“Make your home as individual as you are.”
Limited Edition Prints
Since mounting my first international photography exhibition early in 2014, I have continued to set aside a collection of my favourite photographs for release as Limited Edition Prints.
Only 25 prints of each photograph from the collection will ever be sold.
The price of a 30cm x 50cm print is AUD$550, with the last five prints from a series increasing in price to AUD$5,500 each to reflect the investment potential of an early purchase.
Each photograph in the series will be printed using archival inks on museum-grade Gloss or Matt stock. Depending on the photograph, larger sizes of the prints on different stocks - framed or mounted - can also be ordered.
Of course, I will personally check every print, which will then be authenticated with a reference code and despatched with a signed certificate. If you're not completely satisfied with what you receive, just let me know and your payment will be refunded.
You can view my Limited Edition collection by scrolling through to the bottom of this page.
To order a Limited Edition Print on-line, visit David’s gallery at Art Lovers Australia by clicking the following link Art Lovers Australia, or inquire by contacting David directly at david@kirklandphotos.com.
Decor Prints, Limited Edition Prints and Fine Art
In 2021, Art Lovers Australia and Bluethumb began representing my work, selling a curated collection of my images as Decor Prints and Limited Edition Prints for home, office and public-space decoration. During Covid, I also began work on a series of fine art pieces to draw attention to the richness and importance of traditional culture throughout the South Pacific. The large, multi media artworks see a prized selection of my photographs printed on canvas, before being painted and having tribal artefacts I’ve collected in my travels imbedded in the work. Two pieces from the series are featured in the final section of this page.
DECOR PRINTS
We have an extensive library of thousands of photographs captured of the South Pacific and from around the world which can be made into stunning wall prints to decorate your home or office. They can be sent to you as prints on archival paper so you can frame them yourself, or we can frame them or have them printed onto stretched canvas in our studio.
The price of a standard 30cm x 50cm Decor Print is AUD$330 (pictured below). Depending on the photograph, we can print it to any size
To view a selection of David’s specially curated Decor Prints, click on the following link which will take you to his gallery on Art Lovers Australia.
The simple dropdown menu will provide further information about ordering on-line, processing, pricing and delivery.
Please Note: If there is a photograph in David’s On-Line Photo Library that you are interested in which doesn’t appear as a Decor Print or a Limited Edition Print, e-mail david@kirklandphotos.com to see if an arrangement can be made to have the photo uploaded to Art Lovers Australia to make it available for purchase.
LIMITED EDITION PRINT RANGE
Land dive (1/3)
$550
Limited Edition Print: Once a year, on the tiny island of Pentecost in the South Pacific, men from villages in the south collect lianas, and build a tower of timber scaffolding that stands 30 metres high in anticipation of a custom that will see up to 20 men risk their life to ensure a bountiful yam harvest. The vines, which will be tied to the diver’s ankles, are carefully chosen to snap taught just centimetres before his head crashes into the ground. This is the first of three photographs that captures the last diver's descent.
Land dive (2/3)
$550
Limited Edition Print: Salutations are made and a speech is given before the last diver claps his hands together above his head and majestically hurles himself skyward, arching towards the ground as the vines grasp at his ankles. The last dive is the most anticipated, with the event’s success measured by how close the diver's face comes to the ground. This is the second of three photographs that captures the last diver's descent.
Land dive (3/3)
$550
Limited Edition Print: It's a measure of a land diver’s bravery that he looks straight ahead as the ground rushes to meet him. Suddenly, the vine snaps taught and the platform over which his vine is hung collapses from his weight and the momentum, before the diver recoils back towards the tower. That’s if the vines don’t break - which is often the case. This is the second of three photographs that captures the last diver's descent.
......maybe something like this?
So close
$550
Limited Edition Print: A successful dive is determined by how close the diver comes to the ground - which is no mean feat given the hight of the tower and that a jungle vine tied to each ankle is the only thing that will stop him crashing head-first into the ground. Status is given to the diver who shows no hesitation leaving the platform, who holds his pose as he plummets earthward, and who stands uninjured at the end of the dive.
Land Diver
$550
Limited Edition Print: I photographed Allen more than 20 years before shooting this series, when he was the last to dive from the top of a tower. So, you can imagine my delight to see him again. His responsibility this time was to ensure the safety of each of the divers. He would oversee the construction of the tower, ensure strict cultural practices were followed, and choose each of the jungle vines which - if too long or too brittle - could lead to the death of a diver. In the known history of the event, only one person has ever died. It occured when the ritual was practiced out-of-season for visiting english royalty.
