Presently my photography is divided into two parts,landscape & weddings. Both are very rewarding however landscape photography is at the root of all my photography and the beauty of the Kimberley is the reason why I take photographs.

Broome is situated at the edge of the Great Sandy Desert. It is not tropical. Anyone who has travelled to Broome overland would bear witness to the flat, red and dry land which precedes it. Broome, a man-made oasis. Water pumped from a giant artesian bore artificially greens the town. Broome's average rainfall is around 500ml annually, whilst Kakadu National Park can have as much as three metres. Wet seasons vary. It is a hit and miss affair, however the humidity is seasonal and reliable.

These photos have been taken over the last twenty or so years. Some have been thought-out in advance years before they were taken and some were spontaneous. The variables; sun, moon, cyclones, cloud, tides, light etc. are all essential elements in producing a good photo here. It is not possible to take genuine photos of the landscape on demand as many photographers try to. And it makes no sense in talking about the Kimberley land without mentioning Aboriginal people. The two are inseparable. I am indebted greatly for their advice, knowledge and approval.

The commercial nature of this town has put a price on everything and the human impact on the Kimberley is becoming evident. Plans to build an LNG plant close to Broome would require the construction of a massive processing plant and port. And the building of this port would not only be for the gas, but in preparation for larger mining pursuits within the mineral rich ranges of the Kimberley. The environmental and social fallout should all this occur would be massive.

Words can be used to describe the Kimberley however they fall drastically short - and to a degree so does my work. I hope these photos reveal to you some of the beauty of this part of the world.

The Following is a Journalist's account of my photography. Published in the Broome Happenings, September 2009.

Damian Kelly talks about his photography work with an enthusiasm only displayed by someone with real passion. Hi sits surrounded by an array of his student's photos in the St Mary's photography Lab, proudly watching two students play around with a digital SLR camera.

"it's important for these kids to go out and record their youth and the country, both are changing very quickly," he says.

Damian shows me his second prize winning photo in The People and the Planet International Photo Competition, and explains that the scene in this striking photo may soon become a memory if plans to build the LNG plant at James Price Point go ahead.

The photo captures an indigenous man named Laurie, fishing in Roebuck Bay at the beginning of "salmon season" in May, while his granddaughter wades in the crystal clear water.

The competition's aim is to select 55 photos, to be published in the 2010 People & Planet: Social Justice & Environment Diary, with proceeds from the Diary going towards non-profit organisations.

The photo and its caption encapsulate what Damian tries to achieve in all his photos.

"This photo sums up Broome and the people here. (A) simple (shot) is sometimes the best thing," he says. "I would have been happy to have just got into the diary. Out of 800 entries from 32 different countries, to get second place was an honour," he says.

While not all of Damian's photos have a political motive, he hopes to use his imagery to explore and magnify some of the issues facing the Kimberley's future.

The photo titled Laurie is what Damian describes as a statement artwork about the proposed LNG plant and its ramifications for local indigenous people.

"It (the photo) captures a scene that will become rarer and rarer. The LNG plant will marginalise everyone, and further marginalise the indigenous people. Industrialisation of the country has done nothing for the Pilbara people," he says.

It is no wonder that Damian appears protective and worried about what the plant will do to the land's traditional owners.

"Indigenous Australians fit into the landscape better than the rest of us. I owe a lot of my success in photography to indigenous people," he says.

Damian describes the Kimberley as dramatic, wild, unforgiving and dangerous. He sees the area as having a real heartbeat to it. As I leave, ready to see another sunset into the distance, one of Damian's comments begins to sink in.

"We need to get away from frangipanis and camels on the beach. They're too ubiquitous and clichéd. They're not what real Broome is about ... you need to get a bit of dirt on your feet.

"Usually I have places marked off in advance, like the highest tide of the year, then you just have to wait for everything to come together," he said.

"It's hard to get photos when you're breezing through a town. I travelled to Wyndham, which is a 2000km round trip and spent four days there and there was only one photo I was happy with."

"You can't simply go take a photo of Cable Beach, you might get a good postcard photo, but you won't get a great photo"

"Much of this comes down to an understanding of the elements of nature."

"This photo was taken of a cyclone building up," he said, pointing to one of his photos, "I'd been waiting years to get a storm shot of Cable Beach"

"Eighty percent of a great photo is light and the rest is knowing how to use a camera, but I'm not a gadgeteer."

This year Kelly's photographic work, a collage featuring sequential images from the Broome Jetty to Town Beach, taken over the past 19 years, won overall  People's Choice Award  at this year's Shinju Acquisitive Art Awards.

"A lot of people saw it as "real" Broome, rather that just palm trees and green grass," he said. "the area is so underrated - the mangroves and the ecology of the area is beautiful"