and aerials both hold up large. If the wall allows it, go one size bigger than feels sensible, almost nobody comes back wishing they had gone smaller.
Frame. Oak is the default for coastal work and it is the default for a reason, it warms up all that blue. Black sharpens a black and white image. White disappears, which is what you want if the room is already doing a lot.
Height. Centre of the image at roughly 145cm from the floor, or about 20cm above the back of a sofa, whichever the wall calls for.
Orientation. Kirra suits panoramic. The point runs left to right, and a wide crop lets the wave do the same thing on your wall that it does in real life.
See the full Kirra Beach collection
There are over forty Kirra Beach prints in the collection, from water level barrels to long exposure abstracts and aerials of the whole point. Every print is made to order here in Australia, ready to hang, and shipped tracked Australia wide.
Nearby, you might also like Snapper Rocks, Coolangatta and the full Gold Coast collection.
Not sure what size suits your space? Have a read of the surf photography wall art buying guide, or send me a message and I will help you work it out.
