I live in an amazing part of the world and see beauty at every turn. Surrounded by stunning nature – ocean, beaches, forests, farming land, a land of wide blue skies and open spaces. Yes the South West corner of Western Australia. A place many people visit for a brief moment and hardly scratch the surface of what is hidden in this vast land. Perth, the capital of our State is one of the most remote capital cities in the world.

Train travelling watching Europe go by.

Raised on a farm, I’ve grown up with the instinctive and intuitive understanding  and knowledge of my surroundings. The changing seasons, the feel of approaching rain,  the first breath of wind on my cheek in the evening sunset, scorching summer days, the first green shoots of the grass at germination, the brilliantly clear starlit nights, the rise and fall of the moon. The knowledge a mare will birth her foal tonight, the cow will drop her calf in the morning, the caring for orphaned animals and pets of all sorts.  The all invading dust of the sheep yards, the absolute joy of galloping over the land on my trusty horse. Learning to ride a horse bareback as a child and the pain of chilblains in winter after spending days barefoot in the cold winter pastures and creeks whilst catching tadpoles. The sorrow when a 250 year old jarrah tree falls in a storm, the wonder of the spider webs covered in dew on a misty morning, the bush, the silence and the open space. A cherished upbringing with freedom and a love for the land and what it grows. Still a country kid at heart.

I love to travel and experience the rest of Australia and venture to other places of interest half a world away. I am particularly drawn back to Europe over and over again. Perhaps chasing my own heritage and the culture my parents left behind when they came to Australia. My parents arrived in Australia from post war Europe in 1954 and found their little piece of paradise and developed our farm near Boyup Brook. I am forever grateful to them for choosing this part of Australia to call their new home and to make it my birth place.

Since a young age I’ve had a camera – Kodak Instamatic, Pentax K1000 SLR, early digital Fuji and Canon and now my Canon 5D Mark 11 along with my little pocket Nikon waterproof Coolpix and of course my iphone and my ipad. Starting with black and white, then colour slides then colour prints and finally lots of digital images. I’ve been capturing images for the last 50 years and like to share some of what I see through my lens. Jens Lens. Sometimes it’s the momentary light catching an object or scene, shapes, textures or colours that attract my attention, or just a strange gathering of people or items, or unique places and travel memories. The family photos have featured down the years, sometimes rare to find photos of myself as I’m generally behind the camera. I guess there’s usually at least one in each family who takes on the role of the ‘visual recorder’. I have often wondered what happens to everyone’s memories and images if they are not collated or printed or passed down the line. How many captured moments get lost in the passing of a life? Those captured moments frozen in time, and who carries them forward into the future?

If you happen to find me here I hope you enjoy my images and my journey (both backwards in time and forward on journeys).

Jen