Visual Essay 13 by Nic Gossage

How did you discover photography?

I’m originally from the Gold Coast and I’m a skateboarder that ended up breaking a wrist. As I couldn’t skate as my wrist was so sensitive to the bumps I had to find something else to do. My friends also surfed but I couldn’t go in the water with my cast so I sat on the beach with a very early digital camera that was 3x optical zoom and 3 megapixels! You can imagine the quality as my friends surfed right out the back. As soon as my cast came off I jumped in the water with GoPro’s first camera which was film. From here, I got addicted with what I could capture in the ocean, there was so much to explore and learn. As the years went by I saved up for my first SLR and underwater housing and got quite serious following friends around Australia and submitting my images to the magazines.

What do you love most about the medium?

I like exploration, adventure and constant learning which always keeps me curious.

Where do you call home? What do you love about your area?

My partner and I recently just moved from living next to Sydney CBD to the burbs in the south. We thought we would miss being so close to the city and restaurants but we got a lot more space out here not living in a tiny terrace. So far, it’s been great not to live in such a confined part next to the city and having breathing room for the mind. I can see the full sky out here without any obstructions!

Most influential artists and inspirations?

A lot of my friends and people in the creative industry here in Sydney & Australia are doing unreal work and too many to name! If I had to name one artist it would be the works of Josef Sudek who was an interior, still life and landscape photographer.