BEHIND THE BRAND
A life reclaimed through the lens
Saturday, 26 April 2025
It’s 2am in the Southern Ocean just off the west coast of South Georgia. I know I need rest, but my heart is too full to be still. The excitement and gratitude running through me need to be put into words.
My life has been a whirl since starting my business Diane Armstrong Photography: meeting new people, learning new techniques, exploring the world and capturing its beauty. Each experience fuels my creativity and, in turn, allows me to inspire others. Over dinner with fellow photographers earlier tonight, I spoke about those moments that give me goosebumps – the ones that come from sharing my love of photography and seeing it ignite something in another person. It’s more than just photography. It’s creativity. It’s connection. There’s nothing quite like watching a student’s confidence grow after mastering a new technique or seeing the joy on a client’s face when my art transforms their space.
But this journey hasn’t been without its challenges. It has been one of transformation – of rebuilding myself when life as I knew it fell apart.
In retrospect, 2020 was the year that forced me to start over. A time of upheaval, uncertainty, and deep questioning. Everything familiar was gone, and for the first time in my life I found myself asking: Who am I now?
My soul searched for reasons and the weight of loss was overwhelming. Even now, thinking about that time still brings tears to my eyes. But I know now that sometimes, when life strips everything away, it clears space for something new to emerge.
I had always loved taking photos, but now it became more than an artistic pursuit—it became my way forward. Photography gave me a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning, a sense of connection to the world around me. At 55, I was reinventing myself, not just professionally, but personally.
A year into this new chapter, I set off on a week-long photography adventure along the South Coast of New South Wales. While I’m out in nature taking photographs my mind can be nowhere else. There is a grounding about being in the wilderness, something that restores balance without effort. There is no choice but to be fully present. When conditions are tough, when each step requires focus for safety, there’s no room for anything else.
It is in moments of waiting for the perfect light that I knew: This is what I am meant to do.
Gratitude as a building block
I’ve had some pretty wild adventures and every day I’m grateful to be alive. From a place of resilience and renewal, Diane Armstrong Photography was born. Not just as a business, but to share my passion – a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature and the peace it brings.
My work isn’t just about capturing landscapes. It’s about bringing that sense of stillness and connection into people’s lives. I turn motel rooms into homely spaces, business offices into a haven for its clients, create artwork that ignites the soul of a home, and offer a sense of calm through the beauty of nature. A photograph isn’t just an image – it’s a story, a memory, a way to experience the world in a new way.
Photography has always been about more than just taking pictures. It’s about creating something tangible, something that sparks emotion. And at its heart, my work is an act of giving. I’ve always loved giving gifts, and now, that has transformed into something even greater – sharing my gratitude for nature’s beauty with the world, one image at a time.
Resilience is a super power
My journey of resilience – of pushing through loss and uncertainty- has shaped not just my art, but how I live my life. Resilience is a non-negotiable is developing any business from the ground up. I’ve stepped into the world of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s epic voyage to Antarctica to begin an in depth research project on resilience. Shackleton’s story of survival and determination has inspired me, and retracing his steps makes it deeply personal.
Antarctica is a place of raw, wild beauty, a landscape as challenging as it is breath taking. Being here, I feet the weight of his journey, the relentless push forward in the face of impossible odds. Shackleton never gave up, and neither did I.
Resilience is more than enduring hardship—it’s about what you do with it. For me, it became about creating something meaningful, about sharing my passion with others.
Creativity is a gift
Every challenge I’ve faced has led me to this place. Every setback has shaped the way I see the world. Now, I have the privilege of capturing that world through my lens and sharing it with others.
Whether it’s a child’s face lighting up as they see a polar bear print in their room, a traveller feeling at home in a once-impersonal motel, or a student discovering their own creative spark- photography has given me a way to connect, to give, and to inspire.
This is more than a career. It’s a way of life. A way of seeing. A way of giving back.
And every day, I am grateful for where this journey has taken me—and for the stories still waiting to be told.
Written by Diane Armstrong
