Below are people who have spent time with Gary as guide, workshop leader or are a general admirer of his work. (page will refresh with new testimonial order every 30 mins or so)
Thank you so much for adding your thoughts and if you haven’t already, please add your own testimonial/review using the form at the bottom of the page, takes a minute max:
At workshops/tours:
I took the Autumn colours workshop in April, and it was the time when the colours started to peak for the season. Gary was so knowledgeable about the area around Blue mountains and he took us to different spots with wonderful colours. His camera, composition and post production knowledge is commendable and he kept the learning process smooth to make it much easier. He was kind enough to pick up and drop from the train station and also providing lunch/snacks to keep your energy up. Best learning experience and a special mention to his gallery right near a viewpoint!! 🙂 Thank you so much, Gary! I had one day to do some photography during a recent visit to Australia. The Blue Mountains were an obvious choice due to their proximity to Sydney. A friend recommended that I ask Gary to guide me through the park. Gary is exceptionally prompt, gracious, and friendly. We visited many areas of extraordinary beauty. He provided ample, valuable advice on how to best shoot in each location. He is knowledgeable about the area’s geological evolution and biodiversity. During my next visit to Australia, I am definitely returning to the Blue Mountains to do another shoot with Gary. I cannot say enough good things about this experience.
I just wanted to say how much everyone enjoyed your gig as the guest judge last night. It really did go down well. Gary’s Photgraphy workshops are great! Not to mention the landscape photography he does. I attended one of Gary’s photography workshops earlier this year. Gary is not only a talented photographer, but also an excellent teacher who is able to impart his deep knowledge in an entertaining and friendly way. Recommended! I recently chose Gary to take me and my photography partner on a customised photography excursion of the upper Blue Mountains. I was familiar with all the tourist locations and wanted local knowledge and expertise to get some great, well composed shots of the Blue Mountains. Gary has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the  mountains. Showed us the most amazing places to capture the best of this area in the perfect light.. Gary was a delight as our guide, friendly and knowledgeable. I was very happy with the photography that I captured and I would highly recommend attending Gary’s workshops.  Gary has a great knowledge of the Mountains and knows the best places to photograph it’s beauty away from the tourist trail.. I will definitely be returning and doing one of Gary’s Workshops this year… thanks to Gary, I will return…. Gary’s expertise is evident in his photographs, and he has encyclopaedic knowledge of the Blue Mountains region. But the first focus of his attention on our landscape photography workshop was getting to know the participants, our skills, and what we were interested in creating aesthetically with our photography. His ability to meet and expand our experience and knowledge is what makes this weekend workshop tick. It was also a great way to get to know this very special part of the world. The weather wasn’t particularly kind to us, but it didn’t matter – what’s bad weather for one photo situation is good for another, and Gary cleverly adapted to the conditions. I learned a lot, gained a new perspective on my fledgling photography skills, had a great weekend, and came away with some fantastic shots. Gary, thank you so much for the experience. Gary’s Autumn Workshop was fantastic. The whole day was extremely well organised and nothing was too much trouble. With Gary’s knowledge of photography combined with his knowledge of the local area his workshops are a must. Highly recommended. I’d like to thank Gary for taking me to some of the lesser known photography locations in the Blue Mountains. Gary’s knowledge of the area is astounding as is his passion and knowledge for photography. I’d highly recommend anyone attend one of Gary’s workshops. I’ve been on a few of Gary’s workshops, and I’ve always both enjoyed them and been able to take away some valuable new skills that have benefited my photography. Great sessions. I did the Waterfalls Workshop last Friday and had a fantastic day. Gary was very patient, a great tutor and he knows where the best photo ops are. Would highly recommend and will be back for some of his other workshops. Recently completed the overnight Astrophotography workshop. Gary was not only knowledgeable and helpful, he showed flexibility in the workshop structure both before and during the night, as the weather wasn’t