Just after 4am almost every day, the rising sun begins its artistic frenzy and splatters the sky with pinks and yellows, saturating the skyscape like there will be no tomorrow.
Under this riotous canopy, photographer Aamie Cush begins her ritual, a walk of five kilometres that skirts the object of her passion – the beaches of Coolum. As her feet beat out the rhythm of the breaking dawn, her eyes scour the ever-moving waves, looking at the colours, textures and tones of the water and for a shift in light that can, sometimes, create magic.
With her camera, Aamie captures it often and well – so well she was recognised earlier this year at the 2025 Australian Photographic Prize, one of Australia’s most prestigious photography competitions.
The competition attracted more than 2500 entries from 21 countries and celebrated the finest photographic artistry across multiple genres.
Aamie’s distinctive ocean-inspired photos earned her a silver with distinction in the landscape category and highly commended accolades for two additional images.
Entering the competition was a step outside her comfort zone, but Aamie says the experience ultimately felt affirming and encouraging, bringing a sense of belonging in the competitive and demanding industry she is part of.
“Being in the water has always been my calm and my reset,” she says. “To have my work recognised on such a large stage, alongside incredibly talented photographers from around the world, is both humbling and exciting.”
Aamie, 46, is Sunshine Coast born and bred, and Coolum is where her heart and soul reside.
Both she and her father Dave are proud life members of the Coolum Beach Surf Life Saving Club and she has watched the community flourish and broaden over the course of her life.
“I have only ever lived here, but no matter where I have visited, I am drawn to the water,” she says. “My original business idea was to share that with others. Not everyone is so lucky, and I consider if I can capture a scene – a moment of chill out time – and share that, it might bring people who are a long way from that some calm.”
It has not always been smooth sailing for the family. When Aamie was in her mid-20s, her older brother died by suicide. The serenity and constancy of the ocean helped to ease some of the initial shock and grief. She says that one terrible incident taught her never to take anything for granted.
“It is true for many people that the ocean has a calming effect, and it is certainly true for me,” she says.
“Even on a shitty day, it offers peace for me to sit near the ocean and have my feet in the sand. To lose my big brother – he was 32 – made me aware of the need for us all to take care of our mental health. Everyone has struggles sometimes and it is important to pause, appreciate and reset.”
Aamie’s children, aged 14 and 11, share her love of the water, but their passions lie in terrestrial activities such as dancing and football.
She says her husband Cain Tomkins is her biggest fan. It was Cain who set the wheels in motion for Aamie to explore in-water photography, encouraging her to be patient when she first started working with a waterproof casing.
“It was really frustrating at first, because once the camera is in the water housing, it is not as controllable. There are limits on the button access and adaptability, so it took a little while to get used to it and feel like I was able to capture the images in the way I wanted to. But with time and practice, I got familiar with it and it has become an essential tool in my work.”
The student has become the teacher, with Aamie now delivering workshops in underwater photography to those keen to sample this particular technical skill.
Like many photographers, Aamie has woven her art together with other work. She has a background in childcare, teaching swimming and still works as a teacher’s aide at a local school. She launched her own photography business, My Salty Life, more than a decade ago, but has had a camera in hand much longer than that.
Aamie also produces some land-based photography, albeit with a beachy twist. She captures mothers-to-be waterside in all their blooming glory and loving couples in the wind-swept grey-green dunes. And she says capturing family groups in relaxed, natural moments is deeply satisfying – her calm, candid approach facilitates catching something real with her camera rather than contrived in a frame.
So often, the magic is found in the fleeting, in-between moments. In all her work, Aamie prides herself on keeping it honest.
Sharing her talent with the world in the shape of framed pictures on walls means Aamie’s love of the ocean is displayed and savoured in places far from the Earth’s fringe and her beloved Coolum beaches.
And her love is renewed with each breaking dawn.
“I love to get out there before the world is awake,” she says. “It takes me back to when Coolum was a little town, a quiet beach town.
“A lot has changed, for sure, but its lifeline – the ocean – never fails to soothe the mind, recharge the soul and bring me back to myself.”