Photography by Paul Foley, Sydney Australia

The Fine Art Photography of Paul Foley

The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia has selected this image for exhibition in the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2011. The judging panel chose 55 works for exhibition from a competitive field of over 1200 entries.   The exhibition will be displayed at the NPG from 25 February - 17 April 2011, and it will then tour to multiple venues around Australia from May 2011 to March 2012. The $25,000 award for the winning portrait will be announced at the opening of the exhibition on Thursday 24, February 2011. Artist Statement I have known and photographed Summer Finlay for more than 10 years. We chatted about photography, the female form and her Indigenous heritage when she first visited my gallery in Newcastle. A lot has happened in our individual lives since that time. We have both moved and travelled but when we do catch up, if time permits, we make photographs. This photograph was taken when I visited Melbourne, where Summer now lives, for a conference. The session was unplanned and evolved as the morning went on.

I found this tree on a ridge line in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia. When I made the picture I saw it as a stoic, if singular reminder, of what the landscape in the valley had once been like when many thousands (millions?) of eucalyptus trees covered the land. Later, when I looked at the print, I also saw in it the determination of the individual and at the same time the futility of the "last stand". The almost vacant, sparse landscape that attracted my eye and excited me photographically now caused a deep sadness. It was as if my forebears had cleared the land of so many trees to give me my picture and by bearing witness with my camera I vindicated the thoughtless waste. These days I prefer to see the Lone Tree's symbolism more positively - the "last stand" may not be futile. At least it has me taking responsibility for the mark I make on my part of the planet. Not a perfect or complete solution, I know...

This rocky stream feeds into the Kangaroo River which is a tributary of the Shoalhaven River in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia. The river rises within the Budderoo National Park about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north-west of Illawarra Lookout. It initially flows in a north-westerly direction to Carrington Falls, where the river crosses the western escarpment of the Budderoo Plateau. The river then turns to the south-west and flows through the communities of Upper Kangaroo Valley and Kangaroo Valley, and into the Morton National Park. The river ends its course by flowing into Lake Yarrunga, a reservoir formed by the Tallowa Dam and situated just downstream of the previous confluence of the Shoalhaven and Kangaroo Rivers. In total, the river is some 50 kilometres (31 mi) long. The river is crossed by the historic Hampden Bridge in the town of Kangaroo Valley. Source: Wikileaks

Fine Art Photos of the Sydney Opera House in 81 seconds I love the short ferry ride that takes me into the city. No matter the weather, time or season there is always something to see, something new to appreciate. On October 2nd, 2010 as I daydreamed during the rainy, darkening trip my eyes were focussing on the raindrops collecting on the ferry's windows. I was lost deep in random thoughts that were probably inspired by the haphazardly positioned droplets. Each journey takes a very similar path past the Opera House and while it is always familiar it is never the same. It was that familiar shape that bought me round, prompted me to get my camera out of my pocket and make a few pictures as the ferry moved past. A mere 81 seconds. The Opera House occupies land that had been chosen for Sydney's first white settlers in 1788. More importantly, it's also on land owned and honoured for at least 40,000 years by Australia's Indigenous People. The House is a place of memories - of music, theatre, meals, enjoyment, sunsets and people from all over the world. Its shells are said to be derived from the shape of a sphere that has been sectioned, opened out and then laid down across Bennelong Point. It is one of my favourite places in Sydney and I always in awe of it's design, style and presence. Personally made and signed prints can be purchased at a special price until November 30, 2010

Fine Art Photographs of the Forest by Paul Foley - Lightmoods Please use the Search menu to find more. All pictures are available as archival signed prints on Cotton Rag paper individually made by Paul using his Canon iPF 8100 large format printer.

Fine Art Photographs of the Coast by Paul Foley - Lightmoods beach, surfers,waves,patterns,newcastle, ocean baths,sunset, sailing boat, sunrise, row boat, Lake Macquarie Please use the Search menu to find more. All pictures are available as archival signed prints on Cotton Rag paper individually made by Paul using his Canon iPF 8100 large format printer.

