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)
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At workshops/tours:
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!
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. Thank you so much for making it an amazing day. I hope to book a similar experience in the future. 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 just wanted to say how much everyone enjoyed your gig as the guest judge last night. It really did go down well. 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. Thank you so much for your great work with the night sky photography workshops. The feedback has been very positive. 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. 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 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. 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 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 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 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. Thank you for the great weekend – we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot in the process. 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. 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. 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…. 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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
As photographer:
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. 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! Love your photos, in your work l see a beautiful person with a lot of inner peace. Spectacular ! exquisite marriage of your artistic eye and technology ! I love how your photos of the Blue Mountains captures her in all her splendour and moods. 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. 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. 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 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.” So beautiful! Take it from a watercolour artist, you are an artist!!! Keep ’em coming. 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. 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! Love your photography. Its very inspiring. Just want to visit those places. Thanks Your photos captured the beautiful essence and soul of The Blue Mountains. Make me feel like I’m there. homesick feeling. Bless your gift 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 Gary, you have a special eye for photography they have depth, contrast, greatness, you make us feel that we are standing in a lookout with the Blue Mountains in front of us. Thank you for sharing your photographs with us. 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. 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!
Love your photos, in your work l see a beautiful person with a lot of inner peace. Amazing work, Gary’s photos are so beautiful! I find the most beautiful photographs taken of a place tend to be those captured by the photographer who not only sees the colour and beauty of the landscape but is also able to feel it’s majesty and energy. Gary Hayes shows he has a deep passion for his beloved Blue Mountains and each of his photographic images portray emotion and feeling by making use of subtle light and shade created by some of the most dramatic sunrises and sunsets to touch the rugged cliffs and ridges of one of my favourite places in Australia. 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 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. 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’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. 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. Outstanding. You are inspiring others with your talented work, valuable insights and generous spirit. Thank you! Your photos captured the beautiful essence and soul of The Blue Mountains. Make me feel like I’m there. homesick feeling. Bless your gift 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. Breathtaking & peaceful & wow! Beautiful images of the majestic Blue mountains 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. 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. Gary P Hayes, you take the most spectacular photos 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. Love your photography. Its very inspiring. Just want to visit those places. Thanks The dramatic dance of light over the Blue Mountains from the sunrise to the sunset … thank you very much for sharing them! 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 Inspires me to get out an take more photos, though not nearly as well! Gary, you have a special eye for photography they have depth, contrast, greatness, you make us feel that we are standing in a lookout with the Blue Mountains in front of us. Thank you for sharing your photographs with us. 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 captures the mystery and essence of the Blue Mountains. Thanks for inspiring me Gary 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. 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. 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. Your sensitive and succinct images of my beloved upper Blue Mountains brings me great joy.
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