AS dark clouds begin to gather on the horizon out in the eastern Wheatbelt, a spark of excitement ignites within Kylie Gee as she gathers her things and heads out the door.
While the storm looms closer and the first crack of lightning appears, Kylie is not looking for shelter, but is ominously-placed in the middle of a paddock with camera in hand, ready to get one of the amazing shots she has become known for.
For Kylie, being captivated by the weather came before her love of photography, so now it only seems natural that the two go hand-in-hand with her business, Indigo Storm Photography.
Growing up in Horrocks, Kylie recalls watching storms roll in over the ocean and trying to capture their rugged beauty on a simple point and shoot Kodak camera.
It took many rolls of film and a few years later before she realised that it was all about the shutter speed.
“From the moment I captured that first bolt on camera I was hooked and as any storm chaser/weather photographer will tell you – it’s highly addictive,” Kylie said.
“Being able to freeze the moment a lightning bolt strikes and record that really is the best feeling.
“The results are just fascinating.”
Life has taken Kylie down an interesting route, which has seen her live and work in some of the State’s most remote and isolated locations.
It’s only been in recent years that she has taken on photography as a serious business, but those earlier memories have inspired her to revisit those remote locations to capture their unique and striking landscapes.
Photography had always been an enjoyable hobby for Kylie, but it wasn’t until she realised she could control the final image using different exposure settings, apertures and angles that she became fully immersed.
“Most people leave their camera on auto but once you make the move to manual and take control of your camera, the options are endless,” she said.
“For a long time I took photos for my own pleasure and with the rise of social media I started to share my ‘snaps’ with friends.
“I received a lot of encouragement and I think that spurred me into taking my hobby to the next level and I subsequently signed up for an online diploma course in photography, set up my business and it kind of went from there.
“I think it’s like most things you are passionate about – once you realise and acknowledge that passion it’s hard to let go.”
After beginning her studies, Kylie set up a dedicated Facebook page for her photography and soon began receiving inquiries to purchase her images which led to her website development.
She also has a small gallery in the Horrocks General Store, which came about after a friend suggested Kylie compile her images of the Horrocks Jetty to create a calendar – which is going into its fourth year and last year also included a Wheatbelt Calendar.
Part proceeds of the Horrocks Calendar are directed to the Horrocks Community Centre, while part proceeds from the Wheatbelt Calendar are donated to the Autism Association of WA – an organisation that is close to Kylie’s heart after her eldest daughter’s diagnosis with severe autism at the age of two.
“It feels right to give back to a community and an organisation which supported me greatly in the past,” she said.
Kylie and her family have been living in the Wheatbelt for the past decade and these days they are based at Southern Cross, with Kylie admittedly quite consumed by “storm season”, which generally rolls from October through to April.
She’s passionate about her region and State, and sharing with others just how beautiful the sunsets are and how a dramatic summer storm can transform the sky into a riot of colour and accentuate pale yellow stubble against a deep red earth.
“It just doesn’t get much better,” she said.
“Every storm is different as is every sunset and sunrise.
“The light, the colour, the cloud structure is unique and I think that keeps it interesting – you just never know what you’re going to get when you head out with your camera.
“At the start of the season it can be a love/hate relationship as storms out here in the Wheatbelt can often wreak havoc on farms, causing widespread damage and total loss of crops ready for harvest.
“I have many good friends who are farmers and I feel their devastation.
“It’s hard to want to share photos of those storms without feeling like I am betraying the farming community in some way but I guess at the end of the day we can’t control the weather, fires will still start from a lightning strike whether I’m there photographing it or not.”
Being so exposed to the elements means the contents of Kylie’s camera bag differ slightly to the norm, as along with her Canon 5diii and lenses, filters, cable releases, lightning triggers and batteries, there’s the all-weather cover, fly repellent, lip balm and ant dust.
Kylie describes her style of photography as documentary with an artistic edge – she likes to capture a scene and use post processing to add her own interpretation of it, pushing the boundaries of photography into the artistic realm.
But not every image receives the digital treatment.
“More often than not the beauty of a stunning sunset speaks for itself and needs no touching up,” she said.”
“I think as a landscape photographer you become very tuned in to your environment and are always looking for photo opportunities at every turn.
“This makes you stop and constantly look around you and in doing so you learn to appreciate the beauty in the landscape, how it changes with the seasons and how it responds to changes in weather.
“I think at the very heart of landscape photography you want to capture that and share it with others.”
Since starting her business Kylie has made some wonderful, talented and inspirational friends within the industry and was grateful to be part of such a supportive community.
She plans to share her knowledge and is in the process of setting up local photography workshops including photography for beginners, landscape and astrophotography workshops.
Last year she added a drone to her camera arsenal and has recently obtained an Aviation Reference Number and under the new Remotely Piloted Aircraft legislation, can now fly her drone commercially, which will create new opportunities.
“This is the direction I intend to pursue so I am busy learning as much as I can about drone photography,” she said.
“My eldest son Bailey also shares a passion for drone photography and capturing his travel and fishing experiences.
“Sharing this has been an awesome experience and one I see continuing.
“My biggest plan for the future really is to just keep on going, travel and seeing where this photography journey takes me.”
