Photograph Title: To the Lineup, The Pass
Date of Photograph: January 22, 2025
Location: Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Camera Details: Leica Q2
Focal Length 28mm
Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
Aperture f/6.3
ISO 400
This is The Pass, Byron Bay’s iconic right-hand point break, where long, clear waves peel across the shallows along a curving shoreline toward the Cape. That energy is shown in To the Lineup, The Pass, one of my favorite images from the collection.
Photographed using a Leica Q2, To the Lineup is focused on telling a story of The Pass, not just what the scene looks like. Using the Leica’s fixed 28mm focal length, I was able to capture the foreground, middle ground, and background in a single frame, with clarity and depth. The wide-angle perspective gives the photograph a strong sense of place, allowing you to feel immersed in the landscape. It’s hard not to imagine yourself there!
I like to think of my photography as an open invitation to step into the scene and join the crowd. In To the Lineup, distinct characters coexist within the frame, each contributing to a larger story unfolding at the Pass. These are some of my favorite storylines within the image:
My eye is drawn to the two surfers walking across the foreground toward the lineup. The Leica Q2’s 28mm focal length emphasizes foreground elements, giving them visual prominence within the frame. What interests me about these surfers, and the others throughout the image, is that the surf break itself isn’t visible from this point-of-view. Its presence is instead implied through the movement and rhythm of surfers arriving and returning across all areas of the frame.
Another area of focus within To the Lineup, is the sunbathers nestling in for the day in the background. Fleeting moments unfold throughout the frame: a woman reading while working on her tan, kids swimming in the shallows, teenagers trekking toward the lineup with their boogie boards. No matter how many times you return to the image, there is always something new to notice.
Talk about idyllic colors! Crystal clear waters, soft pale blues, and earthy, tonal greens create a visual exhale. The combination of warm tan sand on the left side of frame to the layered blues of water and sky on the right reinforces both the serenity of the image and the relaxed energy of Byron Bay.
Pair this photograph with our oak frame to draw out the earthy tones, or choose a white frame to make the blues pop; you’ll have a Byron Bay escape without the plane trip!
