"La Petite Mort (0128)" Photograph

‘I create photographs to be lived with—images that can hang on a wall and offer a lifetime of enjoyment. While I often respond to single experiences of light, I am continually drawn back to the ‘scapes—land, sea, cloud, and body—for enduring inspiration.

I think of my practice as ‘finding pictures,’ a process shaped by curiosity, by an interest in both landscape and the human condition, and by a constant search for the light that reveals them.’

Paul’s fine art and landscape wall prints are collected across the USA, UK, Europe, and Asia.

Since retiring from a 35-year career in commercial photography Paul is free to explore the fleeting nature of light, free from the constraints of briefs and corporate mood boards.

His passion for making pictures, spanning over 50 years, continues to flourish. Describing himself as a generalist photographer, he works on diverse projects and themes that captivate and intrigue him. Some projects are ongoing, while others are more spontaneous, as he applies his traditional skills to the digital and phone camera domains. His fine art photographic prints can be colour, black and white, or toned, with the light and the story they convey determining the process.

In 2006, Paul almost permanently lost his sight after eye surgery. It took several years for his eyes to recover fully and longer to come to terms with the associated depression. Always the optimist, Paul found the recovery period gave him time and determination to express how that smeared vision, immediately after the operation, filtered his world. He began photographing familiar and fresh scenes with blur and motion.

Foley’s work has been widely recognised. Most recently with a finalist spot in the 2025 Galah Regional Photography Prize and an earlier nomination in the National Photographic Portrait Prize. Paul’s photographs have been exhibited in group shows in Glasgow, Tokyo, Newcastle, and China, as well as in individual and collaborative exhibitions in Sydney and Newcastle.

Paul lives in Newcastle, Australia.

His work can be found on Instagram