going to play the game initially. Gary passed on information and techniques in a friendly, easy to understand manner and was both mindful and attentive to the various skill levels within the group and adjusted his mentoring style to suit. After the workshop, Gary was more than happy to field follow up questions via email and offered some valuable guidance once we went into post production. His assistance didn’t stop once we finished the workshop. Thanks Gary, the Mt Victoria area is beautiful and I appreciate the opportunity to capture a small part of it. Thank you for the great weekend – we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot in the process. Thank you so much for making it an amazing day. I hope to book a similar experience in the future. I took the Autumn colours workshop in April, and it was the time when the colours started to peak for the season. Gary was so knowledgeable about the area around Blue mountains and he took us to different spots with wonderful colours. His camera, composition and post production knowledge is commendable and he kept the learning process smooth to make it much easier. He was kind enough to pick up and drop from the train station and also providing lunch/snacks to keep your energy up. Best learning experience and a special mention to his gallery right near a viewpoint!! 🙂 Thank you so much, Gary! I am most grateful for Gary’s time, and photography passion for the Blue Mountains, that he so generously shared with us. Gary has been an excellent tour leader, informative, down to earth, and so knowledgeable about the secret insights of each location that he has explored for so many years. As a result I walked away with images that I would not have been able to get on my own for sure. Even though I’m far away in California, I’m looking forward to take an other tour with you soon. I highly recommend Gary and his wonderful “Hidden Blue Mountains” Workshop. Gary gave us heaps of options to choose from and took us to some spectacular places I had no idea existed. While visiting the Blue Mountains, I found Gary’s Blue Mountains Photography Hotspots guide to be invaluable. Using the grading system (on difficulty of accessibility) I was easily able to find some stunning locations. I’ve been a big fan of Gary’s work for some time and was delighted to have the opportunity to meet up for a last-minute photo tour. Despite being arranged at short notice, I found Gary to be very accommodating as well as both friendly and highly professional. His knowledge of the local area is extremely impressive, particularly away from the main tourist areas (off the beaten track). Thanks to Gary’s assistance, I have come away from The Blue Mountains with a collection of photos that I am very pleased with. I hope to visit again one day and *highly* recommend booking a tour with Gary. You will not be disappointed. Did the astrophotography workshop with Gary. Went to places I didn’t think about, and the wealth of knowledge regarding the Blue Mountains make Gary the perfect guide. Learnt one very important message from the course regarding astrophotography – the foreground is as important as the night sky. The enthusiasm of Gary is sure to inspire you. I can thoroughly recommend this course to anyone who loves photography. I will book more courses in the future. Thank you so much for your great work with the night sky photography workshops. The feedback has been very positive. I had a great time in early August on the Hidden Blue Mountains workshop with Julien, Peter and Gary Hayes. The Gardens of Stone was amazing and Gary’s photographic knowledge is immense. From angles to leading lines, processing, he knows how to convey it to you also, thanks again and catch up sometime. Gary was kind enough to show me some great photography spots in the Blue Mountains. He was very friendly and keen to talk about photography and good photo locations. I also found his Blue Mountains Photography Hotspots guide very useful for my own excursions and planning. I am writing to say how much we all enjoyed your presentation last night at the Upper Blue Mountains Camera Club. We’ve had some very positive comments so far and are very grateful that you came along. Having presenters of your calibre and enthusiasm certainly opens eyes and stimulates interest in the members. You covered so many areas in your chat – all of them interesting, but the take home message( for me at least), was just how hard you work to get the images you need, and how many bases you cover in marketing your work, to make a living from photography. It’s impressive and quite amazing. I arranged the hidden Blue Mountain photography workshop for my hubby’s suprise birthday gift. It was a fantastic experience for him to chill out and do something different away from his workaholic lifestyle. He felt