5AM CLUB

December 5, 2023

Morning team,

How are you today? Ready to kick some goals?

This morning, I woke up at 5 am as I wanted to be down the beach for sunrise. When I arrived, the beach was already pretty packed. Aussies are a bit nuts, I know. I don't think you will see that much activity on a beach that early anywhere in the world but I get it, it’s the best part of the day.

Sunrise was pretty nice with hues of pink, the light was on point and the Icebergs a bit dirty. Here is a hot tip for the tourists, go for an Iceberg swim on Fridays after the pool has been cleaned on Thursday, otherwise you will swim in water mixed with the suncream and sweat from the weekend. I know, a bit gross but that's the reality.

On that note, have a fantastic day ahead, the sun is shining so I'm happy - that simple!

BOOM!

Amo

The right type of board for this morning

Surely it's an ad for a new block colour activewear brand?

Finally

November 30, 2023

Morning gang,

Guess what, the sun was back in town this morning. Yeah I know, I couldn't believe it either.

More than 2 weeks since I took photos. Call me lazy but after 13 years of doing Morning Bondi, I don't bother anymore taking photos if it's not picture-perfect.

I arrived late, it was super bright out there, hung around the Icebergs for a little while and ventured down the beach to catch up with my mates post-training.

Finally, I have a backlog of stuff to talk to you about:

- First, yesterday was the 1st year anniversary of Bread Agency, the Social Media agency that I created with my business partner Mary. I have heard from an undisclosed source that we are the best in business. Get amongst it, if you don't follow us as yet and massive thank you to all the people who supported us along that epic journey. A toast to this.

- I attended a couple of weeks ago the book launch of my mate Vincent who covered the One Hundred Beaches Sydney. If you like photography and beaches (not to pronounced with a French accent), this book is for you.

- I also wanted to give a shout-out to the guys from Peach As for the seltzer delivery. If like me, you don't mind a drink now and then but don't want the dad bod that I have, go and check them out. Delicious drink and good people to support.

I think that's all for today...

Hoping that tomorrow is the same. Come on for the first day of Summer, we want to see the sun shining, happy people all around and spend hours on the beach. ☀️⛱️🍦

BOOM!

Amo

Fact: It's been scientifically proven that when you stepped into cold water, you lift your arms up.

Sun-sational

November 14, 2023

Morning gang,

How’s everyone? Miss me much?

My apologies for the radio silence on there but between my week in Thailand and a week to recover, I’ve been rather quiet in there.

Today was absolutely sensational. Woke up at 5:20 am to be there for sunrise and it didn’t disappoint. The sunrise was a cracker, the surf was big, the Icebergs packed and heaps of activity around the beach too. I got carried away and took way too many photos, hence the late update.

Other than this, all going well. The 🍞 team is growing, we have onboarded two new team members, and we keep on winning new work from incredible clients. Life is good!

That’s all for today, have a good one and chat tomorrow!

Xoxo

Amo

Thomas Hawley & Warren Ginsberg - good looking much?!

Peter Strain patiently waiting for the good ones

Cute for a moment

October 25, 2023

Morning gang,

Hope everyone is well.

My apologies for the radio silence the last couple of days but early workshops in the city and Morning Bondi routine don't go too well together.

This morning was alright but you had to be there at sunrise to see a bit of colour in the sky, and then it all turned to grey. The only benefit of clouds is that they bring up the nice turquoise colour of the ocean.

The next two days are not looking too promising, rain is forecasted for both Thursday and Friday. I'm then going away on Saturday for a week so it might be the last time we speak for a little while.

Take care of yourself and chat with you soon,

Xoxo

Amo

Community Love

October 20, 2023

Morning gang,

Happy Friday, as they say!

Hope you had a great morning. What a stunning start to the day! Everything was on point.

North Bondi is where you want to go on a Friday. All the local communities are around, the Clubbies, the Salties, the Knoxys…

I started with the Bondi Lifesavers who were doing a swim/paddle out for a local legend and first female life member Louise Santos. A beautiful morning to pay respect and show their love. ❤️

I then ventured down to North Bondi to see all the other lovely communities. Best feeling.

Talking about Local Communities, if you just arrived in Bondi or just want to join a community, I wrote this article a few months ago listing them all. It’s still the most-read article since I started Morning Bondi, more than 12 years ago.

