Surf photographer Ted Grambeau turns his lens to home

After more than four decades photographing oceans, landscapes and cultures around the world, surf photographer Ted Grambeau is turning his attention to a place he knows well: home.

His new book, Currumbin in Light, is a limited-edition photographic tribute to the Gold Coast coastal community, capturing its beaches, wildlife, surf culture and everyday moments through changing light.

The 176-page hardcover book brings together Grambeau’s personal view of Currumbin, from the quiet moments before sunrise to dramatic ocean conditions and the familiar scenes of life along the coast.

Designed by Gra Murdoch, the 30 x 30cm volume pairs fine-art photography with a premium finish, including 157gsm matt art paper. The aim is to create something to spend time with, rather than another collection of images to scroll past on a screen.

For Grambeau, who has spent much of his career travelling the world to photograph the ocean, the project offered an opportunity to explore a more personal subject.

“There are places you photograph because you are passing through, and there are places you photograph because they become part of who you are. For me, Currumbin is the latter,” he says.

Having lived in Currumbin for many years, Grambeau has watched its landscape, light and community change with the seasons and tides.

The book brings together those observations, from the changing colour of the ocean to the wildlife and small details that can easily go unnoticed.

While the photographs celebrate the area's natural beauty, the book is also about the connection between people and place.

“Currumbin has a distinctive character, part coastal community, part surf culture, part wildlife sanctuary, and part quiet refuge from the increasingly busy world around it,” Grambeau says.

“That combination is what I have tried to capture.”

Grambeau says photographing somewhere you call home is a different experience from working in unfamiliar places, with time revealing details that might otherwise be overlooked.

Currumbin in Light is being released as a limited edition, priced at $120, including postage within Australia. Copies will be available through Grambeau's online shop and directly from Currumbin Beach General Store.

The book will be celebrated with a launch and signing at the store on Saturday, 7 November, from 4pm to 7pm, coinciding with its grand opening. The event is open to the public.

For more information, visit Ted Grambeau's online shop.