If you haven’t heard of Northern Illawarra local, Brad Chilby, that’s okay, you’ll more than likely know his images. This local photographer runs Chilby Photography and has been taking breathtaking images of the area for years. He has also been hiking and adventuring in the Illawarra outdoors since he was seven years old and it shows. He has the eye of someone who knows the area well, knows how a rock pool will look in a certain light, the best waterfalls to photograph after rain, and which beach is well-positioned for pink and gold sunsets.

Brad had one of those awesomely active childhoods, filled with sport, especially soccer. Growing up in a suburb backing onto the escarpment, he also spent hours with friends traipsing around Broker’s Nose. They even built the quintessential, two-storey, childhood cubby house. It’s this time spent out in the bush, appreciating the Illawarra’s wildlife and beauty, that lead to Brad first picking up a camera.

It started out as a bit of hobby, basic camera in tow, but he soon realised he could combine his love for photography with his love for hiking and adventuring throughout the region. “In 2009 I thought it was a great opportunity to combine these interests [hiking and adventuring] with photography. But more importantly, I could share the incredible environment we live in with those who were not able to explore nature as I could, in person.”

Brad’s biggest love is photographing wild and remote locations. He says, “I absolutely love chasing and photographing snow and will take every opportunity to get that perfect photograph! I also love chasing waterfalls after rain.”

Some of his most recognisable and loved images are those of places we all know: Wollongong Harbour and lighthouse, Sea Cliff Bridge, Mt Keira and Bald Hill. I think this is due to the way he takes these places that we know so well and casts them in a different light, such as photographing them during wild seas or lit up with a full sky rainbow. But Brad thinks there’s more to it. “I post a lot of these common places around the Illawarra and South Coast area, because it is so photographic and because I have found many locals and former locals have fond memories of these areas. I am often told that my photos bring back good memories of growing up in the Illawarra.”

He still explores Broker’s Nose and reckons he’s been up it hundreds of times. But now he takes his wife and two-year-old daughter with him. His daughter clearly has an affinity for the area already and will yell, “Daddy! Broker’s Nose!” when they are driving past random bushland. 

When I asked him for his three favourite places to shoot in the Illawarra, Brad replied, “This is actually a very hard question! There are so many amazing spots locally it is hard to name just three.” But he did it, although I suspect these are not in any particular order (Broker’s Nose is No. 3.)

Brad's top 3 places to shoot in the Illawarra

1. My favourite sunset location is Little Austinmer Beach, especially in summer. It’s one of the only beaches in the Illawarra positioned well to photograph at sunset. For sunrise all of our beaches are amazing.

2. Lake Illawarra, Primbee Jetty. I have heard the jetty has just been replaced with a modern jetty. This was one of my favourite locations for sunset, I quite like the old, weathered timber jetty. Boonerah Point Jetty at Mount Warrigal is equally as good for sunset photos as both jetties face into the sunset and the lake is often nice and calm in the late afternoon for some nice reflections.

3. Broker’s Nose. I love shooting Broker’s Nose. I used to stare at it all the time as a kid wishing I was up there when I wasn’t. It is a little tricky to photograph from the town as there isn’t many places you can shoot it without house or powerlines so you have to be creative with this one. But even more so, I love shooting the rainforest on the steep slopes of Broker’s Nose, especially with fog and in rain. The weather transforms the amazing forest into something magical, a real wilderness feel, despite being so close to the city of Wollongong.

If reading this has made you keen to get behind the lens, or even, get better behind the lens, Brad runs short photography lessons and full-day guided courses where you can head out into some of the best locations in the Illawarra and learn on-site. For details and prices, head here

You can purchase one of Brad’s incredible images at www.chilby.com.au or if you want your social media feed to be full of beautiful images of the Illawarra, follow him on Facebook and Instagram