Where light meets water.

By Charms Baltis

The alarm sounds at 4:30am, but Josh Burkinshaw is already awake. In the pre-dawn darkness of his South Coast home, anticipation courses through him like electricity. "When all the forecast research I've done lines up and the conditions are perfect, especially for a sunrise shoot, there's a rush of anticipation," he explains, camera gear already packed beside the door. "That moment sets the tone and leaves me on a high for the rest of the day."

This is the ritual of a man who has found his calling in the marriage of ocean and light, where split-second decisions determine whether fleeting beauty becomes eternal art.

“My jaw drops, and it feels almost unreal, like I’ve stepped into another world,. Then, in what feels like the blink of an eye, it’s gone, and I’m left thinking, ‘What did I just witness?’”

— Josh

There are moments Josh can recall as if they happened yesterday, standing waist-deep in churning waters, watching colours explode across the sky. "My jaw drops, and it feels almost unreal, like I've stepped into another world," he says. "Then, in what feels like the blink of an eye, it's gone, and I'm left thinking, 'What did I just witness?'"

These ephemeral encounters fuel his passion, the pursuit of moments that exist for mere seconds before dissolving back into time and tide. "At the heart of it, I'm chasing moments that will never happen again, unique scenes that exist for only an instant. I want to capture them not just to share, but to be able to look back and relive that exact feeling."
For Josh, photography transcends hobby or profession. "When I'm out shooting, I feel free. All the noise of life fades away, and there's nothing but peace and the moment in front of me."
The South Coast has become Josh's canvas, its waters his muse. "Reading the ocean starts long before I arrive at the break," Josh explains. "I plan my shoots based on swell direction, swell size, and cloud cover. When I get there, it's about fine-tuning that plan, watching how the light interacts with the water, and sensing the energy of the ocean."
Positioned in the lineup, camera housing protecting his equipment as waves build around him, the dance between capturing the shot and staying safe requires constant vigilance. "In wave photography, you win some and you lose some, I might take a thousand shots to get ten I'm truly happy with," he admits.
Josh's philosophy extends beyond technical expertise to perspective itself. "For me, 'capturing the epic beauty of life' is about looking beyond the obvious- finding a perspective that reveals something new. It's about showing the world from a different angle, one that invites people to pause, look closer, and experience it in a way they've never seen before."
In the solitude of dawn sessions, surrounded by nothing but water, light, and possibility, Josh finds his truest self. "When I'm alone in the ocean at sunrise, capturing waves, I feel completely free and at peace. It's the place where I truly find myself, my happiest moments are out there, surrounded by nothing but water, light, and the rhythm of the sea."

““But Mother Nature always has the final say, and you have to respect that.””

— Josh

What sets these South Coast waters apart isn't just their beauty, it's their character. "The South Coast is unique because of its rugged coastline and incredible variety," Josh notes. "We have powerful slab waves, crystal-clear waters, and untouched, empty beaches. It's a rare mix of beauty and rawness that makes this stretch of coastline truly special."

This raw authenticity translates into images that carry more than visual appeal, they hold the essence of place, the spirit of untamed Australian coast where power meets poetry in every breaking wave.

When someone chooses one of Josh's wave prints for their home, they're inviting a piece of the ocean's soul into their daily lives. "I like to think I'm sharing a peaceful moment, frozen in time, the softness of a wave, the beauty of the colours in the sky. When someone hangs one of my prints, they're bringing a piece of that tranquillity and the ocean's spirit into their home."

In a world that moves at breakneck speed, Josh's work offers something increasingly rare, an invitation to pause, to breathe, to remember that some of life's most profound moments happen in the space between one wave and the next. "Those fleeting, surreal moments are what I live for," he reflects. And in sharing them, Josh ensures they live beyond the moment, captured forever in frames that hold the very essence of what it means to be fully present at the edge of the world.

Josh Burkinshaw's ocean photography captures the raw beauty and power of South Coast waters. View his collection at joshburkinshawimages.com.au

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