About Bridgette

About Bridgette and the
evolvement of Aussie Macro Photos

Bridgette grew up on a farm near a small rural town in NSW. Being surrounded by nature she developed a great appreciation of the natural world from a very young age.

Over the years her love of wildlife, conservation and photography grew. She travelled around the world to experience and learn about the wildlife and habitat of many countries.

This spirit of discovery and adventure took her to see such magical places as Antarctica where she was a crew member on the Sea Shepherd vessel MV Steve Irwin, to defend whales against the annual Japanese Whale Hunt. Her photos are still featured on the Sea Shepherd website.

Bridgette has also explored India, Thailand, Belize, Honduras, USA, Chile, Fiji, Egypt, Sumatra, Bali, China, UAE, New Zealand, Mexico, Guatemala all in the name of discovery and adventure.

Over the past six years Bridgette has dedicated every spare minute to finding, photographing and identifying some of the worlds smallest animals. She is lucky to live near the Cairns Botanic Gardens where she spent countless hours in search of the many hidden treasures.

Bridgette started using her macro photography to capture images of the incredible variety of fungi in Tropical Far North Queensland. She quickly gained a following on her fungi dedicated Instagram account and produced a calendar called Phallic Fungi in 2020. The specialised imagery gained media attention and the calendar sold out.

At the start of 2020, and with the emergence of COVID-19 she was made redundant from her tourism marketing role with Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, one of the worlds most highly-rated dive tourism companies and a consistent Number 1 on Trip Advisor – Tour Operator in Cairns.

This slump provided the opportunity for Bridgette to grab the Rhinoceros Beetle by the horns and pursue her passion of sharing the beauty of the miniature world that largely goes unnoticed.

In a brand-new enterprise not offered in Cairns previously, Bridgette is now running Guided Tours Let’s Go Buggin for those interested in seeing and or photographing some of the many of the lifeforms she has photographed in the Cairns Botanic Gardens. Her 2000 plus hours spent in the gardens has allowed her to become aware of many host plants and locations for a variety of caterpillars, cocoons, moths and butterflies, leaf, tree and planthoppers, praying mantis, jumping spiders, tortoise beetles, damselflies and dragonflies, and a variety of frogs.

Aussie Macro Photos features photographs by Bridgette available to purchase in a range of mediums including gorgeous acrylic blocks and wall hangings. Collections of postcards and greeting cards are also available via the Shop.

During the Wet Season in Cairns (usually November to May), there are many beautiful and unusual fungi to be found and photographed, and Let’s Go Shroomin Weekly Tours run each Sunday.  To participate in a tour with Bridgette, please visit the ‘Book a Tour‘ page.
 
In 2024, Bridgette expanded Aussie Macro Photos and Let’s Go Buggin Tours to Sumatra, where she runs annual Photography Expeditions into the incredibly rich rainforest to encounter a huge variety of wildlife.   The next year, Bridgette expanded the experience to include Singapore.  Then in 2025, Bridgette added an India Safari to the international roster, providing quality nature-immersive experiences for a host of like-minded nature adventure seekers.

Awards, Publications & Media

Bright Festival of Photography Workshop Leader 2026

OM SYSTEM Ambassador 2023 – Current

Finalist, Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2026

Head On Photo Festival, Perth Featured Artist Exhibition ‘Disco Bugs’ – February 2026

Featured in Australian Geographic Magazine May-June 2025

Featured Photo Essay in Photo Review Magazine August 2023

Featured image in Cairns Community Calendar 2023/24 by MP Warren Entsch

Featured in It’s a Wild Life Blog April 2023

Runner-up in Wildlife Queensland Frog Photo Competition March 2023

Two featured images in Cairns Community Calendar 2022/23 by MP Warren Entsch

Featured artist in Sydney Morning Herald ‘On My Mind’ January 2022

Head On Photo Festival Sydney Featured Artist Exhibition ‘Disco Bugs’ – November 2021

Featured Photographer in Heart of the Nation, Weekend Australia Magazine October 2021

Tropic Magazine Featured Artist October 2021

Two featured images in Cairns Community Calendar 2021/22 by MP Warren Entsch

Capture Magazine – Emerging Artist 2021 Highly Commended Award ‘Beautiful Beasts’

Capture Magazine – Emerging Artist 2021 Top 20 Award – ‘Disco Bugs’

Artist in Residence at Cairns Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre ‘Buggin & Shroomin’ March – July 2020

Australian Photographer Magazine Top 20 in ‘Animal & Nature’ Photographer of the Year 2020 ‘Beautiful Beasts of the Rainforest’

Artist in Residence at Cairns Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre ‘Buggin & Shroomin’ March – July 2020

Australian Photographer Magazine Top 20 in ‘Animal & Nature’ Photographer of the Year 2020 ‘Beautiful Beasts of the Rainforest’