Born in Fiji my sister and I spent most of our childhood living our lives in the ocean. Scuba diving, windsurfing, sailing and travelling with our parents. Schooling was a mixture of correspondence & spending a year or two in a “normal” school environment, we got used to forming friendships quickly and knowing that they would never last long as we would be on the move again. To this day it’s still easy to say goodbye, knowing that somewhere along the track we’ll probably bump into each other again !!
We travelled around the world up until I turned 21, my parents always had a house in both Fiji and Queensland, Australia. The house is still sitting over in Fiji, on the Coral Coast, but I haven’t been back since Dad passed away. It’s changed so much over the tens of years .. I miss the days when we were kids, the reef out the front of the house has changed, it’s busier then ever, attitudes are different … but I would never exchange that life we lived .. the memories will be forever.
We’ve been on the Sunshine Coast for over 16 years now. 25 years of showing horses we finally found the ocean again. We’ve recently moved into Eumundi .. it’s been really nice, quiet, more of a country town that we call crave but still within minutes of the beaches. The boys are now young adults, James, my eldest, is a mad car nut and Will has graced many of my photos.
People have asked how in the world does a woman in her late 40’s suddenly take up photography.. I became completely infatuated with surfing longboards and my husband Jason and I spent nearly every waking moment surfing thigh high waves ( yes I’m a sook ) Then when the ocean became wild and uncontrollable .. I picked up a camera. My photos now grace magazines such as Pacific Longboarder and I’m regularly booked to work with local swimwear, skin care & surf board shapers.
If I could give any words of wisdom .. open your mind to what can be, don’t be afraid to experiment, google is your friend, ask lots of questions from those you admire…. and remember no one is perfect, everyone won’t love what you do, be real, be grateful and keep yourself grounded. I’m here right now because of every person who has graced my photos .. thank you from the bottom of my heart.
It’s funny, but you know you’re doing something right when that complete stranger walks up to you in a completely random place, far away from your comfort zone and says .. “ are you Fenna ? thank you for taking photos, I love what you do !!” .. and in that tiny moment, you’ve done a good thing .. you’ve made someone smile .. and to me, that’s all I can ever ask for.
WEBSITE:www.fennadeking.com
EMAIL:fennadk@gmail.com
All proceeds will go to the The Board Meeting Charity and The Surfrider Foundation.
