Page 13 - Port Douglas Magazine 31

DEPTH OF FIELDS

WORDS by Jeremy LeBeuf

The saying goes “beauty is in the eye of If you’re not doing something in life that you don’t You see Reuben’s not one to shy away from an
the beholder” but when the beholder is absolutely love then your whole world can seem adventure, he’s happiest when he’s taking a bite out
as flimsy as a house of cards. You go through your of life. It’s peak is when he’s climbing to unseen
an amazingly talented up and coming
days just waiting for the whole thing to collapse. heights, chowing down on raw adrenaline and
photographer, then the beauty is shared
Having that feeling just after graduating in fresh air with the sweet desserts of jaw dropping
with millions. mountain top views rarely witnessed. Capturing
business, Stephen wasn’t having any of it, and
With a flair for capturing the nuances of life, with an ace up his sleeve he pursued a calling. these moments have become a signature for him
Reuben Nutt has taken some unreal shots, a click Not waiting for a knock, he walked through the often highlighting the unbridled beauty of Port
from his camera having the power to turn tourism door of opportunity, cutting his teeth in the high Douglas and Daintree, plus he looks really cool
destinations into worldwide celebrated icons. If stress game of wedding photography, and he standing silhouetted on the edge of a rainforest
you’re unfamiliar with his work, you only need to never looked back. cliff.
look at any recent Tourism Queensland campaign He faced a familiar dilemma as his Dad when he
Whether it’s fashion, food, travel or art - over the
or check out what’s trending on Instagram. finished University: “Do you follow your dreams
decades Stephen’s creative eye has captured it.
The sun has really turned it on, like it usually does What has been the key to his unending success? or chain yourself to a desk?” Well, nobody puts
in Tropical Port Douglas, on the morning I sit Stephen takes a sip of his latte: “You just have Reuben in the corner! He took his “play” of the
down with renowned photographers Stephen and to be willing to do what it takes,” he says. “You snapping art to the next level and continued to
Reuben Nutt. We aptly meet at the charmingly constantly need to reinvent yourself, loving what develop his style. An unconventional shutterbug,
photogenic Whileaway Café and Bookshop. you do and keep pushing to have an edge in the he is entirely self-taught with a photography
A quaint table in the back gives us unrushed game.” PHD (Passion. Hustle. Desire.) that gives him
time to chat, another thing that cruisy Port a swagger to do things differently. The game
Still in his prime he’s not showing any sign of
Douglas does well. However I learn when you’re changer came at a time when he started sharing
slowing down, having just recently taken on
a sought-after photographer you are very busy his content in little squares on a relatively new
an experiential shoot for the Grande Dame of
and Reuben needs to fly out on a photoshoot App that was about to blow up – Instagram.
Douglas, the Sheraton Grande Mirage, while still
shortly. “Reuben is spending more time hanging “I started to post my pics on Instagram to share
making a splash on social media with one stellar
out of helicopters these days,” says Stephen with with friends,” he says as his eyes light up, “then
image of an infinity pool cascading into the
a smile of admiration for his son as we chat about the engagement started to go crazy, I was getting
Coral Sea lit up after being reshared by Tourism
Reuben’s upcoming trip. Stephen himself is no hundreds of thousands of likes!” Pinging off the
Australia.
stranger to capturing astonishing aerials having hook, his images were being reshared and shown
leant out of his fair share of whirlybirds at a time around the globe. The DMs came in fast and
when drones were still something written about AGE OF CONTENT furious by the likes of Flight Centre and Tourism
in science fiction novels. Queensland looking to share his squares.
Coming from good stock, I guess you could say
It doesn’t take long to see the undeniable
that photography was in the cards for Reuben. “I That was his “Ah ha” moment - life started to take
similarities between father and son, while the
started just filming stuff when I was younger, I’d shape: “I wanted to travel places, I had no money,
parallels in their careers make for an uncanny
do tricks with a deck of cards and put them on no cares, I just needed to go.” With nothing to
subplot to their stories. But it’s their shared
YouTube,” he says, “I was just playing around but lose he was on his way. “I booked a $50 one-way
pursuit of telling the story of the unbridled I was learning too.” Enthusiasm oozes when he ticket to the Whitsundays and contacted Tourism
beauty of Port Douglas Daintree and nourishing
speaks of his passions, this zest a byproduct of his Queensland to see if I could do anything for
the nature up here that captivates me.
thrill-seeking spirit. them.” As luck would have it the tourism body
PORT DOUGLAS MAGAZINE 13