Early start

December 21, 2022

Morning my friends,

4:20 am, that's the time I woke up this morning to head down to the beach. No time for beauty sleep.

I know it’s a bit cray-cray but sometimes you gotta do it, the light was golden on the horizon line and that's exactly what we were after. This morning, I was filming for a special project with Mike Perry, aka Pez - a very talented director. He’s pretty useless at Social but amazing with the camera, check his work here. By the way, I even let him f-around with my camera at the end - very arty, I like it.

The light was playing up all morning but he reckons we got some good stuff - happy days!

Have a wonderful day my friends and chat with you tomorrow,

Ciao,

Amo

I was looking for some colours all morning... Budgies for the win!

Party in NoBo (North Bondi for the hipsters)

I've alway been useless at mathematics but that's a winning formula: Clouds + Sun = Turquoise water

More archives

December 20, 2022

Morning gang,

How’s everyone today?

This morning was looking pretty grey and uninspiring, if you are super keen, check my Instagram Stories. I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t like them - pretty sh*te.

Caught up with my mate Alex for coffee, then quick dip in South Bondi with my mate Julius and back in the house.

As I’m meant to film again tomorrow morning for that special project, hoping for a better sunrise. Sun please stop hiding, it’s your time to shine (not like the last few days).

Alright, final push, don’t really like doing those but if you want a print for Christmas, your last chance is to send me your order between today and tomorrow. I’m going to the printer on Friday to collect a few. If you live locally, I will deliver them the same day - that simple!

Ciao,

Amo

One of my favourite photos from the water.

John Macarthur from Purl Harbour, the unofficial mayor of Bondi

L👎🏼st

December 19, 2022

Morning gang,

Oh well, today didn’t start too well… What a disappointment for all the Frenchies who set their alarms at 2 am to watch the World Cup, but well played to the Argentinians!

The sunrise was pretty disappointing too so I stayed in and tried to catch up on some sleep. Hopefully, the rest of the week will be more positive.

Only a week before Christmas, if you don’t have presents as yet, you can still order a print in a tube (framing is unfortunately too late, it will take 2-3 weeks) or buy a nice bottle of Morning Bondi Gin.

Enjoy the good old archive photos,

Adiós,

Amo

Boys Band, some of my best mates David, Magnus and Julius

This awning and building are now all gone...

Fluffy, don't ask me why but I love this photo.

Steamy, you couldn't even see North Bondi from the Icebergs

That's all for today! Here is a rare photo of me that I don't mind… (January 2019)

Snap & Go

December 15, 2022

Morning gang,

As I didn’t want to miss the match between France and Morocco, I ventured down early to capture the sunrise it was pretty much snap, snap and go back home. Well worth watching it, Allez les Bleus, you made us proud!

I have to say there wasn’t much going on except obviously the Conscious Community organising an unusual ice bath on a Thursday for the benefits of the Waves of Wellness Foundation, led by my mate Joel Pilgrim.

I stuck around South Bondi to shoot, chit chats with a few local legends and headed home to watch the match with my daughter who loves them - cute!

Have a lovely day my friends, mine is going to be jam-packed with some bread stuff but loving it though, we are definitely on a roll!

Chat to you tomorrow potentially,

Cheerio,

Amo

"Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright"

You know it's quiet when I start taking photos of birds...

Quiet Reboot Camp Session - all the others must have been watching the match!

Around the edge

December 14, 2022

Morning gang,

What a stunning morning!

For a change of scenery, I ventured down to Bronte, spent 30 mins around the edge of the pool and shot what was going on in front of me - that simple, no effort whatsoever.

The beauty of Bronte Pool, combined with nice light and people chatting, walking and diving in the pool was all I needed.

As I cannot not go to Bondi in the morning, I still went there and took a few photos - all pretty average so all straight in the rubbish bin.

That’s it for today, enjoy the photos my friends and chat with you tomorrow,

Cheers,

Amo

Ice bath

December 13, 2022

Morning gang,

How’s everyone today?

Sun’s back in town so I’m happy - that simple. I’m a man of simple pleasure…

I slept in up to 5:20 am, I know still bloody early right but 20 mins later than usual. Photos around the Icebergs, then went to check the guys from Conscious Community doing their things. I even did a 2 min ice bath myself - except that you lose all sense of masculinity, there are so many benefits to it and you feel so bloody good afterwards!

Then, I caught up with my mates Lukey and Simon. By the way, the last photo of today is my mate Simon, being all sexy and all that. If you fancy what you see, slide in my DMs and I will give you his number - that simple. #MorningBondiMatchMaking is back ON for Summer! PS: He will kill me for that post but who cares…

Xoxo

Amo

Post ice bath, the ocean feels like a bath

Perfect conditions for a remake of the 'First in, first ripples'

Girls doing ice bath together are friends forever - I know, I'm pretty good with rhyme ;)

More waiting than surfing (here you go, another rhyme for free)

All smile, she stayed at least 8 minutes. Good on you!

Oh stop it mate! So much hotness in one photo 🔥🧯❤️‍🔥 Cover for GQ material right there...

Old School

December 12, 2022

Morning my friends,

How was your weekend? I had a great one, thanks for asking.

Friday started with a bit of a marathon, going from one party to another, starting at Hotel Hollywood in Surry Hills, then Oxford House in Paddington (the new fancy bar/restaurant - well worth trying it out), then Paddo In and back to Hotel Hollywood. A bit too much movement for my liking but great night nevertheless.

The rest of the weekend was pretty eventless, spending Sunday with my daughter while my wife @GaellePersonalStylist was busy shopping with a client.

This morning, I had good intentions to shoot, but it was pretty grey, dull, and not much going on, so I decided to train with the usual crew instead.

All these photos are from the archives, between 2016 and 2018. I’ve been shooting Bondi since 2011 so I can go on for years without shooting that I will have enough content.

Enjoy your week my friends!

Amo

She's moody

December 9, 2022

Morning peeps,

How's everyone today? Hope you had a great week.

Mine was excellent. Since the official launch of my agency called bread (it’s English for ‘baguette’), we've had so many people reaching out willing to work with us. Some might say, we’re the best thing since sliced bread. Keep it up, that's the way and I pinky promise you won’t regret it!

This morning was moody and pretty average, to be honest. I usually don't like shooting on those days but once I started seeing a bit of colour in the sky, I took my camera out of my bag and kept on shooting - I may as well.

You know there is not much going on when I start taking photos of the same things from different angles, buildings and other fellow photographers including Eugene Tan, Mr Aquabumps himself. As you can tell, he loves it being in front of the camera. People often tell me that he’s my main ‘competitor’, but he’s not at all. Photography is his main activity, while photography for me is just a hobby. He gives me photography tips and I give him some Social Media ones - Win-win, you see.

Then finished with a coffee catch-up at Birichina with good mate Anthony from @onlyinbondi - follow his account it’s always a good laugh.

Enjoy your weekend my friends and hope that it will be warmer and sunnier,

Cheers,

Amaury

Before 6am, waiting for the pool to open

Rexy stop chatting away, get swimming instead mate!

...a building shot when there's nothing else to photograph

Epic Thursday

December 8, 2022

Morning gang,

Once again, today didn’t disappoint, the sunrise was pretty spectacular, the clouds were fluffy, the light was decent, the surf was big, the training was tough and people were happy. And once again, I got carried away and took way too many photos...

Let’s be honest it’s hard to come up with new things to tell every day. I reckon that will do for today.

Enjoy your Thursday,

BOOM!

Amo

PS: I was so rushed yesterday that I just realised I forgot to send the Newsletter. Check the blog article HERE

It's So Fluffy I'm Gonna Die - Reference **HERE**

The Charlottes (Charlotte Wearne and Charlotte Connell)

Humps Day

December 7, 2022

Morning gang,

How’s everyone today?

Another morning, another cracker… We’ve had such a great run lately, amazing sunrises for the past 3 weeks, La Niña who?!

I went down early to take some photos with a coffee in one hand and my camera in the other. Then the usual dip in the water. It was rough, with proper humps - perfect timing for a Hump Day.

I have an early coffee catch-up so here are the photos, enjoy my friends!

