His five favourite photos from 2019 are a testament to both his versatility and his commitment to capturing his subjects at their most natural and unrehearsed.

They're also just beautiful to look at.

We hope you enjoy.

Great White Shark

Knowing that small white sharks and grey nurses often hung around fish-cleaning tables in the area to pick up discarded scraps, Dan decided to take advantage of this super clear day in October to slide in with his water camera and get a closer look at the creatures in their natural environment.

"This was my favourite image of 2019 due to the unique experience I found myself in, with the shark coming straight towards the camera after taking the fish carcass," Dan said.

"Amazing creatures."

Firefighters

Dan captured this image during the hellish afternoon in early November when a bushfire raged in downtown Forster, near The Southern Parkway.

He believes the photo captures a sense of despair and fatigue but also resilience and courage.

"I was documenting the fire and aircraft water bombers when the Pacific Palms RFS crew turned up," he said.

"I love this image as it shows a couple of our volunteer firies appearing worse for wear but still on the front-line putting themselves at risk for the sake of the community.

"When I posted this image it really resonated with the public as both men are well known from the Palms."

Protesters

Taken in November, this photo shows Forster community members coming together to show their opposition to Norwegian energy company Equinor's plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.

Part of a national day of action against the risky proposal, more than 100 people paddled out at Main Beach, Forster to join in the Fight for the Bight.

"The Fight for the Bight campaign was awesome to be a part of," Dan said.

"It was amazing to see kids as young as five but then also some adults that wouldn't be far off 70.

"It really is an issue that affects all of us and I was inspired by all the people that turned out for the Forster paddle out."

Black Head back beach

Except for the clearly visible sand in the foreground, you'd be forgiven for thinking Dan took this shot of Black Head back beach at night.

In fact, he took it at around 2pm on October 26, the day multiple bushfires terrorised Tuncurry, Darawank and Hallidays Point.

"Looking back now, all the bushfires that have affected our region this year will go down in history for our region for the devastation these fires had on our community," Dan said.

"This image shows the powerful nature that this fire displayed.

"This was photographed from the northern end of Tuncurry Beach and completely blackened the sky looking south."

Rainbow Flat

Another incredible shot from the bushfires in the area, this one was taken at 11:30pm on November 8 from Bennetts Head in Forster, looking towards the communities of Black Head and Diamond Head as the Hillville fire tore through Rainbow Flat, destroying homes and marching irreversibly towards Wallabi Point and Old Bar.

Dan described it as "a catastrophic night which lit the night sky as the fire consumed thousands of hectares destroying everything in its path."

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