How Aquabumps' Eugene Tan became our coastline's most creative ambassador
Photographer Eugene Tan, perhaps better known by his online alias Aquabumps, has been shooting Sydney's infamous Bondi Beach for almost 20 years. He says it's the way Bondi changes – and the way it stays the same – that keeps him coming back.
"Bondi has changed a lot in the village. New buildings, new people, new amenities, and shops," the Sydney native and Canon Master Photographer tells 9Elsewhere.
"On the beach...it's pretty much the same as it's always been."
But that doesn't mean he's getting bored. In fact, his foray into aerial photography has given him a unique perspective on his favourite subject – and has earned him a worldwide fan base of more than 100,000 followers on Instagram alone.
Related: See 10 of Tan's most-popular aerial shots of beaches around the world
"I've kept to my formula quite tightly over my 18 years of shooting – beach, water, aerials," he explains.
"I shoot for myself, and what I like to look at. I'm just lucky I've dedicated myself to shooting the beach as plenty of other people appreciate that topic as well – especially on social media."
Tan got into aerial photography almost by accident, when his wife gifted him a helicopter flight over Sydney for Christmas a decade ago.
Since then, he's racked up hundreds of flights and many more hours of flight time capturing some of his most-popular shots of our most-famous coastlines.
But while he'll always love Bondi, Tan has taken his operation worldwide, shooting everywhere from California to New Zealand to the South of France.
"My red-hot favourite at the moment is Italy. It's timeless. I've shot images there that would pass for [something from the 1960s]," Tan reminisces.
His love of the Italian coastline is a bit of a break from tradition, because shore breaks and soft sand – like those found on the coasts of Fiji, Hawaii, and Indonesia – have been his focus for so long.
But, no matter where he is, Tan says he gains a whole new level of appreciation for the globe's incredible landscapes when shooting from the top down.
"Shooting from the air is a totally different perspective," he explains.
"The ocean appears very blue. The colours are emphasised. I love that. You see things that not many people get to see."
Speaking to Canon Australia, Tan explains how his passion has made him a kind of self-appointed ambassador for our country.
"I hope my photographs show to people outside of Australia that we have a very diverse coast," he says.
"It's a big place, and [I hope they] spend some time travelling around and seeing it all."