so energetic with all the hiking and wonderful sites visited and of course, photos he never knew he could take himself. Gary was so inspiring and full of knowledge. We highly recommend this workshop for those who want to do something fun and to explore the Blue Mountains from a different perspective. I attended the weekend workshop on waterfalls in the Blue Mountains and, let me tell you, the experience was about more than just photography. Gary’s impressive knowledge of the area and storytelling as a whole means that the technical aspects that you learn have a context and a purpose. The workshop will improving your own photography and appreciation of the area and leave you wanting to head back out to try your new-found skills as soon as possible. Don’t hesitate to book a workshop with Gary… I’m already planning the next one! I just wrapped up a weekend with Gary’s Hidden Blue Mountains workshop and wow it exceeded all my expectations! Gary’s knowledge of the local area is unsurpassed, and he definitely took us to hidden parts of the greater Blue Mountains that are not readily accessed and that have been seldom photographed. I did a photography workshop with Gary and learned lots from spending time with him. What I learned about composition and editing I have been able to apply to my portrait work. The lessons are universal. Also Spending time in the blue mountains in autumn was beautiful way to spend a day out. Thanks Gary. I had one day to do some photography during a recent visit to Australia. The Blue Mountains were an obvious choice due to their proximity to Sydney. A friend recommended that I ask Gary to guide me through the park. Gary is exceptionally prompt, gracious, and friendly. We visited many areas of extraordinary beauty. He provided ample, valuable advice on how to best shoot in each location. He is knowledgeable about the area’s geological evolution and biodiversity. During my next visit to Australia, I am definitely returning to the Blue Mountains to do another shoot with Gary. I cannot say enough good things about this experience. Spent the day with Gary in a small group, improving my drone skills for both video and stills. Very hands-on, plenty of content, well-organised and covered a lot of ground (literally) in a day without ever feeling rushed. Gary knows his stuff, happy to get technical as well as accommodating and encouraging less confident users. It’s a great way to spend the day in a beautiful part of the world. Had a great time on the Starry Night, Astrophotography workshop. Gary was very helpful and knew the area well which gave us great opportunities to capture the night skies. Thanks Gary, I can thoroughly recommend this workshop, learnt lots had fun and all very reasonable. I recently attended the starry night astro photography workshop and it was incredible! Gary’s knowledge of photography, the nights sky and post processing lead to some amazing photos that you can be proud of. Not only was the workshop lots of fun, full of beautiful Blue Mountains locations, Gary also tailored the workshop to our interests. I can’t wait to attend my next workshop. Thank you Gary. Took the Astro course with Gary. Weather wasn’t that hot due to clouds but Gary put the miles in to find the best vantage points for the conditions. Very knowledgeable and happy to pass it on. On behalf of the Blue Mountains Photography Group, and myself in particular, I would like to thank you once again for your wonderful presentation to our club earlier in the year. I found it most enlightening to get an insight to your techniques for capturing such beautiful images and I am sure other members of our club did as well.
The feedback so far is all very positive with a few emails already today giving the thumbs up. Well done, and thank you for making the time to come along.
Gary customised the day for us, and guided us safely to locations that were slightly off the tourist beaten track.
Gary was organised, very knowledgeable about the area and able to suggest a wide variety of locations. He was flexible and very helpful in helping us achieve our goals for the day. He has a wealth of technical knowledge about cameras, and image processing that he was happy to share with us, and was generous with his advice and shared images of the day.
We both had a great day out and now are inspired to visit his list of special locations to return to when we next visit the Blue Mountains. Thank you Gary.
Thank you Gary for your guidance, your willingness to change plans as the weather dictated and your hospitality. i look forward to going on another workshop adventure with you in the future.
His hospitality and guidance was fantastic and we all had a great time exploring unique landscapes.
I can’t wait to join him for another trip to discover even more of this amazing part of Australia.