Fine Art Photographs of Sydney Rain at Circular Quay A rainy afternoon Sydney Australia.

Fine Art Photographs of Sydney by Paul Foley - Lightmoods Balmoral, Mosman, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Dust Storm, Sydney Ferry, Cremorne Point. Please use the Search menu to find more. All pictures are available as archival signed prints on Cotton Rag paper individually made by Paul using his Canon iPF 8100 large format printer.

Fine Art Photographs of People by Paul Foley - Lightmoods Please use the Search menu to find more. All pictures are available as archival signed prints on Cotton Rag paper individually made by Paul using his Canon iPF 8100 large format printer.

Fine Art Photographs of Patterns by Paul Foley - Lightmoods Please use the Search menu to find more. All pictures are available as archival signed prints on Cotton Rag paper individually made by Paul using his Canon iPF 8100 large format printer.

These layouts represent how the Exhibition Prints are presented. There are 6 large prints being hung as well as 4 diptychs each mounted on 10mm archival gatorboard. All large prints and the diptychs are limited to three numbered prints each (plus 2 Artist Proofs). My email contact is at the bottom of the page if you wish to place an order. The price list is at the end of this gallery. Australia's Ocean Baths were originally built to safely wet and cool the citizens on hot summer days. Today, along with the ebbing edges of the Pacific Ocean, they hold memories and remnants of past living and lives. Coastal pools like these at Newcastle and Merewether Beaches are spread along the East Coast of Australia. They are often nostalgic places - especially in times of special light. Early mornings; warm, soft dusks; bright, hot afternoons and cold, weather-beaten nights. The worn, whitewashed steps have seen the same feet skip and later shuffle, growing from tiny & soft to gnarled and wide. Parents, holding small, excited hands, have nurtured the tentative steps of offspring beginning their own memories. These places are community - gatherings of clans and friends. The Newcastle and Merewether Ocean Baths are very familiar to my camera. I don't live nearby any more, however, when I visit it's enough for me to sit with eyes closed and let the sounds and scents refresh those slideshows in my mind. I've made images for long enough to know many of the rules of my craft. It's that knowledge that helps me break a few of them from time to time. With these pictures I used an unusual lens arrangement and techniques to selectively blur and emphasise. I hoped to find pictures that suited memories of special places. Perhaps a little embellished, with some 'facts' less defined but always a steady centre of truth - even as time separates now from then.

Fine Art Photographs of Europe & North America by Paul Foley - Lightmoods Please use the Search menu to find more. All pictures are available as archival signed prints on Cotton Rag paper individually made by Paul using his Canon iPF 8100 large format printer.

Fine Art Photographs of Colour by Paul Foley - Lightmoods Please use the Search menu to find more. All pictures are available as archival signed prints on Cotton Rag paper individually made by Paul using his Canon iPF 8100 large format printer.

Fine Art Photographs of Australian Landscapes by Paul Foley - Lightmoods Please use the Search menu to find more. All pictures are available as archival signed prints on Cotton Rag paper individually made by Paul using his Canon iPF 8100 large format printer.

Fine Art Photographs Mosman & Balmoral, Sydney, Australia

Fine Art Photography by Paul Foley featuring scenes from Sydney, Lake Macquarie as well as coastal scenes and ocean baths.

Black and White 'Bodyscapes' - details of the female form

Bodyscape (detail) My favourite part of the female form is the neck. These images were made to express sensuality, beauty and strength. There is very little in focus - sometimes nothing at all - I wanted to use the light and the movement of both the camera and breathing to show the flow and contours of this small part of the bodyscape.

Fine Art Photographs by Paul Foley These pictures are a small selection of images that are available as part of my special print promotion. Prints are priced from $45.00 so its a great way to get an original Foley for yourself or a friend.