My Mid Life Escape by Fenna de King

Childhoods spent diving, sailing, exploring the reefs then a slight hiccup where our daily lives revolved around horses .. ok 20 plus years !!

I’ll never forget that life changing moment when Jas came home and said we need to get back into the ocean ….we needed that change so in our mid 40’s we took up surfing … we took the gentle approach that seemed to suit where we were heading, so armed with long boards, surrounded by ‘people’ that have now become life long friends, we were guided, months spent standing up, falling off we were suddenly in our happy place. My name is Fenna de King, I take photos & surf and we live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

I’d sit on the rocks when the ocean became big and watch, I’m quite aware of my confidence in the water so I’d sit mesmerised by the beauty of the surfers in front of me .. it just seemed natural to pick up a camera and try to capture the images. My father was a keen photographer, mainly black and white, all film, we'd spend hours watching him develop film.

Me .. I picked up a camera a few years back now and I’ve sat for hours clicking away, watching, learning and listening to those around me.

I’m constantly experimenting, filtering out the negatives, embracing the positives. In the past 12 months I’ve finally managed to get in the water with the camera and that’s just brought a whole new aspect into my photography. The laughter and the excitement when you’re out there paddling around with people .. you can’t bottle that stoke !! Literally the hardest thing these days is deciding whether you paddle out with friends or pick up the camera … on the plus side, if you swim out with the camera you’re still immersed in the moments !!

It’s been an incredible journey, that I hope will continue to slowly grow .. I’m constantly thankful to every single person that has paddled out in front of me, shared my photos and given me that little bit of confidence to believe in what I’m doing !! Thank you Surf Visuals for that gentle reminder every now and again to get this into you !!  

Insta: @fenna.deking

Web: www.fennadeking.com

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