A sunrise surf with Jayde Pollard at Little Manly

Jayde Pollard from Bella Management and I paddled out from Little Manly at Sunrise, watching as Dolphins and swimmers enjoyed the beautiful morning light in Cabbage Tree Bay—a big thanks to Jayde for this one. Most of my shoots already ask a lot of models; it’s entirely something else when I ask a stranger to jump on a surf race ski and paddle out for photos before first light.

This shoot came about with a little bit of help from chance! I had just finished my shoot with Emma Macgowan, grabbed coffee, and went for my morning walk. As I passed the little boatshed below, I saw Jayde sitting and reading a book, and I quickly went and introduced myself in person. Then, seeing the location, I had the idea to jump on paddle boards in the back of my head for a while. I asked, and Jayde kindly agreed to the idea. I reached out to her agent, and less than a week later, we paddled out in the dark for an incredible sunrise.

These photos are not the usual mixture of perfection I usually aim for. Water got into my film case and did some damage. Still, rather than omitting or striving to perfect, I’ve chosen to leave them in, as there is something beautiful about the imperfections and damaged negatives that make this shoot even more special than it already was.

A big thank you to Professional Surf Life Saver Emanuel Freer, who assisted with the boards and our safety on this one; without his help, this shoot would not have been possible. Most importantly, thank you to Jayde, who explained her fear of shark attacks after we finished the morning paddle, which shows a dedication to the work that many models would have never agreed to. I appreciate that so much and am glad to show you these photos, some of my favourite in recent memory.

The first swim set, whilst on the water in Pink, was from Glassons, and the striking red set was from TJ Swim.

Shot entirely on 35mm film without editing, water damage is from salt, and there was little ability to fix or recover.

If you want to work with Jayde, which I thoroughly recommend, you can contact Bella Management. I would sit sooner rather than later, as she is in demand, and from these photos, you can see why!