Sep 2026

My Photography Journey

Leo standing on a Melbourne street with his Fujifilm X100V around his neck — Melbourne, camera around my neck. My partner took this one.

Photography found me before BJJ did. A mate put a camera in my hands years ago and it just stuck. Didn't think much of it at first, it was just a hobby I liked more than most. Then I picked up a Fujifilm X100V off Facebook Marketplace because I wanted something small enough to actually bring travelling. It went to Melbourne, then Korea, and somewhere in those two trips it stopped being "a camera I own" and started being how I actually look at places.

Carlton Gardens, Melbourne, black and white, the Royal Exhibition Building and fountain — Carlton Gardens, Melbourne. One of the first frames that made me think I might actually be onto something with this.

On my 20th birthday I bought an A7III with two lenses, a proper step up from the X100V. Coincidentally my BJJ gym was opening around the exact same time, so I offered to shoot some photos to help with the promo. Camera in hand, gym opening, felt obvious at the time.

One of the earliest classes at Control Martial Arts, a coach adjusting a student's grip — One of the earliest classes at Control Martial Arts. No idea at the time this would end up being the actual beginning of something.

Then life got busy. Work, training, everything else that fills a calendar, and the camera mostly just sat in its bag. Not abandoned, just not a priority.

Earlier this year I was building toward competing at Nationals. Two weeks out, I got injured. Devastated doesn't really cover it, that was the thing I'd been pointing toward for months, gone just like that. My coach still asked me to come down to Melbourne anyway, and I said yes. I just brought my camera instead of my gi.

Jagalchi Fish Market, Busan, colourful umbrellas and market stalls at sunrise — Jagalchi Fish Market, Busan. Early morning, the whole market waking up around me. This trip is what made travel photography feel like more than just holiday snaps.

I shot a bunch of photos that weekend and just sent them to my mates, nothing more than that at first. Then, mostly for fun, I started a page dedicated to BJJ photography. A week later someone reached out and took a chance on me for an opportunity I genuinely wasn't expecting.

Nationals, Melbourne, an athlete in a purple rashguard looking back over his shoulder — Nationals, Melbourne. Not the result I trained for, but the photo that changed the direction of everything.

Looking back, getting injured might be one of the best things that happened to me this year. I never would've picked up the camera at that comp otherwise. Haven't looked back since, and I'm genuinely excited for what's next.

The part I keep coming back to is that I'm not just a photographer who shoots BJJ, I train, I compete, I actually know what's happening on the mats. That's the whole difference. I'm not capturing the sport from the outside, I'm shooting it from inside it.