Sunday, March 22, 2026
Australia & NZCommunityPhotography

Meet the Photographers capturing Bear Essence in Australia

Luka Musicki

Photographers. They are the magicians who capture the positive moments that help to create history. These moments cannot be captured with the love and soul of AI images, so photographers are an essential part of bear history. And they should be acknowledged for their hard work in aiming, capturing, developing, and producing high-quality resolution images for the various event organisers and bear kindred groups. This is why I am proud to shine a spotlight on the photographers who have worked hard to capture the essence of the bear spirit in history. Whether it is bear pit/underbear, wet furr, or parade march, or even doing modelling shoots for the bear individuals, they are working hard to make us look fabulous!

So, if you are looking for professional photographers for a bear event, modelling, wedding or other occasion, make sure to get in contact with these wonderful people, so you can get the best possible memory magic!

There is no particular order to this listing of photographers. And if you believe that I have missed out on someone who deserves to be acknowledged and listed in this article for their photography work in Australia, please feel free to advise the Bear World Magazine team at the following email address: bearworldmag@grayjonesmedia.com, with the title of ‘Potential Photographer’, and we will endeavour to include them in this article. We appreciate your enthusiasm, patience and investment in BWM’s efforts.

And I am fully aware that you can see me in some pictures with those photographers. And I am aware that this might create some bias with the other photographers. I want to ensure my readers that I have selected only one good image of myself per photograher, instead of multiple, so there is variety. Thanks everyone.

Btw, I placed some Easter eggs in this article, so if you are the first one to guess each theme(s), beer on me!

Disclosure: the photographs presented in this article are from various resources, such as websites, social media (Facebook and Instagram), and Google drives shared with me. The quality of the photographs might be grainy, and thus do not reflect the high-quality resolution of the original images from the photographers.

Ann-Marie Photography:

Ann-Marie is based in Sydney, New South Wales. She is a talented and versatile photographer, and she has been photographing and documenting the dynamic Sydney LGBTIQA+ community (and more so with the bear community) for over 20 years. She is the official accredited photographer for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for over a decade, Ann-Marie continues to work on photo shoot assignments for the Star Observer, corporates, government and real estate agencies to deliver all of their photographic needs.

Her work often features in magazines and newspapers and websites illustrating the Sydney community and is frequently used in brochures and banners and on digital and social media platforms. Many executives on LinkedIn are using a headshot taken by Ann-Marie on their profile. She is a frequent photographer for the Harbour City Bears during their bear events. She is available for various events and individual commissions.

If you want to get in contact with Ann-Marie, here are the following contact details:

HDG Image Photography:

Dylan is based in both Sydney, New South Wales. He is able to travel to Brisbane, Queensland and Melbourne, Victoria if required for any event and studio images. Dylan Hodgon is an emerging photographer whose work spans the realms of creative portraiture and still life, blending gritty textures with a sentimental focus on human and inanimate subjects alike. Raised in Central Queensland, Hodgon’s early environment shaped his ability to find beauty and meaning in overlooked details. His enticing compositions often feature energetic contrasts between shadow and light, capturing the emotional depth of his subjects.

After moving to Sydney in 2022, Hodgon’s photography flourished, inspired by the city’s eclectic mix of cultures and urban landscapes. His approach to creative portraiture often emphasizes raw emotion, using expressive poses and intimate close-ups to highlight the complexity of his subjects’ inner worlds. Meanwhile, his still life images transform everyday objects into powerful symbols of memory and personal attachment.

Hodgon’s niche lies in his ability to combine sentimentality with a sharp, gritty visual style, offering viewers a fresh perspective on the mundane. His work invites audiences to engage emotionally with his subjects, whether human or object, exploring themes of identity, attachment, and the passage of time. As an emerging artist, Hodgon’s energetic vision continues to push the boundaries of both portraiture and still life photography. Dylan has been taking fabulous pictures for the Queensland Camping Bears, various sash bears (Mister XXX), the leather community members, Harbour City Bears members and anyone’s fantasy.

If you want to get in contact with Dylan Hodgon, here are the following contact details:

E.F.P. Photography:

Evan Fowler Philips (E.F.P.) is based in Melbourne, Victoria. He is an award winning Freelance photographer in Narrm (Melbourne) and International  Portraits / People / Celebrations / Surreal Landscapes. He has been photographing the queer community for over 20 years. Evan has completed his Masters of Arts specialising in photography with an exhibition titled, “Cruising the Bush” in North Melbourne, check it out here!

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If you want to get in contact with Evan, here are the following contact details:

Dean Arcuri:

Dean is based in Melbourne, Victoria. Dean is multiple talented bear, who can do it all, including photography. He is a regular photographer. As you can see from the image above, Dean is the sexiest photography assassin, who has a license to shoot (pictures), and darling, you better work for the camera.

If you want to get in contact with Dean, here are the following contact details:

Robert Knapman Photography:

Robert is based in Sydney, New South Wales.

Robert has been capturing in-the-moment pictures that depict the mood of the images, rather than in a prepared studio setting. He is willing to capture that magic. Robert has recently started photographing bear events by Chunk Australia, which have events in both Melbourne and Sydney.

He is an event, portrait and social documentary photographer. He studied design and photography, but the commercial design industry didn’t suit him. He volunteered working with street-dependent folks in Sydney, and has now worked professionally in the human services (community development, social work, health promotion) for many years with marginalised communities.

He couldn’t stay away from photography, though, and since working as a community photographer for SX Magazine (Gay News Network) in Sydney, he has worked with LGBTIQA+ communities around the country. This includes the Bear Men of Adelaide, Honey in Sydney through Bear Bar, Harbour City Bears, and recently CHUNK from Melbourne during Sydney Mardi Gras 2026. He focuses on what I’m visually drawn to and passionate about, and of course, his people.

He has been described as a visual poet, and he adores this description. Predictably, his photography is influenced by human rights and social justice. He looks for honesty, humanity, and courage in my portraits. He loves how photography and image making can not only document life but also generate change.

If you want to get in contact with Robert Knapman, here are the following contact details:

Andrew Sikorski Photography:

Andrew is based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. He does regular photography for Belconnen Arts Centre, especially for Kaleidoscope. He is the owner and manager of Art Atelier Photography.

If you want to get in contact with Andrew, here are the following contact details:

Douglas J Robinson:

Douglas is based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Douglas captures the bear experience in a unique way. He is a regular to take photographs at Canberra Bushdance every year in November in Canberra.

Clayton Tonk Media:

Clayton is located in Perth, Western Australia.

Ezra Alcantra Photography:

Ezra is located in Perth, Western Australia.

Bauzer:

Bauzer is located in Perth, Western Australia.

Marteen Gerry:

Marteen is based in Melbourne, Victoria.

CMoore Hardy:

CMoore Hardy is based in Sydney, New South Wales

Final Thanks:

I would like to thank Perth Bears, VicBears, Bear Men of Adelaide, and SpringOUT Committee members for their help with providing me with some photographers who deserve an honourable mention. It helps to recognise the work of photographers in Australia who are passionate about capturing bear essence.

Luka Musicki

Luka is the Deputy Editor for Australian content for Bear World Magazine, part of Gray Jones Media. Luka is producing interviews with Australian and international bears, producing Australian city guides and interesting fun articles. His vision is to create a vibrant and supportive platform that celebrates the diverse spectrum of human bodies and experiences. His mission is to foster a community where individuals feel empowered to embrace their authentic selves, share their stories, and recognise the bear beauty in vulnerability and feeling great pride in themselves. Luka is also a resident writer for Konnect with Data (an Australian Data company).

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