Huli wigman
$550
Limited Edition Print: I've photographed many of Papua New Guinea’s Huli Wigmen but this photo captured in the Southern Highlands, is my favourite. We’d hiked down from Ambua Lodge, across a suspended bridge built of vines and jungle timber, and through the jungle to get to the the waterfall. I remember kneeling in front of him to capture this image and being struck by the sense of majesty in his pose and the pride he radiated in his culture during the time we spent together.
Jumping Monk
$550
Limited Edition Print: After more than 20 years as a photographer, this photographs of monks playing in a monastery on the outskirts of Myanmar remains my favourite. Look at the range of emotions captured on the faces of each of these monks - the elation, the resignation, the determination, the joy and the surprise. This is one of those rare fractions-of-a-seconds we photographers live for.
The Happiness Within
$550
Mekeo Man
$550
Limited Edition Print: The Mekeo people of Papua New Guinea are distinguished by their spectacular yellow bilas (costume), the stripes painted on their face, and the towering plumes of feathers used in their headdress. The best time to see them performing in their traditional regalia is at the Hiri Moale Festival staged in Port Moresby in September - an event staged annually to showcase the rich culture of PNG’s Central Province.
Mekeo
$550
Limited Edition Print: This photo was captured at a small village in Viefa, in Papua New Guinea’s Central Province, The two Mekeo women had performed a dance in their traditional bilas (costumes) and sat bathed in the warm glow of the lamps while their headdresses were carefully removed and stored for the next ceremony. The Mekeo tribes are distinctive when they stage a traditional performance - recognised by their intricate yellow costumes and their painted striped faces.
Heritage
$550
Limited Edition Print: (To be captioned)
Oro
$550
Limited Edition Print: To be captioned
Bougainville Girl
$550
Limited Edition Print: To be captioned
Milne Bay
$550
Limited Edition Print: I was photographing a cruise around Papua New Guinea which pulled into Milne Bay for a cultural performance and photographed this young woman in a feathered headdress as she sat in the shadows waiting to go on stage.
Milne Bay 11
$550
Limited Edition Print: I was photographing a cruise around Papua New Guinea which pulled into Milne Bay for a cultural performance and photographed this young woman in a feathered headdress as she sat in the shadows waiting to go on stage.
Bula
$550
Limited Edition Print: To be captioned
Malili
$550
Limited Edition Print: The Pe'a is the traditional tattoo of the Samoan culture, worn by the men. It was a rainy day, and Malili and I huddled inside a thatched fale so I could take advantage of the soft light that fell on his body. This is one of my favourite photographs. It sits proudly in my home.
Stingray Fisherman
$550
Limited Edition Print: (To be captioned)
Malangan
$550
Limited Edition Print: The Malangan masks of New Ireland, to the north in Papua New Guinea, form an important part of it's ancient - often secretive - rituals. Traditionally, the Tatanua mask is created specifically for the person who's expected to wear it. They are believed to carry great powers. Legend has it, the mask will shrink and cause the excruciating death of someone not deemed appropriate to wear it. I had two Malangan masks in my home when a lightning storm hit and sent one of them crashing to the ground. Unfortunately, my eight year old son rose with me in the night to find one of the eyes of the shattered mask staring up at him. He's 26 at the writing of this and I still don't think he's recovered.
Nola is the Papua New Guinean with the striking features who's holding the mask in this photo.
F'a-a Samoa
$550
Initiation
$550
Limited Edition Print: I see a sensual beauty in the patterns carved into the bodies of the young men who undergo the crocodile scarification ritual of the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea. It may well be associated with the gentle nature of the initiates I have met, contrasted by the striking representation of one of the most powerful creatures on earth. The young initiates undergo a painful ceremony that can see them hidden away in a traditional spirit house over several months as their bodies are scarred and allowed to heal to resemble the head of a crocodile.
$550
Crocodile clan
$550
Limited Edition Print: I photographed these two young men along a tributary of the Sepik River, as they told me about the ritual of scarification they went through to resemble a crocodile. Tiny incisions were made to their bodies in the pattern of a crocodile’s head - you’ll note the eyes around the nipples, and the snout extending down the torso The wounds were then packed with mud from the river, scraped once they had healed, then packed and scraped again, until the callouses formed on their bodies. The crocodile is revered along the Sepik for its strength.