Lots of love my friends and take care of yourself,

Xoxo

Amo

Nah, not today

October 18, 2023

Morning gang,

Hope you've all had a good night's sleep and stayed in bed this morning. If you weren't down there, you didn't miss much, except if you are into cold wind, very average sunrise and gross water obviously.

I ventured down to my usual spots to take what was going on around me but not really inspiring.

Other than this yesterday, I was invited to the Australian Premiere of Deep Rising Documentary at SXSW Sydney. If you don't know anything about "Deep Sea Mining", I urge you all to Google it. This is soon going to affect all of us and we all deserve to have a say about it because the ocean belongs to us. We are about to help them with Bread Agency to make the subject more widely known by the general public. Watch this space.

Have a lovely day and chat with you on Friday (early workshop in the city tomorrow morning so no photos)

Xoxo

Amo

Gross! A preview of what to expect with the deep sea mining industry

Yeah right

October 17, 2023

Morning gang,

How's everyone this morning?

I rocked up late, and thank god I did as it was not looking that great. Then, the sun decided to show up and it was magnificent.

I snapped a few shots and then back to dull. Perfect time to catch up for coffee with a mate to talk 🍞 business (go on, click on the emoji to see magic). Yeah, I do my best new business between 6-7:30 a.m. down at the beach. Why go to afterworks when you can do beforeworks?

Also, do I know any singles here ready to mingle? Nah, not for me but the legends at Singles Mingle Australia are organising an event on Thursday night at Bondi Hardware. They have been giving me 10 tickets, all you need to do is message them and mention 'Morning Bondi' and you get a free entry. First in, best dressed. Goooo! The only thing that I would ask in return is to be invited to your wedding. Deal? 🤝🏻

Over to you my friends,

BOOM!

Amo

Touch footy with mates before work. How good is living in Sydney!

Bondi Icebergs Gym, best spot to train at sunrise. Nah I'm not paid to say this but I should certainly get a lifetime membership for all the free advertising. ;)

Corona didn't need more bad publicity. Come on guys, clean-up after you!

To whomever have left their dirty laundry hanging at the pool. Can you please remove it, you have ruined all my shots this morning. — To whomever has left their dirty laundry hanging by the pool. Can you please remove it, you’ve ruined all my shots this morning.

Wrong end

October 16, 2023

Morning people,

Good weekend? Mine was excellent but waking up this morning was a struggle.

I pretended to workout with my mates for 5 minutes but the sunrise was too nice not to take any photos so I stopped quite rapidly.

The main problem is that I was in North Bondi and you had to be from the South end to see it in its full glory.

I bumped into a couple of local legends, took their mugshots and then quick dip, before joining my mates back for coffee - what I do best, to be honest.

Have a fabulous week,

Xoxo

Amo

Friday Vibes

October 13, 2023

Morning gang,

What an amazing start to the day!

I spent my entire morning with one of the best fashion photographers in Bondi, if not the best Jody Pachniuk. I've been following his work as long as I have been in Bondi for (13 years). We did what we do best, coffee, chit chats, photos and a dip in the ocean.

The sunrise was magnificent, the surf big, the Icebergs was packed and I took way too many photos of what was going on around us.

Have a wonderful day my friends and take care of yourself,

From Bondi with Love,

Amaury (not it's not Italian and pronounced "Amore" like most people tend to call me here but I'm certainly a romantic kind, full of love) 🤪

Neil Rogers, raise your hand if you are the boss of the Icebergs

OMG is that Michal Frydrych? Everyone stop and look.

Jody Pachniuk, best fashion photographer

Salties at the front, whales at the back

Pure Bliss

October 12, 2023

Morning my friends,

What a morning!

It was honestly one of the best mornings we've had in a long time

✔️ Sunrise on point

✔️ Surf was fun

✔️ Happy people all around

✔️ Temperatures outside and inside the water

...and best of all, I had my new telescope lens to capture it all. A massive thanks to my favourite partners at OM System (ex-Olympus) for providing me with all the gear since 2017. Yeah, that's what we call a long-term relationship. Love you guys! A special thank you to Ante and the rest of the team for your support over the years. You can read more about my partnership with them in this article.

Have a lovely day my friends, it's meant to be 32 degrees today so go for an after-work swim if you can.

Xoxo

Amo

Uge about to cover the sea while I cover the land

Tony, the king of the 🍔 (**@bonditonysburgerjoint**)

What a cracker of a day!

October 11, 2023

Morning people,

Hope you are all well. My apologies for the late update but running Morning Bondi and Bread at the same time can sometimes be a bit too much. I’m a busy man, you know.

