Surf photo mural bringing joy to Marcoola shopping precinct

A young surf photographer who has turned his hobby into a successful business has revealed how he traded pursuing civil engineering after university for a life behind the lens.

Josh Whiting pictured with the photo mural at Bendigo Community Bank Marcoola.

A Marcoola precinct has been transformed with the installation of a mural by a young surf photographer whose spontaneous prints are now making their way around the world.

The Community Bank Sunshine Coast’s Marcoola branch unveiled the captivating image on Thursday of a larger than life wave captured by young surfer and photographer Josh Whiting which features on the shopfront glass windows.

Sunshine Coast Community Financial Services Limited chair Trish Radge said she found Whiting’s work on social media and “absolutely loved his photos”.

“We wanted an image that depicted the Sunshine Coast and made people feel good,” Ms Radge said.

Trish Radge and local photographer Josh Whiting.

The 22-year-old has been honing his skills since he picked up a camera at 14.

“I started off with a little GoPro, and used to go down with a bunch of my good mates to Mooloolaba Beach and just muck around,” Whiting said.

“They’d be on boogie boards, and body surf and surf and I’d just take photos of them and it sort of grew from that and I eventually saved up enough money and got a surf housing.”

After graduating from Chancellor State College Whiting completed a Civil Engineering degree before choosing to pursue photography full time.

“I’ve been doing this for a year and haven’t looked back,” he said.

“I do surf a fair bit but it is a bit of trade off between surfing and doing photos but I love them both.

Young surf photographer Josh Whiting's image taken at Pt Cartwright will be displayed at a Marcoola community bank's shopfront. Picture: Josh Whiting

“It’s where the magic happens.”

Possessing a high level of technical ability, Whiting describes photography as a “trying game”.

With a studio he opens by appointment in Warana, his images are already on the walls of far flung places including Alaska and France.

He has a huge social following with more than 13,000 on Instagram and 7000 on Facebook.

Ms Radge said the company loved to support artists.

“His (Whiting’s) art work is really incredible and I think he’s got a huge potential, so we wanted to get in early,” she said.

The Community Bank branches in Tewantin-Noosa, Marcoola and Cooroy support local organisations and are major sponsors for Sunny Coast Showdown, Coolum Wedge Body Surfing Festival and Permaculture Noosa.