As photographer:
Talented photographer and educator. Gary constantly explores lesser known areas of the Blue Mountains so knows a multitude of locations. Highly recommend his workshops, approachable and explains complex concepts in an understandable manner. A photographer that takes photos with his heart as well as his eyes. Outstanding. You are inspiring others with your talented work, valuable insights and generous spirit. Thank you! I first met you on the iconic Lincoln Rock – of course at sunset! Your skill and interpretation with your photography has really inspired me. I am not able to get to the places you go to and so I really appreciate your persistence and determination in getting to the locations you get to (and the time of day you get there when you are ‘chasing the light’.) It certainly shows that ‘special something’ in your photography. I appreciate your sharing of the ‘how to get there’ information to many of the great locations in our wonderful Blue Mountains. …and one more – our local camera club certainly appreciated your time of sharing your experience early this year. Love your photos, in your work l see a beautiful person with a lot of inner peace. Love Gary’s photography, have brought several items of his stunning work. I have been following Gary for years and am always in awe of Gary’s work.I doubt whether you will find a more seasoned,hardworking landscape photographer anywhere.A man with RAW talent across a few artistic platforms ,with his willingness to share makes him an outstanding individual in my book.We are blessed to have him reside in the Blue Mountains. There’s a Spiritual quality to his photos. I may sense this because I grew up in the Blue Mountains and I’ve been to Narrow Neck during my younger years. This photo brings back so many memories Beautiful inspiring photos that show the Blue Mountains in all their glory but also hidden aspects, makes me always want to be there that moment when I see one your photos. I highly commend you for being so generous and offering such a thorough and awesome article to the public!! That’s a lot of hard work you put in there! The Blue Mountains has a real resonance and connection with my heart and well-being. Whenever I see Gary’s stunning panoramas I am transported back to the place I love and feel a sense of peace and tranquility. Thank you Gary! Great little gallery with exquisite prints. Gary is a great person to have a chat with and a very knowledgeable and talented photographer as well. Being a photographer myself, I have greatly admired his work for a while and on visiting, simply had to get one of his limited edition prints which is now hanging on my wall! A must see! Gary’s images of the Blue Mountains speak directly to my heart and soul. His spiritual connection to the land is conveyed in every image he captures as a messenger of the heart of this earth. Thank you Gary for wowing me every time with a heart opening moment of pure love! I am constantly impressed by Gary’s photos of the Blue Mountains area, I have lived in the mountains for 35 years and I have seen more beauty, than I ever knew existed in the mountains through his photos. Being in a wheelchair now, means I am limited to the places I can see first hand, I am happy to be able to discover the full scope of Mountains through Gary’s skillful use of the Camera as a medium, to share his spectacular views of the world. Gary has inspired me to get out and take my own views of our beautiful mountains. Love your photography. Its very inspiring. Just want to visit those places. Thanks Your photos of the Blue Mountains take me to my happy place. I love your perception and I especially love your mono photography. It truly show the awe and wonder of a spectacular sight. Gary captures the mystery and essence of the Blue Mountains. Gary’s pictures are like looking through a window , they’re always so clear ,I have never been to your beautiful country ,but feel I know it so well by enjoying his pictures ,some are so wild it’s like looking at a picture of an long forgotten time , and others so lovely they take my breath away at their beauty ,then the ones where the morning mist thru the mountains look like a river raging thru ,I could go on and on , just love seeing Gary’s pictures. As someone who has worked in many outdoors locations in the Blue Mountains for the past few years, I thought I knew the Mtns well. However, since coming across Gary’s work and subsequently being inspired to advance my own photography journey, I have realised how little I really knew. I’m talking about the little things that often go unnoticed. Gary’s dedication and talent captures our beautiful mountains in the most special way. You see heaven in your photos Gary has an eye for the dramatic and this translates into the most majestic photos of the Blue Mountains and Gardens of Stone area. He is an ambassador for our area and shares his love of it world wide. His photos are inspiring and stunning. Your sensitive and succinct images of my beloved upper Blue Mountains brings me great joy. My life has been enriched by Gary’s fabulous photography, and, I have a beautiful framed print of his the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains. Gary’s photographs are extraordinarily