I started my morning with multiple meetings for 🍞 and only got the chance to write this incredible blurb now. I know what you might be thinking. Don’t care about your daily nonsense, I’m only here for the photos - which is fair.

Other than this, today started surprisingly well. I was not expecting that type of light when I woke up but ehh after 12 years of taking photos, most days, I still get some nice surprises.

Have a wonderful day my friends,

Xoxo

Amo

Murray Cox, the man who looks after the South-end corner of the beach

10/10

October 10, 2023

Morning gang,

Hope you are all well.

Today is World Health Mental Day, an important reminder to look after yourself and be present for all your family members and friends who might not be as mentally fit as you are.

10/10 is not only for today’s date but also for the sunrise, it was very nice down there. I went down to my usual spots, much better than North Bondi for photos and just snapped what was in front of me, not much effort. Haters will say that you can tell.

On another note, the Bondi Bowlo needs your help. If you are like me and love to spend some time down there, have a read and please sign the petition.

Thank you team,

Ciao,

Amo

The Crabbe Hole, one of the best spots in the house

mighty alrighty

October 9, 2023

Morning peeps,

Hope you’ve all had a great weekend.

This morning, I took it really slow. I rocked up out of bed around 6 a.m. to join my mates in North Bondi - and no I didn’t train, just chatted with a few friends and took my waterhousing for a dip with me.

The photos are alright, nothing groundbreaking but let’s be honest there was not much to take photos of, except my mates post-workout splashing in the water.

Tomorrow for World Mental Health Day, my mates Knoxy and Toddy are organising a pop-up 440 in Bronte Beach. All you need to do is turn up at 5 a.m. in Bronte and do 10 laps of the parking lot. Let’s make it big!

Finally and probably the most important of all, please pray for all the people of Israel and the Jewish community. What’s happening there is absolutely horrendous and hope it will stop as quickly as it started. 🇮🇱🙏🏼💙

Lots of love,

Xoxo

Amo

Taking photos in the water is a lot of that...

The OGs

October 6, 2023

Morning my friends,

Happy Friday everyone!

Today started in the best possible way, catching up with the original Morning Bondi gang. We used to religiously catch up every single day to chew some fat, go for coffee and swim but then we all got married, kids and some of them moved out from the Bondi bubble.

I know what you might think. Don’t have wives and kids! Just joking obviously. 🤪 We love them all and they make us better men.

Anyhow, we now try to catch up every first Friday of the month but that doesn’t really happen as we are all quite busy. When we do succeed in making it work, we love it!

On another note, believe it or not but I think I broke my pinkie last night playing basketball but who cares as we won our first game and it feels good. BAM!

Have a cracking weekend my friends and chat next week,

Xoxo

Amo

The Original Morning Bondi Gang (missing a few)

Like the good old days at Morning Bondi HQ (used to be a Pin on Foursquare), love these boys!!

Here comes the sun

October 4, 2023

Morning gang,

Did you see it? How good!

The sunrise was a real cracker (it's Aussie for "Amazeball")

I woke up early with good intentions to go for a run but guess what? I failed! It was looking too good not to take photos. My 6-pack will have to wait a bit longer.

I started around the Icebergs and went down to the shorey to take photos of the 100's people that were here for the sunrise.

It was bloody good and very low effort, just taking photos of people going in and out of the water. I bumped into the usual suspects and took their mugshots. I had the right lens for it. Thank you for posing guys! Seeing your smiles makes me very happy. 😁

Have a wonderful day and enjoy the sleep-ins the next few days as it's not looking too pretty.

Xoxo

Amo

Vitamin Sea is the best remedy to being happy

How it started, you understand why I skipped the run now?

Phew-sday

October 3, 2023

Morning beautiful people,

Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend.

Quickly before I need to rush to a few meetings, this morning started real hot (hence the Phew), the sunrise was pretty nice, a few people around and the water was delicious.

As I dropped my big telescopic lens on the ground (ie. it’s gone) my main challenge today was taking photos with both my portrait lens and my real-estate lens (you know the one that makes every room bigger than they actually are).

Hope you like the photos,

Xoxo

Amo

It would have been better with my telescopic lens...

Ben Handsaker, doing his crazy challenge

Ducktober

October 2, 2023

Morning gang,

Happy Monday!

How's everyone doing? Excited about that extra day of the weekend. I certainly am.

