Warren Keelan — The Coastline Magazine

Warren Keelan is a multi-international award winning seascape and ocean photographer based in the Illawarra South Coast region of NSW, Australia.

His images have been awarded highly in the prestigious photographic competitions: International Landscape Photographer of the Year, International Photo Awards, International Monochrome Awards, Epson International Pano , Siena International & International Loupe Awards and has received local and international recognition via TV, radio & newspapers.

Warren opened his first photo gallery in Wollongong where he feels extremely privileged to be able to showcase and sell his printed works to both local and international clients."

Warren KeelanSeascapes & Ocean Art Gallery
84c Kembla Street, Wollongong NSW Australia 2500

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AWAKENING - I've lived in Wollongong for the best part of a decade and only a stones through from Belmore Basin which boasts one of the only promenades on the East Coast two feature two lighthouses. Neither of these are currently functional but they are considered an iconic feature of Wollongong and the surrounding region. As I type this, we are currently entering a third month of lockdown and with travel restrictions in place I made a decision to focus on and make new seascapes of the local area. This is one of my many attempts at interpreting something that's been shot a million times, and then some. Wollongong's Breakwater Lighthouse captured on sunrise from the ocean's surface.

EMANATE - If I was asked to choose an image that represents my work as a whole, I'd have a hard time narrowing it to one, but this would definitely be in my top three. However, any credit really has to go to Nature, I'm just in the right place to capture it at the right time. I'm fascinated by the resulting ephemeral sculptures created when waves collide.

SEAHORSE - This image is the result of many, many hours staring through a lens from the water at a particular East Coast wave - one as frightening as it is beautiful. At the widest end of a 70-200mm I reckon it was more luck than anything to get this thing in full frame. This wave defies both logic and gravity but it's ultimately the most mesmerising and scary thing I've seen from within the ocean. So far it's claimed two camera bodies and telephoto lenses from me, along with a little bit of skin.

EMERGE - Photographs of sharks always provoke feeling. Like most surfers I always had a healthy appreciation (if you can call it that) of sharks and the unknown. I'd seen quite a few shark species over the many years I've spent on or in the water, but it wasn't until I had the opportunity to see big Whites down in Port Lincoln, SA did it really change my perception of them. An awe inspiring animal which are as cunning and intelligent as they are intimidating. We still have so much to learn about and from these creatures - there's a reason they've been on our planet for 450 million years. This image is part of a breach sequence captured on its decent back into the water.

SILENT SEA - I love the challenge of capturing the energy and flow of moving ocean water using slow shutter panning techniques. However I actually find the process of making of these kinds of images more rewarding than the final product - it's a kind of therapy in a way. I have a healthy number of image folders full of abstracts like this which I've never looked through. In the right frame of mind (or with a glass of red in hand) I'll give them some energy. It's always nice to rediscover images and what they evoke as time goes by.

PYRAMID - It wasn't until I equipped myself with a water housing did I really begin to appreciate the infinite wonders & anomalies of the sea. I love the form it creates when multiple liquid energies move through each another. This is one of my favourite unbroken waves.

SPIRIT - I love how something naturally occurring, like a bird flying overhead or a random solar flare can add something extra to an existing moment. Rainbows are a phenomenon I have been fascinated with since I took up photography and I'm always looking skyward under the right elements for the next one. For me, this image represents the countless hours invested in anticipation and being present in that moment when it finally happens. I guess that's what makes photography so personal, and so personally rewarding.

This wave can be as fickle as it is phenomenal, but its always worth the early morning venture. At the right time of the year, and with a certain swell direction the sun can penetrate this vortex, appearing as though it was lit from within. Shot with a 24-70mm at 24mm.

Using one art form to capture another. The hit rate for successfully capturing humans in slow motion is generally pretty terrible, but I guess it’s why they are so rewarding when they finally work. I’m lucky where I live to have somewhat of a natural amphitheatre looking down onto a liquid canvas and there’s never a shortage of decent local wave riders when the ocean’s alive. Captured handheld at 1/3 sec.

I’ve always been more interested in seeing images that aren’t always apparent – hence my love of the abstract. A distant light dancing on the ocean’s surface after dark - captured at 200mm.

I love how something naturally occurring, like a bird flying overhead or a random solar flare can add something extra to an existing moment. Rainbows are a phenomenon I have been fascinated with since I took up photography and I’m always looking skyward under the right elements for the next one. For me, this image represents the countless hours invested in anticipation and being present in that moment when it finally happens. I guess that’s what makes photography so personal, and so personally rewarding.