beautiful, and, just today I recommended his work to a budding photographer. Amazing. Thanks, Gary. Oh goodness how I love Gary’s photography, he is so creative and wonderful. I have Never had the pleasure of visiting the Blue Mountains, and in the past months he has made the area come alive for me. My partner is Loving that you explain how your achieved the photograph. In fact Ryan tells me that Gary makes the Blue Mountains even more beautiful then what he remembers. Thank you for taking the time to create such magic from nature.” I love how your photos of the Blue Mountains captures her in all her splendour and moods. Your photos and comments are inspiring I look forward to Gary’s daily photograph on FB because he captures magnificent views of places I know and love. Often I can share them with family and friends. Sometimes he posts photos of other places, too, which are also beautiful, but I do prefer his Mountains and Sydney shots.  His photos seem to capture the essence of the spot. I love to see Gary’s photos on FB. He never ceases to amaze me with the way he captures the essence of the stunning landscapes in the Blue Mountains. Just when I think I have seen the best photo yet, he posts another even better one. Thanks Gary for sharing your talent so freely. Wonderful impressions of the BMNP full of atmosphere, showing us the beauty of the unique landscape we are living in. Thank you for sharing your photos with us. Gary’s photography captures the moods, grandeur and mystery of the Blie Mountains. I grew up in the mountains, came back to get married and regularly visit my parents in Blackheath. I haven’t discovered another photographer that captures my mountains. “The Event” proudly hangs on our wall in Central Queensland, a cooling reminder of the beauty of the backdrop to our wedding at George Phillips Lookout … our special event. The mountains are so special to me and you’re the only photographer who captures them as I see them. Gary’s photography skills give me a point of reference to aspire to. His subtle use of black and white and colour shows me new ways to change the mood of a scene, purely by the addition of colour or lack thereof.
Beautiful inspiring photos that show the Blue Mountains in all their glory but also hidden aspects, makes me always want to be there that moment when I see one your photos. As someone who has worked in many outdoors locations in the Blue Mountains for the past few years, I thought I knew the Mtns well. However, since coming across Gary’s work and subsequently being inspired to advance my own photography journey, I have realised how little I really knew. I’m talking about the little things that often go unnoticed. Gary’s dedication and talent captures our beautiful mountains in the most special way. Gary’s photography captures the moods, grandeur and mystery of the Blie Mountains. I grew up in the mountains, came back to get married and regularly visit my parents in Blackheath. I haven’t discovered another photographer that captures my mountains. “The Event” proudly hangs on our wall in Central Queensland, a cooling reminder of the beauty of the backdrop to our wedding at George Phillips Lookout … our special event. The mountains are so special to me and you’re the only photographer who captures them as I see them. Authentic, inspiring images that reflect a intimate respect and knowledge for the Blue Mountain region. There’s a Spiritual quality to his photos. I may sense this because I grew up in the Blue Mountains and I’ve been to Narrow Neck during my younger years. This photo brings back so many memories Spectacular ! exquisite marriage of your artistic eye and technology ! Gary has an eye for the dramatic and this translates into the most majestic photos of the Blue Mountains and Gardens of Stone area. He is an ambassador for our area and shares his love of it world wide. His photos are inspiring and stunning. Gary seems to be able to always catch that perfect sunset or sunrise so words cannot describe how appreciative I am to be able to see our beautiful Australian landscape through his eyes and camera. Gary’s photography skills give me a point of reference to aspire to. His subtle use of black and white and colour shows me new ways to change the mood of a scene, purely by the addition of colour or lack thereof. Thanks for inspiring me Gary The Blue Mountains has a real resonance and connection with my heart and well-being. Whenever I see Gary’s stunning panoramas I am transported back to the place I love and feel a sense of peace and tranquility. Thank you Gary! Beautiful photos Gary P Hayes Gary’s images are without doubt outstandingly beautiful to look at. But further to that, personally, they serve to encourage me in my own passion, provide valuable visual information about the effective use of light in an image and the mastery of great composition. I one day hope to meet Gary, whom i consider to be one my greatest unofficial mentors. Until then… thanks Gary, i look forward to being introduced to the Blue Mountains by you one day soon! My life has been enriched by Gary’s fabulous photography, and, I have a beautiful framed print of his the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains. Gary’s photographs are extraordinarily beautiful, and, just