Ciaoooo,

Amo

Mark Fontela, always good to bump into this guy

Murray Cox on his daily stroll, this guy has been grooming the beach for years

Sun-sational Tuesday

December 6, 2022

Morning gang,

How’s everyone today? After last night’s crazy weather, pretty unexpected but it was absolutely gorgeous down there.

I ventured down around 5:20 am, just in time for the sunrise. It’s so bloody early and it’s only the start of Summer. I bumped into heaps of local legends for a chit chat and I was done with the photos by 6:45 am. I did a bit of exercise on the sand, just for the sake of it, and finished with a quick dip.

The shorey is absolutely nuts - so much water and sand moving around. I have to say, South Bondi is probably not the safest place to swim with the backpacker rip and all that but I love it just like that. I came back from the water, I was literally a sand castle, so much sand everywhere, ears, eyes and bum crack. Fun! 🤦🏽‍♂️

Have a wonderful day my friends,

Amo

Couples that surf together, stay together

It could be a painting but it’s not, just a bloody good photo. ;)

Reminder for myself: I need to stop taking photos of these buildings

Vera Sprothen, first one in the water this morning

South Bondi surf was pretty quiet - only 5 surfers all morning

Darren Mansfield, the most consistent surfer - all year long!

KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) - my philosophy in creativity and life

The BOSS Squad led by the legendary Talbot Henry

The Conscious Community, meditation before ice bath

Swim time - don't get fooled by how calm it looks like

If you want to learn how to do ocean swims, the BOSS Squad is probably your best bet

Le Lundi au Soleil

December 5, 2022

Bonjour my friends,

What a fantastic start to the week!

This morning, I’m dialling up my Frenchness just a tiny bit…

First of all, France won against Poland (3 vs 1), then it was a sunny Monday (pretty much what ‘Le Lundi au Soleil’ means. It’s also the name of a classic French song - worth having a listen if you don’t know it) and I had an early breakfast meeting with the one and only Chef Guillaume for a special project. Oui oui! Stay tuned my friends!

I think that’s enough for today, enjoy the photos!

Bisous,

Amo

Pete Strain and Darren Mansfield talking strategy

TGIF

December 2, 2022

Morning gang,

How’s everyone today? Excited about the weekend?

I was down there by 5:20 am but honestly, there wasn’t any point except probably for these amazing ripples on the pool taken just before the 6 am opening - what a show, it was mesmerising and pretty rare conditions. The last time that it happened, I took one of my favourite shots of the icebergs but unfortunately no sun this morning at that time.

Then, I got ghosted by my mate Bruno who was meant to come down for coffee and swim. Some of you might remember him from Le Cut Studio, he was THE first one to fly drones over Bondi back in 2015 when they used to be rare and cool. People used to take photos and videos of the drone taking off or landing, but now people want to shoot them - too many of them flying all day every day over Bondi.

I guess that’s it for today, have an awesome weekend,

Cheerio,

Amo

Sophie Smallwood and friends heading to Bondi Salties

The Bondi Salties crew before their point to point swim

First day of Summer

December 1, 2022

Morning my friends,

Today is the first day of Summer, how exciting, except that the sunrise was pretty average (we only had 10 minutes of light), it was pretty cold down there and not too many people.

A lot of people have told me in the past that I should still take photos when it’s not picture-perfect Bondi, so here you go. Happy? I personally don’t really like any of them - pretty average.

The three gentlemen pictured Dan, Andy and Walt are looking good though. The usual Bondi photographers are on the other side of the camera for once. I might be wrong but as typical photographers, I don’t think they really enjoy that side.

Bring back Spring. It was sunnier and warmer, with heaps more people around.

I know, French people love to complain and I’m the perfect stereotype. In France, people go on riots, burn cars and break everything for less than this. I’m just having a morning rant on the blog - consider yourself lucky.

Have a great day nevertheless,

Ciao,

Amaury

If you are not taking a photo, were you even there? Love the little sniper at the bottom.

What type of people are you? Is the pool half empty or half full?

I forgot to mention that even the surf was pretty average

You know it was pretty average, when I start taking photos of doors

Buzzing 🐝

November 30, 2022

Morning gang,

How’s everyone today?

