Capturing the moment of pause in new Bellarine exhibition

Melbourne photographer Brian Ellwood has opened the doors of his first solo exhibition, Moments of Pause, at Café Zoo in Drysdale.

The collection features wildlife and landscapes, capturing the connection with animals and Ellwood’s engagement with the landscape.

Ellwood said the exhibition is about expressing where he finds his moments of being able to pause after moving from a high-pressure, full-time job.

“My focus is all about landscapes and life and just really wanting to connect, it’s not just taking a photo, but really trying to capture something and what it means at the time to me.”

Being able to capture and express what he sees in nature with his artistic interpretation is what he enjoys most about photography.

Ellwood has two rules in life: when going out and about, always take a camera; and never leave too soon.

“That’s paid off for me so many times in just waiting until well after the sun has set and then suddenly there’s this flash of light in the twilight that nobody else sees; that for me is the key.

“Looking through the lens and making direct eye contact with an animal, there’s a connection and that’s what I capture.”

The photographer has always had a love for the craft and after stepping away from the corporate world he’s been able to pursue it more, with the first image of the exhibition taken in Africa.

Ellwood described the time an elephant walked up to his vehicle, making eye contact with him as a moment of closer connection with the animal and the landscape, resulting in one of his favourite exhibition images.

“Every single image, when I look at it I’m back in that spot, in that moment,” he said

“If people look at the images and have some connect, and it has a meaning of connecting them back to our natural environment, that’s really important for me.”

For Ellwood, he really wants people to see the value of what’s in the natural world and the value of it on wellbeing and mental health.

“What I’m wanting to achieve is really just taking people into an image and they hopefully find some peace or some connection or something like that.”

The official launch of the exhibition took place on May 17.

For more information, head to brianellwoodmoments.com.au