Meet Your Guide - Tracey Jones

WORDS by Jamie Jansen

Watching the sun sink behind rainforest-clad mountains at Rex Smeal Park is a quintessential Port Douglas pastime. While most simply soak in the glow over the Coral Sea, local photography expert Tracey Jones encourages you to see it differently, turning it into a lasting memory.

Through her Sunset Photography Tours, Tracey turns this daily ritual into a hands-on experience, guiding participants to capture the magic through their own lens. There is no pressure and no experience required, even a smartphone is more than enough to get started.

The three-hour tours offer a relaxed visual journey through Port Douglas. With small groups capped at six, participants are encouraged to slow down and truly capture the town’s unique character.

The tour begins with a simple introduction to photography before easing into a hands-on experience. Along the way, Tracey offers one-on-one guidance, helping guests understand their camera, work with light and sharpen their eye for detail. As the group moves between locations, she shares stories of Port Douglas’ history and culture.

According to Tracey, Port Douglas is the perfect place for beginners to pick up a camera. “Its simplicity and stunning sunsets, easily captured with basic skills, make it perfect,” she said.

That early appreciation for nature has shaped Tracey’s journey from the start. Growing up in the UK, she first discovered photography during a family trip to South Africa, watching her father capture wildlife on an old film camera, an experience that left a lasting impression.

At the time, it wasn’t an obvious career path, but while at finishing school Tracey found herself drawn to a photography course and decided to follow it. At Anglia Ruskin University, she explored different styles, initially leaning towards advertising and product photography, though her connection to nature remained strong.

“I’ve always loved nature and being creative, and photography combines both passions,” she said.

That passion came into focus during her travels. After graduating, Tracey set off through China, Southeast Asia and Australia. It was in Thailand, while learning to dive, that everything clicked. Introduced to underwater photography by a mentor, she found the perfect intersection of creativity, nature and adventure.

What followed were years spent travelling and working across Southeast Asia as an underwater photographer, capturing marine life and refining her craft.

“One of the most incredible experiences was in Bali,” she recalls. “I was on a dive photographing something small when I turned around and saw a mola mola come up from the deep. It came right up to me, I was completely alone. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen one.”

It was also in Bali that life began to shift. After meeting her partner there, Tracey eventually moved to Western Australia before an opportunity with Quicksilver brought them to Port Douglas.

By then, she had trained as an underwater photography instructor and discovered a passion for teaching. In 2018, she began building her own photography business, offering private lessons alongside her work on the boats.

Today, her work includes sunset tours, photography courses, private lessons and online guidebooks, all grounded in a simple, accessible teaching style. “I don’t care what equipment people have, I can work with anything,” she says.

“It’s those moments when someone looks at their photo and says, ‘I can’t believe I took that’, that’s what I love.”

That approach has been shaped by experience, including teaching an Aboriginal student with no prior experience in technology. “We did weekly lessons for two years,” she says. “I had to get creative, like comparing file storage to baked beans in a cupboard. It really shaped me as a teacher.”

Tracey also runs a stall at the Port Douglas Sunday Markets, where she sells her prints and introduces visitors to Eddie, her cheeky Eclectus parrot. It began as simply bringing him along has grown into the much-loved Eddie Photo Booth, with guests lining up to snap a photo with him perched on their arm or shoulder.

“It’s a fun way for people to take home a memory,” Tracey says. “He absolutely loves it, he knows when it’s market day and gets excited in the car on the way there.”

Whether it’s a sunset on the beach or a moment at the markets, Tracy’s focus is the same: helping people capture something meaningful. “I want people to walk away with a great memory of their time here and knowing they can take great photos,” she says. “It’s something they can keep building on.”

traceyjonesphotography.com