Brendan Byrne, Photographer

Brendan Byrne is an Australian photographer based in the United States.

Recently named one of Australasia’s top emerging photographers by Capture Magazine, Brendan’s photographic passions have taken him around the world.

From polar bears in the high Arctic to the outback deserts of rural Australia, Brendan has shot a variety of subjects including portraiture, wildlife, landscape, product and aerial photography.

Based in Miami he primarily works within South Florida and the New York City area however he is available for projects across the United States and will travel internationally if needed.

Some of his work can be seen in the aforementioned Capture Magazine (May-July 2021 edition) as well as his cover feature in Kickin Up Dust (Issue 7, June 2021).

Brendan is immensely eager to bring creative visions to life, so please get in touch should you have any upcoming photographic projects.

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Cover Feature Issue #7

I’ve spent the past 8 years living in the United States but Australia will always be home. For the majority of 2020, I was under some sort of lockdown in my hometown of Melbourne while the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic raged around the world. Before returning to the US in February 2021 however, I was fortunate enough to drive through central Australia, the beating red heart of our incredible land.

It had been 14 years since I had visited Uluru and the surrounding area. I first saw the mighty monolith in 2007 on a school trip. I remember being impressed as a young adolescent, but upon returning, and this time thinking photographically, I realized I had forgotten just how spiritual a place it really is.

Perhaps it was the fact that 2020 was the most disruptive and unusual year of almost everyone’s lives. A (hopefully) once in a century global health crisis that can define a generation. But beginning the new year in the very center of our beautifully isolated nation brought me a profound sense of peace.

Australia continues to remain one of the few places that is operating with relative normalcy in a deeply changed world. The Northern Territory can claim an even greater success, even among Australia’s high standards.

This incredible feeling of security in a pandemic ravaged world was no more apparent then when I took to the air and could witness Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park from above. The scale and vastness of our great southern land became quickly apparent as I flew above the most Australian of icons. These great arrangements half a billion years in the making.

As the earth below changed from orange to amber to red to crimson, the spectacular isolation dawned on me. More than 1600km from any major city, and 700km from any ocean, my mother and I, and our pilot Sam enjoyed the dying rays of light over our spiritual heartland. The geographic center of our massive, beautifully isolated island at the end of the world.

As I write this, I’m sitting at home in the US state of Florida. Things are, needless to say, different here. But I haven’t yet forgotten the true sense of calm and peace I experienced exploring the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park back in January.

I did my best to capture and collate a series of photographs from the area that I hope can convey just how majestic a place Uluru really is.

But as with all awe inspiring regions, they need to be experienced in person. I call on you to encounter this place yourself.

A special thanks to Ayers Rock Helicopters and our pilot Sam for the most memorable of rides. To my mother, my most wonderful travel companion.

And to the Anangu People, the true hosts and keepers to one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

My photographic pursuits have taken me all over the world, from the Outback deserts to polar bear habitats in the High Arctic.

More of my work can be found at my website and on my Instagram account