First-born
$550
Limited Edition Print: I felt particularly privileged to have captured this photograph in Palau of the traditional first-born ritual where a mother emerges from having given birth dressed, as she is, in a grass skirt, covered in yellow tumeric powder and oil, lips painted red and hair tied up to accentuate her feminine curves. Important is her pose - the leaf in her hand symbolising cleansing and renewal, and her folded arms lifted beneath her breasts to make them look full and abundant to reflect the Mother energy.
The Duk Duks
$550
Limited Edition Print: (To be captioned)
Solomon Shell Finder
$550
Limited Edition Print: I was heading out in a dinghy to a remote atoll in the Solomon Islands when I asked a couple of kids from a nearby village if they wanted to join me, offering to let them use my goggles to look for shells if they came. Well, I can tell you, I've never seen two tiny shadows scuttle so quickly into the boat. (And they'd still be out there today searching if I didn't pull them in). I'm happy to say I've been accompanied by that innocence, and the joy of just sharing company with a visitor, from children in the South Pacific for much of my travels.
Solomon Shell Finder 11
$550
Limited Edition Print: I was heading out in a dinghy to a remote atoll in the Solomon Islands when I asked a couple of kids from a nearby village if they wanted to join me, offering to let them use my goggles to look for shells if they came. Well, I can tell you, I've never seen two tiny shadows scuttle so quickly into the boat (and, they'd still be out there today searching if I didn't pull them in). I'm happy to say I've been accompanied by that innocence, and the joy of just sharing company with a visitor, from children for much of my travels throughout the South Pacific.
Betelnut Jumping
$550
Limited Edition Print: To be captioned
Clouds 1
$550
Limited Edition Print: To be captioned
Breaking Waves Series 1
$550
Limited Edition Print: There is no place more calming and invigorating to me than being on a beach and looking out across breaking waves. It‘s where I feel most centred. For others, it's a babbling brook or a mountain peak. But it's on a sandy beach where I can sit caressed by the sea-breeze, content to just to look out across the movement of the waves and listen to their soothing rhythm that does it for me. It may well have something to do with all those negative ions flying around and the constant flow of energy. Whatever it is though, it soothes my soul and I know many other people feel the same way.
So, this is the first of a series of photographs I plan to devote to just studying waves and showing them in a way they may not have been seen before.
What I particularly like about this photograph is the energy it captures, and that I’ve seen it a thousand times and never tired of looking into it.
BONDI BEACH
$550
Limited Edition Print: Iconic Bondi Beach. Inspired by bathing photographs I’ve seen of the Mediterranean, I wanted to capture the everyday appeal of Bondi Beach - of the white rimmed baths built into the cliff face, with the sprawling view along Bondi in the background. To me, this scene which was captured on a lazy long weekend represents much of the appeal of Australia's laid-back culture and lifestyle.
Curtis Falls - Mt Tamborine
$550
Limited Edition Print: To be captioned
Gold Coast Sunrise
$800
Limited Edition Panoramic Aerial Print: Just before sunrise, there’s only a three minute widow to capture this scene in optimum conditions - when a glorious mauve colour is reflected from the clouds above the horizon, when there’s no wind, and when the sky is crystal clear.
Looking south along the Gold Coast, the Marriott Resort sits in the foreground, with the mariner directly behind it and Surfers Paradise trailing off into the distance.
Mooloolooba Sunrise
$800
Limited Edition Panoramic Aerial Print: Sunrise at Point Cartwright on the Sunshine Coast, with Mooloolaba and the Glasshouse Mountains in the distance. Only 100 of these panoramic arial prints - each produced to exacting standards - will ever be sold, with the price of the last five prints in the series rising to AUD$12,000 each to represent its investment potential.
Kimberley Dreaming
$550
Limited Edition Print: I met these three gentlemen - Sandy, Mick and Tedddy - at the Imintji Store along the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Mick was keen to negotiate a price for the painting he was standing in front of (I wasn’t sure if it was actually his to sell as they later said they were ringers from a nearby property). And it was a handsome sum they were seeking. As I merely wanted to photograph the three of them, we wrangled fiercely until - in exchange for this photo - we settled for four ice-creams and a bit of a laugh on the verandah.
