Into the storm, under the waves
When he’s not working as chief photographer for The Sydney Morning Herald, Nick Moir moonlights as one of Australia’s leading storm-chasers. For decades, he’s been pointing his camera (often a Nikon) at boiling clouds, high-charged supercells and lightning strikes, capturing nature at her sublime, ferocious best.
Nick’s high-adrenaline habit has flung him into some of the world’s most far-reaching corners. Only a few weeks ago he was traveling through Finland and Latvia — capturing scenes of wild horses, abandoned KGB execution rooms, and the giant stone head of Lenin, sunk into a forest floor.
Lucky for us, he’s made it back home just in time for Brisbane Storyology, the Walkleys’ Festival of Journalism (July 27–28). With ABC Radio’s Emma Griffiths moderating, he’ll be chatting with Gary Cranitch, a wildlife photographer with the Queensland Museum for 35 years, at the Saturday noon session Shooting the Storm.
Nowadays, Gary’s own work gear just as often includes a camera as it does a wetsuit and fins. A passionate campaigner for our nation’s ecosystems, he spends a good chunk of his professional life diving in the tropical waters and reefs of north-eastern Australia, amid rays, corals and turtles. When he surfaces, he is just as much an avid explorer and campaigner for habitats onshore. His images of fish, birds, plants and insects have been published in such journals as Australian Geographic, New Scientist and National Geographic online.
Meeting at Storyology for the first time, Nick and Gary will talk about what it is that compels them to head into places many see as dangerous, inhospitable or alien to mankind. Below, with captions supplied by each photographer, you can see a small (if stunning) stockpile of the treasure of their hunts.
Nick Moir: “Behind the gustfront, dust is blown from ploughed fields near San Angelo in Texas.”
Nick Moir: “A Bearded Dragon warms itself on a isolated road in far South Western NSW as a supercell storm moves eastwards behind it.”
Nick Moir: “A supercell storm near Inverell. Violent thunderstorms affected. wide parts of northern NSW and southern QLD.”
Gary Cranitch: “Not all corals are hard. Some corals are soft and subtle, more like flowers. I was drawn to the softness and delicate nature of this animal, a Leathery Soft Coral, and wanted to show its vulnerability. I guess for me it represents just how much we stand to lose if our coral reef systems are gone forever. This is a macro image from Lady Elliot Island, Southern Great Barrier Reef. The image dimensions are about 3cm squared.”
Gary Cranitch: “I photographed this Manta Ray (Mobula alfedi) late one afternoon on the reef edge at Lady Elliot Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef. I was alone: everyone else I was with got tired and was out of the water — they were keeping an eye on me from shore. For half an hour I hung in the water with this Manta Ray feeding in the water column. It swam around me and under me within a hair’s breadth. Probably one of the best experiences of my life. Manta’s are listed as vulnerable on IUCN list.”
Gary Cranitch: “I was drawn to this scene of a resting Green Sea Turtle at Heron Island. The corals behind remind me of rolling hills — an underwater landscape if you like — and the turtle above looks like he is flying. Green Sea Turtles are an endangered species and we are very lucky to have them in Great Barrier Reef waters. They face many threats, and the most serious ones are man-made.”
Shooting the Storm is an event on Saturday July 28, 12.00–1.00pm at the Palace Barracks Cinemas in Brisbane. It is hosted as part of Storyology, the Walkleys’ Journalism Festival.
Tickets are $30, with discounts available for students and seniors. Book here.
Follow Nick Moir on Instagram and Twitter @nampix.
Follow Gary Cranitch on Instagram @garycranitchphotography.
