Australian Landscape Photography by simon bayliss

Welcome to Lumières; Australian landscape photography by Simon Bayliss.

Simon's passion is landscape photography, particularly the outback and the coastal regions of NSW, with an explicit focus on the geomorphology of the land; he draws photographic inspiration from the shapes of the terrain that surrounds us all. From the meandering course of the magnificent Darling River that has been etched into the NSW outback, the great escarpment of the Great Dividing Range, ancient landforms of Lake Mungo and the Jump-Ups at Sturt NP, to the wonderful southern NSW coastline; To many, they are just empty landscapes, but to others they tell an amazing tale of this ancient land that started well before man walked the landscape.

Simon's photographs are available for purchase as Limited Edition Prints.

Anyone visiting Australia soon realises that we like our beaches and the coastal lifestyle associated with it. And it is not hard to see why when touring the NSW South Coast and viewing Gerringong, Werri Beach, and the beautiful hinterland from the Mount Pleasant lookout just south of Kiama. It is possibly one of the most beautiful scenes of the east coast of Australia; and less than 2 hours drive from Sydney.

Nestled in the hinterland behind Kiama and sitting just below the escarpment is Minnamurra Waterfall. Located in the Budderoo National Park near Jamberoo (and Jamberoo Action Park), the waterfall is accessed via the Minnamurra Rainforest Centre, and this region of the park is a wonderful examples of subtropical and warm-temperate rainforests that once dominated this region of the Illawarra.

The Drawing Room Rocks, so named as the weathered sandstone formations resemble the tables and chairs or a Drawing Room, provides the visitor one of the most amazing coastal vistas with views from Seven Mile beach all the way along the coast to Pigeon House Mountain at Ulladulla and around to Kangaroo valley. (A field of view of almost 180 degrees).

Upon first sighting Kangaroo Valley in April 1812, George Evans (Surveyor and Explorer) claimed the valley offered a view that " no painter could beautify." Anyone who visits 'the Valley' will certainly agree with Evan's first impressions as it is a truly remarkable and beautiful setting.

Few things in Australia are more iconic, or more quickly stir the Australian identity than "The Man from Snowy River", Banjo Paterson's immortal poem.... "There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around... " The words of this beautiful poem, which forms part of our psyche, beautifully describes a time, a way of life, and a region of Australia.

Filled with a landscape of great beauty, the Australian Outback provides the landscape photographer with endless opportunities to capture the beauty of the land, its people, rivers and National Parks. Dissecting the Outback NSW region is the iconic Darling River which is fed by several tributaries originating from southeast Queensland and the Darling Downs. Being Australia’s longest river, the Darling has been the lifeblood for Australian’s for 1,000’s of years; Lake Mungo has revealed evidence of continual habitation for over 45,000 years.

The land of the long white cloud... New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places to experience and while it has a reputation as being 'the adrenaline capital of the world' it is also famous for its beautiful and majestic landscapes. The South Island is an area full of pristine areas of great ecological importance it is a place where one can be truly alone in the environment.

Many photographers will agree that there can be two major and exciting elements to photography, the capture and the final result. To reproduce, interpretively or otherwise, what the photography ‘sees’, and to present that vision and its associated emotion is the essence of many photographers passion.

It this paradigm that originally motivated Simon to pursue photography… colour and black and white. Colour photography, for Simon, tends to be a lot less emotive than his monotone images but does provide a warmth and mood that is perfect for interpretively representing the beautiful landscapes he experiences.

Some would argue that it is the pure form of photography and it is hard to disagree as there is an inherent talent required to see in Black and White.

There is a timeless quality to monochrome photography and a great challenge when the subject is a landscape; especially when it comes to reproducing the beauty of the Australian Outback