The Calming Canvas of Coffs Coast.

Ever felt like getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life? Ever wanted to capture the beauty of a beach or the sun setting over a set of stables on a farm? Well  you can do it all in one day in Coffs Harbour on the North Coast of New South Wales in Australia. One of my personal favourites destinations is this seaside country community. Coffs has everything you need to capture destination photographs and nothing you don't.

Situated about halfway between Sydney and The Gold Coast this is the perfect place for a short getaway with ample amounts of great photo opportunities.

In my 4 day stay I was able to capture many wonderful things. From the beaches to the bays and the big banana, to the open farmlands and outback bush, there is too many great places to name!

I loves the fact that it is so easy to capture the feeling of this place. The picture above was taken when I found a little lookout in Sawtell as I was out one day. The harmony between the ocean and the bush in the photograph is a perfect summary of the Coffs Coast. The entire region is a mashup of country towns and coastal suburbs. The best part about Coffs is everything is pretty close to the central shopping district where most accommodation is so you're not spending hours looking for one great location.

I recommend starting at Jetty Beach and adjacent headlands. Beach shots can be a great place to start when trying to capture the essence of Coffs as many locals spend much of their time at or around the beautiful beaches around Coffs Harbour. If you'd like to know more then visit the Coffs Coast Website!  

Greetings with Guangzhou

Huacheng Square, Guangzhou

China was my first international experience at age 18. I learnt many things on that journey; about China, my country and I.

I spent just 10 days in Guangzhou but gained 1000 great memories of the people,  culture and hospitality of this wonderful city. From the moment we dropped our bags we didn't stop! From Canton Fair to Canton Tower and Huacheng Square; there are many wonderful buildings in Guangzhou that are striking and architecturally advanced.

My particularly favourite photo is the one above as it was snapped very quickly, in the rain with not much light. I loved the reflection of my friend and made sure I had enough room to include it in the photo. The contrast of water on the ground and clouds blanketing the skyscrapers there is just enough to create quite a wild mood. Whenever I come back to this photo I love how there is balance in the photo; of colours, shapes and textures. 

I had so many wonderful photo opportunities in this city. One photo will never sum up everything about this city. From the simple rice paddy fields to the opulent new hotels emerging in the sprawling city - whatever you travel to Guangzhou to photograph, there's 1000 other spectacular photos waiting to be captured too.

The people I met and the memories I made are far more distinguished in my mind than the landscapes offered in this city. It needs mention that the beautiful people in Guangzhou have a special place in my heart due to their hospitality, kindness and sociability. Don't rule out portraits of people from the places you visit, as a means of documenting a new place. They're a great way to sum up the culture of a place without explaining it in words. 

If you'd like to know more about Guangzhou then visit - http://www.chinahighlights.com/guangzhou/attraction/ for more info.