Dandyman Photography

I know spiders aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. I used to feel the same way. But with a little understanding and respect, you start to see they can be just as charismatic and fascinating as any creature on the planet.

This beauty is likely a male Badge Huntsman. You can tell by the two small leg-like appendages near the mouth called pedipalps. In males, these are used to transfer s***m, ideally from a safe distance to avoid becoming a post-date snack!

He was probably on the hunt for a female, who are typically larger and tend to stay hidden away. Huntsman spiders are actually wonderful to have around the house. They’re natural pest controllers and are considered relatively harmless to humans.

Nature is full of misunderstood marvels, and sometimes we just have to look a little closer.

After flowers, insects—and anything small and tiny—are my favourite photography subjects. They can definitely be more challenging, especially when they move just as you’re about to press the shutter, but honestly… that’s half the fun.

All of these insects were found right in my backyard: a Blue Ringtail Damselfly, a native Bush Cockroach, a Vine Hawk-moth, and finally the Violaceus Masked-bee.

ABC Perth ABC Australia iNaturalist.org

Some floral photography action from the garden and out in the wild.

These are all Australian native flowers. The first is a Hibiscus native to the East-coast, a pink Lucinda's Everlastings with a Crane fly visitor, next a white Swamp sundew flower and lastly is my all time favourite, being the Northern Queen of Sheba.

Western Australia ABC Australia ABC Perth Flowers Visit Turquoise Coast

A Sunday morning done right.

This is an Australian Emperor dragonfly (Anax papuensis), which I found while one night out stalking on a spring night for insects with the macro gear.

It's good fun being out with the camera at night and seeing what creatures of the night are out and about, and being night time insects like dragonflies are more likely to stay still to get a few shots.

Day 1 of 2026 here in Jurien Bay.

After receiving my autism diagnosis and losing my dad in 2024, 2025 has been a year of many positive steps forward. I now have NDIS support, I’ve started a job at the Jurien Bay CRC where I’m learning so many new skills, and I’ve taken steps to return to university, which I’ll be starting in March. I also now have my dad’s house in my name.

All of this has helped turn what once felt like wishful thinking into something real and achievable. While there are still a few steps ahead of me, I genuinely believe now that the future I want is possible.

These positive moves have done wonders for my wellbeing, and I’m heading into 2026 feeling hopeful, grounded, and ready for what’s next. 🌱

This is my second time growing native wildflowers at home.

I gave a new species a go at growing this year, which is 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑝. 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎 or the 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, which I had great success with, and hopefully they appear again next spring, and I'll sow more of their seed too.

You never know when you're trying to grow something new if you'll be successful, but that's half the fun in growing wildflowers, and the reward of gorgeous flowers is a pretty good one.

This is another Australian wildflower from the garden.

𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑎, native to Western Australia, is also known as the 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞-𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 and 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐲, which blooms from late spring to early summer and is quite at home in coastal sandy soils. When flowering en masse, they make for a terrific splash of colour.

They are easy to grow for the novice gardener, and with a bit of know-how on collecting seed and propagation, you can grow these beauties whenever you like.

This is the first of a series of photos of a botanical theme.

My first offering is of an Australian native wildflower grown in the garden last year, which is 𝑋𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑟𝑦𝑠𝑢𝑚 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑚, commonly known as the 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫.

These are easily grown in the home garden and definitely live up to their name. Unfortunately, none of them appear in the garden this year, but hopefully I'm successful next time.

Recently, I was the photographer for a community dog show. It was a great morning, and it felt nice to feel useful, doing something that comes easily to me.