I still woke up early this morning for a great cause, taking photos of my good mate Joel Pilgrim, the Founder of Waves of Wellness, a mental health charity promoting the benefits of cold water therapy for mental fitness.

For the whole month of October, Joel and over 680 other participants are going for a swim/surf/dip/cold shower to fundraise for charity. It's Ducktober month, so get amongst it.

If you feel like signing up and starting your fundraising page, it's not too late or if you just want to support, you can back them up by donating. My mate Michal is #4 on that leaderboard. 💪🏼

Have a great day my friends and chat tomorrow weather permitting.

Lots of love and look after yourself,

Xoxo

Amo 😘

PS: Last night, I went to see the NRL Grand Final, so much fun and the Tina Turner pre-show was pretty on point too. Thanks to my mate Andrew Every for the VIP tix. BOOM! 🏉🙌🏼💥

Best spot in the house to watch the sunrise

If you give a duck about mental health, sign-up to **Ducktober**

I've known Joel for the past 10 years, he's a good man doing good around him...

It's Friday yeah!

September 29, 2023

Morning gang,

How's everyone today? It’s Friday then!

The whole of Bondi was down there making the most of the stunning conditions.

I started in South Bondi to witness the sunrise, then finished in North Bondi with just a few people, the Murphs, Knoxy's gang, the Salties and plenty more...

You gotta love a morning like this!

Hope you had a great one. I certainly did.

Xoxo

Amo

Oui Oui!

September 27, 2023

Morning everyone,

Hope you are all well.

After a late evening chatting sponsorship for the upcoming Alliance Française French Film Festival with the rest of the Board (yeah, I'm kind of a big deal), I still woke up early this morning - 5 am that is. Yeah a bit cray-cray I know but it's my body clock. 🤦🏽‍♂️

Thank god I did as by 6ish, the light was pretty average - pretty much the same conditions as yesterday.

Talking again about the French Film Festival, we are in full prep mode and looking for more sponsors to make it even better. We will be celebrating the 35th anniversary, this year's promise to be a big one.

So, if you are a brand owner or marketer and want to see how you can get cut through and hang out with celebs like I did the last two years (check these photos if you don’t trust me). There are multiple sponsorship options at various price points, so get in touch and we can go from there. Oui oui!

À bientôt,

Amaury

Luke Galea from @a.spaceforbeing doing his thing

Sun-sational

September 26, 2023

Morning gang,

How’s everyone today?

What a morning my friends but you had to be there early to see it in its full glory. I’m talking before 6 a.m. Yeah, I know sunrise is a bit too early at the moment.

After a pretty decent sleep, playing the voodoo doll last night for Acupuncture Collective might have helped a little, I woke up early to be there for the sunrise. I did well as the golden light was gone by 6 am. The clouds took over the beach - perfect conditions to put the camera back in my bag and do some soft sand laps.

Other than this, if you are into NRL and Touch Footy, my mate Andrew Every from the NRL is organising a big event on Saturday down at Bondi Beach. See all the details from the event on this page. Register your team and get ready to meet NRL and NRLW stars and win loads of giveaways including tickets to the NRL Grand Final. You can thank me later!

BOOM!

Amo

Corona and Maccas for brekkie - living the dream!

Peter Strain, surfing without wetsuit all year long

Les archives. Another day, another rainy day… As I could see it was not raining, I ventured down much later than usual, around 6:45 am. I just arrived and a light drizzle started. What are the chances?! I joined my mates for a quick dip in the ocean and coffee at Chapter One (my unofficial gallery, they have five of my prints on the wall). Still worth going out, if you ask me… Have a great day my friends and stay warm as it’s a bit nippy at the moment. Ciao, Amo PS: I’m going camping this weekend with a bunch of mates but pretty sure I don’t have the right equipment to cope with the cold. I only have a summer sleeping bag… It’s going to be fun, they say. 🤦🏽‍♂️🥶

Rainy days. Do you know what rainy days mean? It means archive days. Here are photos from the past couple of months, most of them were my second favourite ones so you wouldn’t have seen them before. As you know, I love doing my Morning Bondi routine but it actually takes so much time. I’m talking about the photo bit especially. At the moment, I take photos from 6:30ish when the sun is up for roughly 30-40 minutes, then selection of the good photos for 20 mins, light edit the best ones for 10 mins, then write the morning blurb for 3-5 mins (I tend not to overthink this, as you can tell), then upload of each individual photos on the blog for 10 minutes, then newsletter for 5 minutes, then Instagram for 3 minutes, Facebook 3 minutes and Instagram Story 3 minutes. Basically, around 1.5 hours on average. So yes sometimes, I’m glad when it’s raining as I’m saving so much time. Have a beautiful day, despite the weather, and chat with you tomorrow, Xoxo Amo

