Welcome to Blue Sky Images

Blue Sky Images is a concept put together by surf photographer Nigel Arnison, probably better known under the on Surfari name. Nigel has worked as a photographer on the Sunshine Coast since 1999 and with partner Sally Ridyard, has run a successful photography gallery and internet cafe at the Yaroomba shops from 2006 to 2010. Following Yaroomba they opened a gallery in Noosaville from 2010 to 2011. Nigel's pursuit of the perfect wave has taken him to the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Western Australia and Tasmania to mention a few.

Over the years Nigel has photographed a range of sports from Football to Motocross, Ballet to surfing. Using specialist prime lenses BlueSky achieves incredibly sharp images that seperate their work from other photographers.

"It's a combination of the right equipment and 20 years behind the lens that allow us to capture these images at this quality"

With a history of documenting our classic surf days and local sporting events Nigel’s focus has always been on capturing those rare moments that only photography can allow us to see properly. To view Nigel's portfolio of surf documentation go to www.onSurfari.com.au

What does it cost to have us at your event?

In a word, nothing. We shoot the event for free, our business is to provide a safe and easy platform for the friends and family to purchase prints and down-loadable files. We have always believed that in business you have to give to get back, so in return for having us at the event we donate images to the schools and clubs to be used for internal newsletters and their websites. We also donate our time to the kids to discuss photography and even let them shoot on the day.

How it works

We set up a 3x3m marquee on the day if room permits, which provides us with a base and shade while we shoot. This gives us a place to chat and interact with the kids and talk about photography. From here we give out our business cards which if requested have a password needed to access the online gallery.

That night we sort and edit through thousands of images, which are then uploaded onto our secure website where the images are available for viewing the following day. Once in the gallery you can browse through all the images of the day and save your favourites in the lightbox feature. From this point you can purchase screen saver downloads from $7.95 or prints starting at $14.95. The images remain online for 60 days, after this they are taken down and archived.

There is a $25 archive fee to access images after the 60 days.

Benefits of having Blue Sky photograph your next event:

Hundreds of professional quality photographs of your event
It costs nothing to have us at your event
The kids love it and put in 110% when we are shooting
Great opportunity for the parents to acquire professional quality images of their kids playing sport
We donate images to the schools and clubs for their own use
Crystal clear, high resolution images using specialist professional lenses
We spend time with the kids talking about photography
Password protected galleries
Images are uploaded and ready to be viewed within 24 hours
Affordable prints and down-loadable files and secure PAYPAL checkout

Safety

Being a new dad myself we take the management of these images very seriously. Since the introduction of the affordable digital slr the photography industry is rife with the negative stigma of photographing people in public. At a recent photography expo in Sydney the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photographers) had shirts made saying ”We are photographers, not criminals”. This highlights how deep this stigma runs and the effect it is having on our industry. It has made the credible photographer strive even harder to take all possible steps to make sure this industry is safer than ever before.

About the password security

All the events under the blanket of a sports club or school involving kids under 18 are password protected. The password is unique for each event and is given out on the day from our tent or from the photographer or assistant if no tent is present. The school and club also receives a copy of the password and if for some reason a family has lost the card with the password they can contact other families from the event or email the school. The school can then verify their identity and release the password. BlueSky will not give out the password under any circumstances, only on the day of the event.
As part of our security we offer

Blue Card Accreditation - 1062913/1
Unique password access to every event
Public liability up to 12 million
Dedicated encrypted website designed for this application
Experienced & credible local photographers
Secure login and payment gateways for users

Current Blue Card Set up on the Beach Documenting the Yaroomba Classic

We look forward to the opportunity to document your next event, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Nigel at info@blueskyimages.com.au

Regards Nigel Arnison