Alright, I’m not going to turn another Morning Bondi post into another bread agency sales pitch but holy moly, the launch went so so well. If you are working in the marketing industry, you would have seen all the press articles that we got (our PR consultant Katy did an incredible job), and then all the lovely comments and warm wishes from all of you all over our Socials - it was hard to keep up! A massive thank you for your support, my friends, you guys rock! I’m still buzzing and couldn’t really sleep last night, it makes it two nights in a row.

This morning was pretty much the anti-climax, grey, uninspiring and pretty quiet down there. I still went down, took two videos and went for a swim in not-so-nice water but needed that splash on my face to start the day.

As you know, I’m not a big fan of taking photos when it’s not postal card perfect, instead here are some archives photos for your viewing.

Thank you all again and hopefully, we get a nice sunrise tomorrow,

Xoxo

Amo, buzzing like a little 🐝

What the icebergs will soon look when the rest of the painting is done...

Joel getting a proper splash on his face

Bronte pool - free of charge and as good as the Icebergs

That was us yesterday, making a splash with **Bread Agency**

During the bush fire, the sunrise was hitting differently

...and the best one for the end! I love that photo, I'm actually thinking about printing and framing one for my place.

The day I've been waiting for!

November 29, 2022

Morning my friends,

Hope that you are well. Personally, I'm super pumped!

Today is a day I've been waiting for, for a loooooong time and it's got nothing to do with the sunrise (although it was stunning). This update is a bit more personal.

As you know Morning Bondi has always been a passion project for me. My day job is helping brands succeed on Social Media.

For the past 13 years (almost as long as I've been in Australia), I've worked for multiple agencies across Sydney, leading the social strategy work for some of the biggest brands (eg. Netflix, Toyota, Procter & Gamble, BIG W, SunRice, Novartis...) across many different industries.

Now, after months of planning with my business partner Mary, I'm proud to announce the official launch of our own Social Media Agency called 'bread'. 🍞

I won't turn this into a sales pitch, but if you are ever looking for the best social media agency in Sydney* get in touch. You know where to find me. ;)

Follow our journey on your preferred social channel below. Or even better, follow along on all of them:

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | LINKEDIN | TIKTOK

Thanks for your support, lots of love as always. Wish us luck!

🍞🚀

Xoxo

Amo

PS: For all the new Morning Bondi followers, I promise I rarely do these types of posts but today is pretty spesh so I had to.

*Self-proclaimed at this stage!

Rising like a loaf of **bread** - it must be a sign!

Icebergs taken with my 'real estate lens'

All smile at the Conscious Community ice baths

Strip off for skin cancer

November 28, 2022

Morning my friends,

Hope you are all well and had a great weekend.

This morning was looking pretty grey and uninspiring so no photos but because I don’t want to let you down, here are some of the photos from Saturday morning special installation.

Some of you would have seen them already on Instagram but for the others here there are. I also included a few more.

On Saturday morning from 4 am onwards, more than 3,000+ people took off their clothes to raise awareness of skin cancer and champion early detection.

My mate Scott (aka jimmyniggles) from Skin Check Champions teamed up with the incredible artist and top guy Spencer Tunick to host a special installation down on the beach.

These photos don't give justice to the incredible show that it was. I'm glad to have played a very minor role in the organisation, just helping Spencer and Scott find the perfect angles for the shoot. My favourite ones are obviously taken not too far from ‘Morning Bondi HQ’ (platform above South Bondi public toilets), plus the sun came right on time.

I can't wait to see Spencer's photos and congratulations to all the people that were down there. You should all be very proud of yourselves! It was freezing cold at dawn. 🥶💪🏼🏆

Please note that I had full media accreditation and respected the rules around the shoot ie. featuring at least 100 people in the foreground of the shot. No close-up shots.

Enjoy the photos and please respect the privacy of these brave souls,

Cheers,

Amaury

Spencer Tunick and Scott Maggs - the legends behind this art installation

Scott Maggs, you can be proud of yourself mate!

The sun arrived at the right time, taken next to Morning Bondi HQ

Spencer Tunick, thanking all the participants and calling out for all the people affected by melanoma or skin cancer

Swim time - the beach was open to nudity up to 7:30am

f r i y a y

November 25, 2022

Morning beautiful people,

What a cracker of a morning!

