Sat 12 Jun
Small Stories: Aquabumps.
Eugene Tan founded the Aquabumps blog in 1999. What began as a creative outlet for the former graphic designer soon became his work, his passion, a bricks and mortar gallery, and even led him to his true love.
Rewind to the 90s.
‘We’ve been around for about 22 years,’ says Eugene Tan (better known as Uge) of the original Aquabumps blog and daily photo email that are dedicated to images of early morning beach life, with hundreds of thousands of followers. Back then blogs weren’t really a big thing, but Uge thought a daily dose of surf life would be great inspiration and a moment of escapism for his mates at work… and the popularity just kept growing.
Before founding Aquabumps, Eugene was the creative director at a web design agency in Sydney. That meant, ‘working within the old professional services set up; meetings all day and a team of 20 designers doing all of the work.’ It wasn’t a super creative time for the Sydney-based surfer. ‘I needed an outlet, I needed to vent creatively,’ he remembers.
Taking photos from the age of nine, living a beach lifestyle and surfing for well over 22 years, Eugene decided to lean into his passions for that creative outlet. ‘I’d always loved photography,’ he recalls. ‘So I went and bought a digital camera and as soon as it arrived, I took it down to the beach and started taking documentary-style photographs of the water, beach and waves. I’d do a little surf report, and then attach that to emails, which I’d send out to friends.’
‘Aquabumps grew organically. I’d wake up at sunrise and shoot the beach. I started shooting in the water, which was a big step back in the ‘90s, then also started shooting from helicopters about 15 years ago. I developed a style of photography that people would come to know and recognise.'
In 2021, this may not seem like the foundation for such a widely loved and respected business like Aquabumps, but Eugene says, ‘you’ve got to think back to the ‘90s: digital cameras were just coming out, social media wasn’t a thing, blogs weren’t around, and the internet was really new.’ It was cutting edge for the time.
Evolution of the brand.
As the popularity of what Uge was doing continued to grow and fans started to ask how to buy the images, he turned his sights to making this happen online. Then, in 2004, Uge opened his first gallery in Sydney’s beachside suburb of Bondi.
The stars aligned when one day Uge’s future wife Debbie walked into the gallery. ‘I fell in love with one of the works, and, of course, with Eugene,’ she smiles. Debbie’s background in media and her eye for opportunity made her the perfect person to grow the business side of Aquabumps. ‘I came in with a more strategic lens on the business. I tightened up the advertising deals then went after the bigger fish, like getting Canon on as a sponsor.’
Relating to the audience.
In a small business of this nature, with roots in a local community, one of things that gets Eugene up and running in the morning is having direct access to his audience. ‘We’re part of a community, and I need that interaction in my life.’
Anecdotally, Eugene was walking down the streets of Bondi when two older gentlemen took it upon themselves to let him know that the blog had become a little ‘monotonous’ and that Eugene needed to ‘lift his game a little bit.’
‘Usually, we’d be shooting around the world, so it was interesting to get that feedback,’ Eugene laughs. ‘It forced me to push myself further and dig deeper – it was great. And people have commented on how those two guys forced me to crack the whip!’
The gallery has hundreds of artworks available in various sizes.
Always pushing the creative.
Nowadays, anyone with a phone is able to create content, so Uge and his team are constantly thinking about how they can maintain their place above the rest. ‘For us it’s something I really try to push; we’ve got to look unique and be elevated. We have to stand out.’ That means ensuring a level of quality and craftsmanship, building out the production department and ensuring they’re always on the front foot. ‘That only comes through hard work,’ he says. ‘There’s no shortcut.’
‘We live in a really saturated time. We’re constantly bombarded by content because content is king; everybody is producing content no matter whether they’re a local florist or a giant business in town.’
For Eugene and the team, the future is about evolving the business and always pushing themselves, while retaining the look and authenticity that people fell in love with. ‘We’re constantly working on new images, new framing, new presentation techniques.’
Even after 22 years in the game, there’s no sign of Eugene, Debbie and their team slowing down. ‘You need to work in your passion. This is what I’m meant to be doing.’
Eugene’s quickfire questions:
- Where do you want to go as soon as normal travel resumes?
We would really love to see more of Australia. Top places on our list include Uluru, Kangaroo Island, Kakadu National Park, Tasmania, Western Australia, and Noosa. So lots of places! We have such a diverse and beautiful country, and we’ve really only scratched the surface so far. Once international travel opens, we have Antarctica and Europe on the list. Let’s face it, everywhere and anywhere!
- Do you shoot much in Sydney’s other beaches?
Yes, we have a catalogue of images from all over Sydney, including the Northern Beaches, Sydney’s southern beaches, and the majority of the harbour beaches. The great thing about travelling less over the past year is that I have been able to shoot more locally - and I’ve absolutely loved it.
- What’s the most popular Aquabumps image you sell?
Lone swimmer. My wife, Debbie. brought me my first ever helicopter flight about 13 years ago as a Christmas present, and it was on that first ever photographic flight that i managed to get that shot. I’s amazing that 13 years later it still sells and is so loved universally.
- Which is your favourite place you’ve ever shot?
The Amalfi Coast in Italy. The warm water, the colour of the desk chairs that line the beach, the way the Italians love and pay homage to the sun and the sea. You can’t take a bad shot there.
- What do you do to relax?
We’re not so good at relaxing! If I have any down time, I surf. We all surf as a family and that’s pretty special. I’m a tech nerd too; love reading about new gear and technology, so if I have spare time I tend to spend it researching.
- Where do you and the family like to be when you’re not working?
We love to travel and experience new places with our boys. We’re nature people, so being in and around it is where we are happiest. In the surf, or watching our boys tear up the skatepark - they are incredible skaters and good little surfers already.
- Are the kids showing an early interest in photography?
Yes, they are. They always hassle us for jobs at the gallery (they have been known to help out on the floor for $2!). They are both very creative and full of life, but only time will tell. The little one, Spike, is a negotiator like his mum. Who knows, they might both step into our shoes. But if they don’t, that’s ok too.