Aitutaki
$550
Limited Edition Print: I like the abstract quality of this aerial photograph of Aitutaki Lagoon. The contrast of the lagoon water and the ocean, the coral heads sprinkled across the surface, and the classic, white sandbars emerging from the bottom of the shot. It may not be the most obvious photograph of Aitutaki Lagoon I've taken, but it's one that I've had made into a large print that sits in my home.
Lakatoi
$550
Limited Edition Print: Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, was transformed with the development of the Ella beach foreshore and the building of APEC House - an event venue designed in the shape of a giant Lagatoi or traditional sailing vessel. Its distinctive shape provides a striking feature from the air in what appears more like an abstract painting.
Niue
$550
Limited Edition Print: Niue is like no other island in the South Pacific - its sharp, rugged cliffs rise dramatically from the ocean as if in defiance of the waves. Perched on top of the cliffs, the crashing, at times caressing, motion of ocean meeting the island is mesmerising, leaving you with a profound sense of the age of the earth and the fleeting moment you occupy it.
Goggles
$550
Limited Edition Print: I was standing in water up to my knees shooting back onto a stunning island off the coast of Timor-Leste, when this fisherman just popped up out of the water - as surprised to see me, as I was him. And, as you might imagine, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass.
Yasur
$550
Limited Edition Print: (To be captioned)
The yam harvest
$550
Limited Edition Print: I should point out that the exuberance in this photo was not shared by me as I'd been told that during the month of the yam harvest in the Trobriand Islands, women - in keeping with ancient custom - are "allowed to choose any man they like, and take him off into the bushes to have their way with him."
So, you might imagine my anticipation as I stood in the path of this procession of young, bare-breasted women making their way towards me, only to have it part and pass around me faster than the flow of water around an upright stick. That was until the last four women - each well over 80 I'd estimated, with barely a tooth between them - decided I was ripe for the picking.
Regardless, this photo lives with me as a lasting reminder of the joy I witnessed during my visit to the Trobriand Islands (and the sacrifices I've been called on to make in my duties as a photographer).
To view David’s gallery or order a Decor Print or a Limited Edition Print from David’s private collection, click here which will take you to his gallery on Art Lovers Australia (below).
FINE ART
In 2020, largely due to the Covid outbreak, I began work on a series of fine-art pieces on the South Pacific. I’ve wanted to work in multi-media for several years but the time just escaped me. The work sees some of my most prized photographs re-interpreted onto canvas and painted, before being embellished with traditional artifacts gathered during my travels. While the collection is largely a personal work, I envisage a time when it will be publicly exhibited to draw attention to the value, the beauty and the fragility of traditional culture throughout the South Pacific.
Following are two pieces in the collection.
Title: Bride Price
$12,000
Bride Price: Multi-media Artwork. 110cm x 80cm on canvas in a floating frame.
I have this artwork sitting in a prominent position in my home as I never tire of the woman’s captivating expression.
I was fortunate to photograph the performer at the Melanesian Cultural Festival which is staged every four years either in Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands. On this occasion, the event was hosted in Honiara and the woman had come down from Choisel Island. She was one of three female performers who held the attention of the crowd with a seductive courtship dance to rival the yam harvest performance of the Trobriand Islanders (which is saying something).
Painted over in part with gold leaf, the canvas has been embellished with shells worn during the traditional bride price exchange ceremony of the Solomon Islands. The centre of each tiny shell is carved out by hand using a traditional drilling device made from string and timber. They are then threaded onto a long string that adorns the head and body of the bride. Traditional currency - carved delicately from clam shells - has also been added to the canvas.
While the bride price ceremony continues to be practiced today, it is a rare event. The four pieces of traditional currency are unlikely to be seen outside of museums or private collections.
Title: Trobriand Girl
$12,000
Trobriand Girl: Multi-Media Artwork. 110cm x 80cm on canvas
I photographed this girl on Kiriwina Island, part of the Trobriand archipelago east of mainland Papua New Guinea, as she stood waiting to perform in a traditional yam harvest ritual.
The pattern which has been overlaid onto the photograph is from the splash-board of a Trobriand Island canoe. After printing the photo onto canvas and painting on the gold leaf, coloured fibre strands from a traditional grass-skirt were applied.
The artwork’s aim is to draw attention to the fragile culture of the Trobriand Islands and how rapidly it has changed since Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowsky wrote about the overt sexual practices of the people, which led to the Trobriand islands being declared "The Islands of Love.”
EXPLORE WITH ME
A successful promotional photograph starts with knowing what you want it to say and who you want it to appeal to - before you even bring the camera to your eye.