The light, the temperatures, the happy people all around and it’s Friday after all… best day of the week!

Once again, I chased the light and the crowds, starting in South Bondi at sunrise and going all the way to North Bondi to see my favourite groups of people: the Bondi Salties, the Friday Swim Club, Knoxy and his training crew and all the Clubbies.

That's enough gibberish for this morning. Enjoy the photos and see you down tomorrow bright and early for the Spencer Tunick X Skin Check Champions 🍑 shoot,

Have a fabulous weekend peeps,

Amo

Dion Horstmans, post Kettlebell Maniacs workout

Colourful swimwear + Icebergs freshly painted = Perfect Combo

The rush to the showers and coffee shop is real...

Mayhem

November 24, 2022

Morning gang,

How’s everyone today?

Today was just pure chaos with an incredible light all throughout the morning. It started with some epic pink clouds, followed by an incredible haze and golden light.

Waves were massive and washing out the entire beach. What a show to witness my friends!

Enough talking, here are the photos. Once again I got carried away and took way too many…

Enjoy the photos and I hope it’s not going to be like this on Saturday morning for the Spencer Tunick and Skin Check Champions nude installation as the 3,500+ people registered so far will end up on top of each other in no time. I guess that could create an epic photo though?!

BOOM!

Amo

Reboot Camp by Bondi Meditation is getting BIG!

The Icebergs was meant to get a fresh coat of paint - not today!

Trying to find a safe spot to swim? Not today!

Dilemma

November 23, 2022

Morning my friends,

How’s everyone feeling this morning? Frenchies must be frothing but Aussies must feel defeated.

I was asked earlier this morning if I was going to support France or Australia. Being half French/half Australian (13 years that I call Australia home with an Aussie passport for the past 8 years), I had the dilemma of picking a team. Let’s put it that way, I was for the winning team regardless of if it was going to be ‘Les Bleus’ or the ‘Socceroos’. To be honest, I never watch football but only follow the World Cup.

This morning, I was down the beach from 5:30 till 6ish just so that I could watch the match at home with my daughter - she surprisingly loved it. The sunrise was a cracker, I was again with my mate Simon taking photos and went for a quick dip before heading home. Stunning morning, again!

Have a lovely day my friends and chat with you tomorrow,

Amaury for the Frenchies 🇫🇷 and Amo for the Aussies. 🇦🇺

The Icebergs is getting a fresh coat of paint as we speak - much needed

The new Bondi Pav is looking ridiculously good at sunrise

Les archives. Another day, another rainy day… As I could see it was not raining, I ventured down much later than usual, around 6:45 am. I just arrived and a light drizzle started. What are the chances?! I joined my mates for a quick dip in the ocean and coffee at Chapter One (my unofficial gallery, they have five of my prints on the wall). Still worth going out, if you ask me… Have a great day my friends and stay warm as it’s a bit nippy at the moment. Ciao, Amo PS: I’m going camping this weekend with a bunch of mates but pretty sure I don’t have the right equipment to cope with the cold. I only have a summer sleeping bag… It’s going to be fun, they say. 🤦🏽‍♂️🥶

Rainy days. Do you know what rainy days mean? It means archive days. Here are photos from the past couple of months, most of them were my second favourite ones so you wouldn’t have seen them before. As you know, I love doing my Morning Bondi routine but it actually takes so much time. I’m talking about the photo bit especially. At the moment, I take photos from 6:30ish when the sun is up for roughly 30-40 minutes, then selection of the good photos for 20 mins, light edit the best ones for 10 mins, then write the morning blurb for 3-5 mins (I tend not to overthink this, as you can tell), then upload of each individual photos on the blog for 10 minutes, then newsletter for 5 minutes, then Instagram for 3 minutes, Facebook 3 minutes and Instagram Story 3 minutes. Basically, around 1.5 hours on average. So yes sometimes, I’m glad when it’s raining as I’m saving so much time. Have a beautiful day, despite the weather, and chat with you tomorrow, Xoxo Amo