today I recommended his work to a budding photographer. Amazing. Thanks, Gary. Love your photography. Its very inspiring. Just want to visit those places. Thanks Oh goodness how I love Gary’s photography, he is so creative and wonderful. I have Never had the pleasure of visiting the Blue Mountains, and in the past months he has made the area come alive for me. My partner is Loving that you explain how your achieved the photograph. In fact Ryan tells me that Gary makes the Blue Mountains even more beautiful then what he remembers. Thank you for taking the time to create such magic from nature.” Your photos of the Blue Mountains take me to my happy place. I love your perception and I especially love your mono photography. It truly show the awe and wonder of a spectacular sight. In time Gary will be seen as the most prolific Blue Mountains photographer ever and stoked to call him a mate. I really love that he has shown me the Mountains in a way that i will always love it Love your photos, in your work l see a beautiful person with a lot of inner peace. I love your pics the mountains n show people all over the world when I travel , they are spectacular and make me truly believe I live somewhere special I look forward to Gary’s daily photograph on FB because he captures magnificent views of places I know and love. Often I can share them with family and friends. Sometimes he posts photos of other places, too, which are also beautiful, but I do prefer his Mountains and Sydney shots.  His photos seem to capture the essence of the spot. Gary is a fabulous landscape photographer. His in-depth knowledge of the stunning Blue Mountains is unmatched by any other in his field. Gary is an all round nice guy and you won’t regret buying one of his beautiful landscapes or signing up for one of his photography courses. Outstanding. You are inspiring others with your talented work, valuable insights and generous spirit. Thank you! Your photos and comments are inspiring A truly wonderful gallery. Gary is a fabulous photographer with amazing knowledge of the area being a local, and a nice guy to boot. His photos are next to none in capturing the beauty and wonder of The Blue Mountains, and beyond. I love how your photos of the Blue Mountains captures her in all her splendour and moods. A definite fan of Gary’s Facebook page. Love his portrayal of the beautiful Blue Mountains. I have recently renovated, and have a wall that I think needs a Gary photo. I have spent many Years Canyoning in the Blue Mountains and when I see your fantastic Photos brings back all the Memories of the great Times I have had. Keep on showing us your work. I first met you on the iconic Lincoln Rock – of course at sunset! Your skill and interpretation with your photography has really inspired me. I am not able to get to the places you go to and so I really appreciate your persistence and determination in getting to the locations you get to (and the time of day you get there when you are ‘chasing the light’.) It certainly shows that ‘special something’ in your photography. I appreciate your sharing of the ‘how to get there’ information to many of the great locations in our wonderful Blue Mountains. …and one more – our local camera club certainly appreciated your time of sharing your experience early this year. Love Gary’s photography, have brought several items of his stunning work. I consider Gary to be the best landscape photographer in Australia, at least. His photographs & commentary are, to a photographer, inspirational, he truly meditates on light through his lenses I highly commend you for being so generous and offering such a thorough and awesome article to the public!! That’s a lot of hard work you put in there! The Blue Mountains are my happy place, but I can’t get there nearly as often as I’d like. Your photography captures all the moods of the Mountains and feeds my soul until my next visit. Gary P Hayes photography takes me to the places my heart yearns to be Love all of Gary’s photos. Reminds of what a beautiful place I am lucky to live in. Gary captures the mystery and essence of the Blue Mountains. Wonderful impressions of the BMNP full of atmosphere, showing us the beauty of the unique landscape we are living in. Thank you for sharing your photos with us. Visited your gallery on Saturday morning with my wife Mary – impressive collection of shots and very inspiring on numerous fronts. Currently considering joining your workshops and also to tee up some private shoots with three of my close mates in exploring some parts of the Blue Mountains with you. Photos on Facebook doesn’t do justice of the quality of the stuff you capture. Well done and good luck with the gallery. Those photos that you have shared, take me back many many years, sitting in the back of my families ’36 Chev’ meandering up the many hills, twists and turns and looking in awe at the incredible region. Your photos are a joy to see, and now I’m old and living in Brisvegas’, they bring back so many memories. You truly depict nature at it’s finest, and since I’ve taken up a bit of amateur photography, I appreciate even more, how you can capture the ‘essence’. Amazing work, Gary’s photos are so beautiful!
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