Meet the ‘Queen of the Safari’

Australian born and bred and a sixth generation country girl, the bush is bred into EdwinaRobertson’s blood. 

It wasn’t until 2012, did she really realise how much the Australian bush impacted her on a soul level when she became the first Australian Wedding Photographer to specialise in country weddings. Until this point, if you lived rurally, you’d only have the options of one or two local photographers as it was economically not viable to hire a photographer to travel many miles from a capital city to capture your big day.

Being connected with many rural people from her six years attendance at Boarding School, Edwina saw a need to provide a city standard level of service to rurally based clients who desired to be married at their family properties, where they were raised. Upon starting her business as a Country Wedding Photographer in 2013, in her first year she photographed 13 weddings, in 2014 her business boomed with 53 bookings. Over the following decade she remained one of the most highly sought after photographers in the country with her bookings taking her to some of the most remote and beautiful locations in Australia and internationally.

It was her signature ‘dust images’ in which Edwina became well known for. For a lengthy part of her career, Australia experienced drought and it was in 2015 in which one image shared with a story of intention to raise awareness about the drought in western Queensland, showed her the power of her images to make change beyond that of simply being a couple’s wedding memories.

Unknowingly, sharing an image of a Bridal Party walking across a somewhat-apocalyptic-landscape which was also known as the Blackall Cricket club in good seasons, paired with a story about the effects and toll of drought on individuals and whole communities propelled Edwina’s career into a whole other space. With the intention of raising some awareness with this image, she encouraged followers on Facebook to share the story with an incentive that for every share, she would personally donate three dollars directly to a charity that supported Rural communities with challenges relating to mental health. With the expectation the post would only be shared a few times, you can imagine the surprise and (heart racing palpitations) Edwina faced when it was shared 4975 times in the first 24 hours…

This ‘dusty wedding image’ continued on to be internationally viral and was featured in publications such as the New York Times, Huffington Post and on CNN. With a dent to her savings as a result, what this experience taught Edwina was that storytelling can go far beyond any words when it’s coupled with a visual representation.

In 2017, Edwina took on her greatest adventure yet. With the purchase of a 1979 Toyota Landcruiser 40 Series ‘Alice’, she, her dog, her camera and a fair bit of tenacity, packed up and drove around a lap of the map, intentionally taking no funds. For survival, she bartered her photography skills with rural and remote families for food, fuel and accommodation. Covering 35 000+ kilometres over 100 days, she returned to her starting point, weighing a little less yet with a lifetime of stories, experiences and gratitude to the marginal population that live west of the Great Divide and the vastness of incredible country she conquered on her adventure.

Australian 60 Minutes covered her ‘Wander of the West’ journey in which you can watch here.

Despite all its beauty, the harshness of the Australian Outback can destroy communities who have resided there previously for generations. This was seen in 2018 where up to 100% of some states were declared to be in drought. The reports on mainstream media were numbers based. ‘This town only has 3% water left in its dam’, ‘such and such a community are paying  ‘x; amount extra to import livestock feed’. The reporting was all numerical and lacked any substance to the emotional, financial and spiritual toll such a weather event was playing on individuals and communities as a whole.

With the experience she had witnessed only a few years earlier and the power with that one ‘dusty wedding photo’, Edwina set out to travel some of the toughest hit communities in rural NSW to document, photograph and ‘humanise’ the drought with the aim of raising fundamental awareness to urban populations.

Project ‘One Bucket’ was formed and spanned over two months in which Edwina road tripped, visiting small bush towns and sharing heartbreaking stories of the struggles of individuals and collectives.  Within less than a couple of weeks, Edwina’s stories were being published in large and credible Australian publications such as The Australian, Vogue, Women’s Weekly, 7:30 Report and BBC. This awareness created via her stories both visually and written, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in vital funds for charities such as Rural Aid and Drought Angels (now known as Farm Angels) and brought much needed financial assistance from the Australian Government.

It was that sense of desire to give back to the communities that had given her so much over the years of a thriving and successful Wedding Photography business that compelled Edwina to donate her time and resources to such a situation that affected so many. 

In the bush and in her vast travels and work, documenting weddings, Edwina found herself. She found solace in the isolation and inclusion with people she’d only just met. The bush, its raw beauty and often its raw brutality became a place where she felt most at home and as herself. There is no pretence, no show, just authenticity. 

With a feeling of completion in all she wanted to achieve as a Wedding Photographer, in 2024, Edwina set her sights on new horizons and an adventure like no other. Relocating to Cape Town, South Africa, Edwina’s creation of becoming a Personal Safari Photographer to integrate her love of the bush, wildlife and capturing people was formed.

The similarities between Australian and African landscapes are many and her need for creativity and feeding her soul are filled by exploration and having regular visits to the bush, making this venture the perfect career change for her.

She would love to join you on your Safari adventure and create incredible life long memories whilst you totally immerse yourself in this once in a lifetime experience.