Golden Sea. Slow start this morning, it was pretty average unless you could wait up to 8am (I couldn’t) to see the sun popping out behind the curtain of clouds. It was all about the golden reflection of the hidden sun on the water. Gold 24-carat for a few minutes. I don’t have much to tell you today except that if you live locally and love ‘Shark Tank’ TV show, you will love the local version of it. It’s called the Bondi Innovation Shark Tank organised by the @bondichamber and it’s next Wednesday at @hotelravesis You can find all the deets in the media release and book your tickets on the blog. I’m going with my awesome business partner Mary Proulx and supporting Sam Cust, one of the sharks (I think that’s what we call them). If you come down, let’s have a beer and break bread (what I love the most about our business name is that the puns are endless). I loaf you! (see) Amo

Nothing to worry about, it's just a tornado off North Bondi, ... 🌪️😲 I took this photo this morning around 9:30 am. I was shooting with @versefinejewellery in South Bondi when we saw this waterspout tornado coming out of nowhere. Scary much? Look closely and you can see the person around Ben Buckler's cliffs running for his life... That's all folks!

Pure Heaven. What another beautiful start to the day! While yesterday was all about big waves, today was all about the mad reflo on the sand - absolutely stunning. I was sitting just next to Morning Bondi HQ and was snapping like a maniac. Have a cracking weekend and subscribe to the newsletter if you want to see the photos earlier in the day - new Morning Bondi formula. ;) Xoxo Amo

Bombastic. OMG, what an incredible morning! It's a very late update as I had a pretty busy day and didn't have a chance to post before now. The newsletter was out around 10am though, so subscribe to it if you want to see the photos before everyone else. It was honestly one of the best mornings we've had for a little while. The light, the waves and the surfers braving the waves. Xoxo Amo

Low-tide goodness. What a stunning morning! Today was all about the low-tide gold reflection. It was just the perfect conditions for photos. The problem, only a few people out including two metal hunters. I was with fellow Frenchy @dianeperreau all morning. I reckon she’s the most popular French person in Sydney. So many people are stopping her every morning to have a chat and take a selfie with her. Have a lovely day my friends, Ciao, Amo

Into the wild. What a cracker of a morning! For a change of scenery, I ventured down to Bronte this morning. I reckon I made the right choice, it was just an incredible show. I was with my mate @paolocattaneophoto for the entire morning and we were just looking at the waves rolling in. Bronte Pool was the best place in da house. If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen the very rare video of me talking to the camera. With @bread_agency, my agency, I recently started working with the team from @in2thewild.aus, the best tiny houses business around. In order to have a better understanding of the experience, the client kindly invited me to go for a couple of days with my wife and daughter. Real legends, best onboarding! The whole experience was amazing - especially for someone like me that is pretty hyperactive. I just ‘re-wilded’ for two days. Even though the network was working where we were, I put my phone in airplane mode the whole weekend and made the most of the experience. The tiny house was kitted with all the things that you need, all the products in there are premium and sourced from ethical brands. Let’s be honest the firepit and outdoor bath were the highlights for me. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you are like me and struggle to switch off. They are running a Winter Campaign which is all about swapping your usual beach days for days in the wild. You can book one of the 46 cabins all around Australia using the link in my Stories to get up to 20% off this winter OR alternatively try your luck entering the simple giveaway that they are organising on their Insta. You can thank me later! Xoxo Amo

Monday Madness. This is a very late update compared to usual but busy day today. This morning was just nuts down the beach. I only took a few photos before having to rush to an early meeting in the city. The swell should still be here tomorrow, so go and have a look if you can. Xoxo Amo

FriYay. How’s everyone today? After two days in Melbs (Melbourne for the hipsters), I’m back in the hood. What a morning! Incredible light, the surf was ON and the Icebergs was packed - perfect for photo ops. This morning I caught up with my mate Ben, a fellow Frenchy that I haven’t seen for years. We hung out around the Bergs and finished with a swim in South Bondi - how original. Enjoy your weekends my friends. Mine is going to be pretty epic. I’m going into the wild, literally. That’s right, I’m going to one of @in2thewild.aus’s tiny houses. More on this subject later. Stay tuned people! Have a cracking weekend, Lots of love, Amo

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