I've always had a passion for photography, both from a technical mindset and from an undying love of the outdoors in all it's beauty, adventure and sometimes challenge. Without a doubt this obsession stems from my father, an accomplished photographer, who took me on countless hikes as a child and continues to do so to this day. An extremely fit 75 year old he'll often out pace me still, even with a heavy pack.

For me the joy of photography is all about getting that 'one great shot'. Sometimes that can mean travelling long distances, hiking, skiing, snow shoeing or even roped climbing over difficult terrain, long periods of waiting for the right light, or returning to the same location again and again. At other times it can mean nothing more than a chance encounter. A moment in time, where I stumble, unknowingly upon a scene that captures my breath, and causes me to rush for my camera with increasing excitement before the light or subject moves on and the sight is lost forever.

Photography is about light. Yeah, okay, it's also about having passion and patience, being in the right place at the right time, having "an eye" for a pleasing composition or an imaginative perspective, understanding your equipment, not being afraid to learn new techniques, and so on. But when it comes right down to it, the crux of thing is "light". No light, no photo after all. For me, one of the hardest, and also the most enjoyable aspects is "chasing the light" (or at least sidling up to it). In the absence of expensive artificial lighting, which I don't own, natural light rules. Soft, heavy, flat, coloured, misty, shadowed, dappled, golden, sparkling, reflective, moody, moonlight, or just fondling the barest wisp... it makes you look at the world in a different way.

Rock Climbing is a sport (or recreation), that has also occupied a vast quantity of my time over the last several years, and the combination of it and photography has yielded many an intriguing challenge. If you're interested in climbing, or in Victoria and looking for new areas, take a look at my other site www.chockstone.org.

For those interested in technical aspects, I use Canon pro gear - Digital SLR camera body with a variety of L series lenses for the sharpest image. I shoot RAW and find the 12.8 mega pixel files are crystal clear, require almost no processing and can be enlarged to enormous proportions without noticeable loss of quality. Nothing is added or removed from the scene.

I hope my photos provide something of the spirit and delight I saw in each scene. If you'd like to purchase a print, you can do so entirely on-line by clicking the "buy this photo" link near each image in the galleries. (See: Buy Photos for more details). Thank-you for your support, it is very much appreciated and allows me to continue travelling to the remote areas that I love.

Michael Boniwell. 2006.