Freedom Mount Tamborine

Description

I had a job to do that day, nothing out of the ordinary. A new real estate agent had asked me to take some photos up at Mount Tamborine. So I packed my gear, jumped in the car, and made the familiar drive into the hills. The sky was clear, the light was good, and everything went smoothly. After I finished, my wife, Mrs Smith, and I decided to make a little detour.

We drove up to the Mount Tamborine Hang Glider Lookout, a spot we both love for its sweeping views and open skies. The wind was gentle, steady. Ideal for flying. And sure enough, a few hang gliders were already circling the ridge, preparing to launch themselves into the vast blue.

I grabbed my camera. I couldn’t help myself, there’s something magnetic about the moment a person runs toward the edge of a cliff, trusting nothing but fabric and air to carry them. I stood there, watching through the lens as one glider took off. I tracked him perfectly, zoomed in just after he leapt, the earth falling away beneath him.

Click.

It was the kind of shot photographers live for, the clarity of a man suspended in the sky, arms outstretched, weightless. In that frame, you could see it all: the thrill, the courage, and the freedom of flying without an engine. Just the wind and willpower.

Mrs Smith stood beside me, quietly watching. “You captured that perfectly,” she said. And I knew I had. It wasn’t just a picture of someone flying, it was a moment of pure freedom.

That quick side trip turned into the highlight of our day. The kind of unexpected experience that makes the work, the drive, the gear, all worth it.