Born and raised in Australia I have lived "The Life of Riley". With more interests, curiosity and hobbies than my pocket could ever afford I settled on surfing, fishing and general adventuring. I tend to think of myself as a jack of all trades but a master of a few. As a kid I walked the local bushlands looking for reptiles, birds and other creatures. Lessons learned there encourage me to always find my own path. At 15 years of age I ditched school for dreams of making a fat paycheck and quickly realized just how easy it is to get lost in this life.  For me the trail out of the forest with my compass set for nowhere, bouncing between random waypoints, was following my passion for fishing. Once commited and working in the fishing tourism industry I drifted the currents to remote shores, fun filled adventure and clicking cameras! Sure it was rough and tough and full of up and downs however it gifted me the love of my life and one way ticket to a new life the USA. In turn many more adventures and remote locations appeared on the radar.  

Fast forward 25 years.....

My wife Kate and I finally purchase our own little property in Monterey County, NE of Paso Robles. This happened after a few years of exploratory trips to find a home while expanding horizons with my photography passion.  I'm not sure what I looked for harder but I managed to snap a few nice images in my travels.  

Currently I'm a full time working photographer specializing in birds, wildlife and nature. For the past eight years I have offered my images for sale as metal prints at fairs, wine and art festivals and shows. It is not easy work. Once a festival accepts our application through a juried process the honest hard work. begins.  We are excited to be attending a few good shows this year after the famine of the past couple. During this time I have also accepted paid tutoring requests from other photographers. Teaching basic through advanced camera work and post processing skills to budding wildlife photographers is extremely rewarding. I understand how confusing cameras and lenses can be. I have been there and lived that too. I have paid for online courses, hands on instruction and guided photography. This is an ongoing learning experience especially as technology and equipment leap frogs any mastery of current equipment at blazing speed.  

Being in program or auto mode is at best disheartening if you are one to believe all you see on social media is filters and magic fairy dust of a particular brand or model. Not knowing what equipment to use or purchase has you paying for knowledge all over again! You know what happens after you drive a new car off the lot.    

I have started this business and reinvention in order to continue to explore, discover and learn all while sharing knowledge gained out on the hard road. The Photo Bloke experience stays true to my core. Life is fluid and you go with the flow. We pick a course (you and I), we follow the path and see what we can capture with our cameras. Note to the adventurer - this is what the trip is not.. It is not that we are going to a specific location where you will see a specific animal, bird, object or activity, click the shutter button, done! Certainly there will be some overlap and high percentage areas where I will have a solid knowledge of lighting, postioning and features. Photography is learned through discovery; seeing, feeling and doing. I will not sugar coat the process. There is some math involved, maybe a few settings to play with and some trial and error. However, no amount of that knowledge or technology will help you see the shot, light or special moment.

I look forward to sharing time with new people who have a interest in photography, be it a new spark or a life long passion. Hope to see you, camera in hand.

Cheers,

Randall Bryett