Golden Sea. Slow start this morning, it was pretty average unless you could wait up to 8am (I couldn’t) to see the sun popping out behind the curtain of clouds. It was all about the golden reflection of the hidden sun on the water. Gold 24-carat for a few minutes. I don’t have much to tell you today except that if you live locally and love ‘Shark Tank’ TV show, you will love the local version of it. It’s called the Bondi Innovation Shark Tank organised by the @bondichamber and it’s next Wednesday at @hotelravesis You can find all the deets in the media release and book your tickets on the blog. I’m going with my awesome business partner Mary Proulx and supporting Sam Cust, one of the sharks (I think that’s what we call them). If you come down, let’s have a beer and break bread (what I love the most about our business name is that the puns are endless). I loaf you! (see) Amo

Nothing to worry about, it's just a tornado off North Bondi, ... 🌪️😲 I took this photo this morning around 9:30 am. I was shooting with @versefinejewellery in South Bondi when we saw this waterspout tornado coming out of nowhere. Scary much? Look closely and you can see the person around Ben Buckler's cliffs running for his life... That's all folks!

Pure Heaven. What another beautiful start to the day! While yesterday was all about big waves, today was all about the mad reflo on the sand - absolutely stunning. I was sitting just next to Morning Bondi HQ and was snapping like a maniac. Have a cracking weekend and subscribe to the newsletter if you want to see the photos earlier in the day - new Morning Bondi formula. ;) Xoxo Amo

Bombastic. OMG, what an incredible morning! It's a very late update as I had a pretty busy day and didn't have a chance to post before now. The newsletter was out around 10am though, so subscribe to it if you want to see the photos before everyone else. It was honestly one of the best mornings we've had for a little while. The light, the waves and the surfers braving the waves. Xoxo Amo

Low-tide goodness. What a stunning morning! Today was all about the low-tide gold reflection. It was just the perfect conditions for photos. The problem, only a few people out including two metal hunters. I was with fellow Frenchy @dianeperreau all morning. I reckon she’s the most popular French person in Sydney. So many people are stopping her every morning to have a chat and take a selfie with her. Have a lovely day my friends, Ciao, Amo

Into the wild. What a cracker of a morning! For a change of scenery, I ventured down to Bronte this morning. I reckon I made the right choice, it was just an incredible show. I was with my mate @paolocattaneophoto for the entire morning and we were just looking at the waves rolling in. Bronte Pool was the best place in da house. If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen the very rare video of me talking to the camera. With @bread_agency, my agency, I recently started working with the team from @in2thewild.aus, the best tiny houses business around. In order to have a better understanding of the experience, the client kindly invited me to go for a couple of days with my wife and daughter. Real legends, best onboarding! The whole experience was amazing - especially for someone like me that is pretty hyperactive. I just ‘re-wilded’ for two days. Even though the network was working where we were, I put my phone in airplane mode the whole weekend and made the most of the experience. The tiny house was kitted with all the things that you need, all the products in there are premium and sourced from ethical brands. Let’s be honest the firepit and outdoor bath were the highlights for me. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you are like me and struggle to switch off. They are running a Winter Campaign which is all about swapping your usual beach days for days in the wild. You can book one of the 46 cabins all around Australia using the link in my Stories to get up to 20% off this winter OR alternatively try your luck entering the simple giveaway that they are organising on their Insta. You can thank me later! Xoxo Amo

Monday Madness. This is a very late update compared to usual but busy day today. This morning was just nuts down the beach. I only took a few photos before having to rush to an early meeting in the city. The swell should still be here tomorrow, so go and have a look if you can. Xoxo Amo

FriYay. How’s everyone today? After two days in Melbs (Melbourne for the hipsters), I’m back in the hood. What a morning! Incredible light, the surf was ON and the Icebergs was packed - perfect for photo ops. This morning I caught up with my mate Ben, a fellow Frenchy that I haven’t seen for years. We hung out around the Bergs and finished with a swim in South Bondi - how original. Enjoy your weekends my friends. Mine is going to be pretty epic. I’m going into the wild, literally. That’s right, I’m going to one of @in2thewild.aus’s tiny houses. More on this subject later. Stay tuned people! Have a cracking weekend, Lots of love, Amo

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