Dane Beesley

22/02/2026

09/11/2025

The People's Choice Award—it hit me like a runaway freight train, a beautiful, unexpected jolt! No doubt, it's the sheer, untamed, magnificent vibe of The Chats that pulled this train into the station, but hey, I'm riding this wave, I'm soaking it up!

Thank you to the dazzling crew of finalists, to the visionaries at The Olive Cotton Award, to the sanctuary of the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre. And most of all, to the man himself, Eamon Sandwith—for the time, the trust, the pure, unvarnished rock 'n' roll spirit.

19/10/2025

09/10/2025

My photograph titled ‘Glimmer of an Unrealised Dream,’ is a finalist in the Clayton Utz Art Prize - managed by Lethbridge Gallery Oct 6 2025 - Oct 2 2026 Riparian Plaza, Brisbane. Special thanks: talent: Sam Hinkley - make up: Marnie Rappell - dress: Gail Sorronda - ©dane beesley

07/09/2025

My portrait of Eamon Sandwith of The Chats will be on display at The 2025 Brisbane Portrait Prize - Sept 20 - Nov 9 State Library of Queensland 🙏

On Smoko Dane Beesley Sitter: Eamon Sandwith Medium: Photograph Dimensions: 75cm x 100cm Representation: This artist represents themselves VOTE IN PEOPLES CHOICE About the artwork Eamon Sandwith is the Brisbane-based lead-singer and bassist of Aussie punk rock band The Chats. Originally from the Sun...

01/09/2025

It's a huge honour to be featured in the new book Exposure: Contemporary Photographers in Australia and New Zealand by Amber Creswell Bell Thames & Hudson Australia Available in all good book stores and online. Launch 6th September at Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

Join us on 6 September 2025 at 11am, for the launch of Exposure. Author Amber Creswell Bell will host a panel of artists including Tamara Dean, Brenda L. Croft, Nigel Malone and Luke Shadbolt as they discuss the power of contemporary photography to observe, interpret and inspire. More details for la...

21/08/2025

Photographs for Gail Sorronda’s 20th anniversary show ‘Chromophobia’ in Brisbane. https://vogue.ph/fashion/runway/gail-sorronda-20th-anniversary-collection/

20/08/2025

Opening tomorrow night The 2025 Ballarat International Foto Biennale featuring my portrait of Benjamin Law for The Martin Kantor Portrait Prize Exhibition. Tickets available: https://ballaratfoto.org/online-exhibition/martin-kantor-portrait-prize-2025-gallery/

13/08/2025

The Olive Cotton Award 2025 Exhibition is on display at Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre from Saturday 16 August - Sunday 2 November. Thank you Eamon Sandwith for being the subject of my portrait.

The Olive Cotton awards have marked their 20th anniversary in style, with a record number of entries and offering a major prize of $20,000. Tweed Regional Gallery has announced the 65 finalists, recognised for their excellence in photographic portraiture

10/08/2025

Photographs for Gail Sorronda’s 20th anniversary show ‘Chromophobia’ in Brisbane.

A close community turned a fashion snub into a ‘warm hug’ from the industry for Gail Sorronda.

05/06/2025

🎨 Entry Sneak Peek 🎨

Dane Beesley
On Smoko

On Smoko captures Australian musician Eamon Sandwith, frontman of 'shed rock' band The Chats, known for their irreverent anthems of Aussie life like Smoko and Pub Feed. Photographer Dane Beesley—born, based, and deeply embedded in Brisbane’s creative scene—presents Sandwith in a moment that nods to the now-iconic lyric from Smoko: “Perched atop of his milk crate throne.”

Sandwith, originally from the Sunshine Coast, moved to Brisbane in 2019 to further immerse himself in the city’s thriving music community, a scene he had already been connected to from a young age. Beesley’s portrait not only captures a rising figure in Australian music but also reflects the enduring creative energy that defines Brisbane’s cultural landscape.

📆 Entries close 1 July at 6pm – Don’t miss your chance to be part of the 2025 Brisbane Portrait Prize: brisbaneportraitprize.org