Eugene (::Uge) Tan's iconic photographic prints can be found hanging in living rooms all over the globe, he and the Aquabumps team have partnered with brands on a multitude of awe-inspiring campaigns over the years, and ::Uge has captured some of the world's most iconic coastlines on his travels.
For ::Uge, it's an enduring passion for the ocean and photography that inspires him daily, and in partnership with his wife Deb, Aquabumps has grown from humble beginnings, to a vast online community of fellow beach lovers—40,000 people subscribe to Aquabumps' daily newsletter—and a gallery in Bondi.
We caught up with ::Uge to chat about his career highlights to date, signature photography style, favourite piece of work, what makes Bondi so special, and more…
Tell us a little about your background. How did you first enter the world of photography, and has it always been a core part of your life?
Photography has been my hobby and passion since I was a youngster, but I never thought it would become my full-time profession—it's just something I just did. As a curious kid I would capture everything that surrounded me—fruit fights at school, portraits of my mates, travels and experiences.
I studied graphic design at university and was a Creative Director for a digital agency for 10 years, which is now called Deloitte Digital. My creative outlet from my (a bit boring) day job was taking photos of the beach before work, snapping waves, surfing, and the morning light. I packed up the morning images into a daily email, and people were really into it.
People started asking for photographic prints from these morning meanderings, and really, that's how the commercial side of Aquabumps began. We now ship artworks all over the globe, daily.
I am a self-taught photographer and still learning every day—I'm a bit of a geek and love reading manuals and researching online (you can learn so much online these days!).
Aquabumps is 25 years old this year—and I'm still improving (I hope).
Where did the inspiration for Aquabumps initially come from, and does this inspiration remain the same today?
I've always loved the beach and surfing, so Aquabumps combined my passion for the ocean with photography. I didn't think much about what I was up to, but I started shooting the local eastern beaches at sunrise, just things I saw on my morning wander.
I would attach a few photos to an email to mates (making them jealous), and then mates shared it with mates. A few years in, when I had a few thousand people on the list, I thought I should polish it up and create the blog and named it Aquabumps—Aqua for water and Bumps for waves.
This was well before social media and the like—so people frothed on the photos in their inbox. People started asking for the prints—at the time, I thought it was a hassle—but little did I know that was the business.
The inspiration is taking photos; I still get up at sunrise most of the year-round and document what I see—I've never really been a morning person, but I guess after doing something for 25 years, it becomes a part of your DNA. I'm still inspired to shoot, and for the best of my work, I want to hang it in our Gallery in Bondi. I can't imagine doing anything else.
"I am a self-taught photographer and still learning every day—I'm a bit of a geek and love reading manuals and researching online (you can learn so much online these days!)."
Congratulations on marking 25 years in business, what a milestone! How has Aquabumps evolved since its inception? What have been some of your biggest highlights and successes?
Who would have thought taking pictures of the beach every morning at sunrise would have given us so many amazing opportunities?
The blog was at the inception, and then the Gallery space followed—we are currently in our third space in Bondi. We developed the blog commercially with the help of my wife Deb, who has worked in the business with me for 15 years (we met on the gallery floor when she came in to buy artwork).
Her background in advertising and magazines allowed us the scope to work with international brands such as Google, Land Rover, Audi, Samsung, Dropbox, Zimmerman, Speedo, Bassike, Snapchat, Canon and Kia to name a few.
We have travelled to incredible places with tourism and hotel partners and have shown our boys parts of the world we could only have ever dreamed of.
Highlights would be shooting The Australian Ballet Company dancers in a blacked-out pool. A creative idea Deb came up with and one I had zero idea of how to achieve, but she pushed me creatively to work it out.
Seeing one of my Italy shots in large format in the Icebergs pool and revealing it to the press via a helicopter. Shooting the Amalfi and Capri from a helicopter and it stalling mid-flight—the highlight being that the engine kicked in again!
Meeting big stars like Will Smith or addressing 2,000 people in a keynote inside the Sydney Opera House for the Australian Financial Review (AFR)—it's all pretty mind-boggling and a bit of a blur.
It's special to show my boys incredible places like the Maldives and the Philippines, Tahiti and remote Indonesia—we feel very grateful for that.
How would you describe your signature style? Has this changed over the years, particularly with the advent of technology, social media and so forth?
My style of photography is reportage or voyeuristic. I would like to think I've gotten better over the past 25 years, especially in identifying when to shoot (when the light is good) or not. So I am more efficient with my time.
I've slowed down shooting in helicopters, and instead, I have my commercial drone licence to document from above. It's always about unique angles for me.
Social media means you can reach more people, but it also requires an incredible amount of work and often an image that has taken great lengths to achieve then becomes consumed within seconds.
That's why I love our Gallery space, it allows you to immerse yourself in the photographs and see them framed and presented in all their glory; to remind you of a moment in time or place you can keep with you forever.
"We have travelled to incredible places with tourism and hotel partners and have shown our boys parts of the world we could only have ever dreamed of."
What is your favourite piece of work, and why is it especially meaningful to you?
Lone Swimmer, Bondi.
Most people know me by this image. It's an aerial image taken on my first helicopter shoot in 2009, back when people didn't really see the above angle (drones hadn't been invented).
This image inspired me to travel the world, perfecting aerial photography. People were just blown away by the series.
Lone Swimmer also has such a feeling of freedom, swimming in the ocean, alone, which I love. A sense of escapism—which is the heart of Aquabumps.
You're a family-run business. How do you and Deb complement one another when it comes to Aquabumps?
Deb and I work well together. Her long career in advertising and magazines means she brought a different perspective to Aquabumps and ways to integrate brands commercially across our platforms. We respect each other for what the other brings to the business, and I think that's why we work so well together.
What is it that you feel makes Bondi such a unique community?
I've always loved that Bondi is a melting pot of different people. You have CEOs of big companies, artists and designers, influencers, and young families—but what everyone has in common is a love of the beach. The beach diffuses any ego and allows everyone to be equal—I love that. It's a very vibrant place to live!
How do you spend an average day in Bondi? Do you have any favourite haunts, or insider tips for those looking to make the most of their time here?
I shoot photographs for the blog every morning at sunrise Monday to Friday, the majority of the year, usually at Bondi or wherever we are in the world. Then I head into our Gallery on Hall Street and collate the blog and socials. A lot of time is spent running the business and whatever projects we have.
We love a brekkie at Lox and salad at The Shop. Pizza at Orazio, dinner at Rocker. Swim off the rocks at North Bondi and the rest of the time I like to spend with my family in the surf.
What's coming up in your world—are there any projects or partnerships you're particularly excited about that you're able to share?
We launch our new book this month—25 Laps Around The Sun. It was a huge amount of work and something I'm super proud of.
We have a collaboration with Leif launching this month too—a perfect gift offering from two Australian brands that pride themselves on quality and craftsmanship.
We're heading to the Margaret River to shoot for Heyscape Tiny Cabins in December. I love showing my boys all my old haunts from when I grew up down there.
We will also be revealing our partnership with an automotive brand—a hot new electric car and one we're super proud of—as the environment and being sustainable is so important to us.
Connect with Aquabumps
Visit the Gallery at 64 Hall St, Bondi
Head to their website
Subscribe to the daily newsletter
Follow them on Instagram
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