About

I'm Darren, a photographer living in the Huon Valley in southern Tasmania. I've been taking photos for a long time, but since moving here, I've probably spent more time behind the camera than ever before. It's a pretty good place to be a photographer.

I made the move to lutruwita/Tasmania permanently in late 2022, taking up a role with Destination Southern Tasmania. I'd visited the island plenty of times before, camera in hand, but living here is a completely different experience. You get to know the places, the seasons, the weather, and just how quickly a perfectly ordinary scene can turn into something worth photographing.

And Tasmania certainly keeps you on your toes.

One morning you might find yourself standing beside the Huon River watching the mist roll across the water. The next, you're wandering through an old country town, photographing buildings that have barely changed in a hundred years. Then there's the mountains, wild coastlines, ancient forests, waterfalls, and those wonderful autumn colours that seem to appear everywhere for a few weeks each year.

There's certainly no shortage of things to point a camera at.

My work with Destination Southern Tasmania takes me all over the region, visiting towns, tourism businesses and some pretty remarkable places. It's a great excuse to explore, although I rarely need much encouragement. I've photographed everything from historic buildings and abandoned places to remote beaches, snow-covered mountains, events and the occasional very patient wildlife subject.

I've always enjoyed getting off the main roads, taking a wrong turn (sometimes deliberately), and seeing what's around the next corner. Some of my favourite photographs have come from places I wasn't planning to visit.

Of course, it doesn't always work out. I've headed out before sunrise, driven for hours, waited for the right light and come home with absolutely nothing. Other times, I've been on my way to the shops and found something that has me reaching for the camera. That's photography, I suppose.

These days, I'm probably a little more selective about where I venture than I was twenty years ago. Fortunately, southern Tasmania has plenty to offer without having to walk halfway across a mountain range. The back roads of the Huon Valley, the old towns along the Heritage Highway, the coastline around Bruny Island and the forests of the Far South are all places I keep returning to.

While landscapes and nature are a big part of what I photograph, my work also includes tourism, events, architecture, real estate and commercial photography. I enjoy the variety, and I reckon there's always something new to learn, no matter how long you've been doing it.

Photography has taken me to some incredible places over the years, but there's something particularly satisfying about exploring and photographing the place you call home.

And after a few years living in the Huon Valley, I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface.