Joshua Berry-Walker is one of Australia’s premier drone, surf and landscape photographers. Based on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia, Josh is a keen surfer and water enthusiast. Here he reveals to his feelings about photographing, starting a gallery business and staying passionate about creating art
Josh, how did you get started in photography?
I have always been into photography, but I got right into it about 15-20 years ago. I was taking a trip to Tasmania with my partner at the time. and I had a small point and shoot camera. I was taking many photos on the way south and on the boat crossing to Tasmania. Once we got there, I purchased a second hand film SLDR camera. During that trip I taught myself how to photograph with film.
When did it become a career for you?
Being based in the Gold Coast of Australia, always being a surfer, always being in the water and seeing all these beautiful views, I was thinking about how I could show my mom or my friends what I can see at the beach and in the water. That’s when I first started to think about landscape photography, and started to think about cameras. My first camera was Canon 3 camera. When you are at the beach during sunset and the waves are going all golden, you just can’t see these views at any other time of the day. I started capturing this sort of scenes and people were responding in a very good way.
At that time I was working on a day job as a teacher. In my spare time I was learning the craft of photography. I then started displaying and selling images at local markets at the beach front. I used to hand make the frames on my deck at home. People started buying and I reinvested that money into better gear and equipment. It was probably a couple of years later that I opened a gallery at Burleigh Heads in Queensland.
What piece of advice would you give to the photographers who want to try their hand at photography?
Technically, and unfortunately, that’s the boring part, you need to understand how your camera works. It is a matter of training your eye to spot the opportunities, seeing when the water and the clouds are looking best. Eventually, you start to learn and get a feel for the ocean and the landscape. My other advice is to be observant and look for the right conditions. Research the cloud cover the next morning sometimes it’s a bit hit or miss but when it’s a hit it’s a hit.
How did you make the decision to open your first gallery?
That happened when I started selling at the open markets. It gave me the confidence that people liked what I did. I was working full time making a good salary at the time and I concentrated all my extra efforts into making products and purchasing equipment. This gave me the encouragement to try and open a gallery a couple of years later. I continued to work full time for about a year, even when I had the gallery. I then opened a second gallery for a while. During that time I reinvested the money and continued to grow my portfolio and branding.
You can see the results of his journey so far by following Joshua on Instagram (@joshua.b.w)