After more than four decades photographing oceans, landscapes, people and cultures around the world, internationally acclaimed surf photographer Ted Grambeau turns his lens closer to home with Currumbin in Light, a premium, limited-edition coffee-table book celebrating the beauty, character and community of one of the Gold Coast’s most loved coastal destinations.
Capturing Currumbin through the changing light of dawn, the drama of the ocean and the quiet moments of everyday life, Currumbin in Light is a deeply personal photographic tribute to the place Ted Grambeau calls home.
The book will be celebrated with a signing at Currumbin Beach General Store on Saturday, 7 November 2026, 4-7 pm, coinciding with the store’s grand opening. All are welcome.
Featuring 176 pages of fine-art photography, the book explores the landscape, wildlife, surf culture and distinctive spirit of Currumbin, revealing a familiar place through the eyes of a photographer whose career has taken him around the globe. Beautifully designed by Gra Murdoch, the 30 × 30 cm hardcover volume is a celebration of place, belonging and the fleeting moments that make somewhere special.
The following text is attributable to photographer Ted Grambeau, reflecting on the release of his new book, Currumbin in Light.
“There are places you photograph because you are passing through, and there are places you photograph because they become part of who you are. For me, Currumbin is the latter. I have lived in Currumbin for many years, and over that time I have watched its light, landscape, ocean and community change with the seasons, the tides and the time of day. I have photographed it in the quiet moments before sunrise, in the last light of the afternoon, through storms and cyclones, in the water and along the beach. After years of photographing around the world, I wanted to turn my cameras closer to home and create something that was more personal. Currumbin in Light is the result. A 30 × 30 cm hardcover coffee-table book, it brings together 176 pages of photographs exploring the many moods and personalities of Currumbin. The ocean, the beaches, the wildlife, the people, the landscape and those fleeting moments when the light transforms a familiar place into something unexpected.
"Light has always been central to the way I photograph. It can change the character of a landscape in seconds. A stretch of ocean can become completely different at dawn compared with late afternoon. Reflections appear and disappear, clouds reshape the sky, and familiar places take on another mood. Currumbin provides an extraordinary canvas for that kind of photography. But this book is not simply about beautiful light or scenic photographs. It is about a place and the connection people have with it."
"Currumbin has a distinctive character, part coastal community, part surf culture, part wildlife sanctuary, and part quiet refuge from the increasingly busy world around it. That combination is what I have tried to capture. Some of the photographs are dramatic. Others are quiet and contemplative. Some are about movement and energy; others are simply about being in the right place when the light comes together. Together, they form my personal view of Currumbin. A book made with care A project like this is never created by a photographer alone."
"I have been incredibly fortunate to have the book designed and the words crafted by the extremely talented Gra Murdoch, a master craftsman of fine-art books. Gra has brought his experience, sensitivity and understanding of photography to the project, helping shape the images and words into a book that I am genuinely proud to put my name to. The result is intended to be more than a collection of photographs. It is a carefully considered object, something to live with, look through and return to."
"I have spent more than four decades photographing oceans, landscapes, people and cultures around the world. My work has taken me to some extraordinary places, but photographing somewhere you call home is a very different experience. You begin to notice the things that others might pass by. The way the morning light reaches the headland. The changing colour of the ocean. Our beloved canine friends relishing their morning walk along the beach. The birds, wildlife and small details that are part of everyday life. Over time, those moments accumulate. Currumbin in Light is my attempt to bring some of those moments together in one place, a photographic record of a community and an ocean that, for me, form something of a sanctuary for living."
"The book has been printed as a premium hardcover volume on 157 gsm matt art paper with a matt varnish. I wanted the physical book to complement the photographs, something to sit on a coffee table, pick up and spend time with rather than simply scroll past on a screen. A piece of Currumbin to take home With Christmas approaching, Currumbin in Light also makes a very personal gift for anyone with an affinity for Currumbin - whether they live here, have grown up here, regularly visit or simply have a connection with the place. It would also make a beautiful addition to an Airbnb, holiday rental or vacation apartment, giving visitors a visual introduction to the beaches, ocean, wildlife and distinctive character of Currumbin."
"It is, in a sense, a little piece of Currumbin to take home. The book is deliberately a very limited edition. I see Currumbin in Light as both a celebration and a personal document: a celebration of a place I love, and a record of how I have seen it through my lens. After photographing much of the world, it seems fitting that one of my most personal books should be about home.” — Ted Grambeau, photographer and author of Currumbin in Light
Availability: Available in Australia through Ted Grambeau’s online shop or directly from Currumbin Beach General Store, 784 Pacific Parade, Currumbin.
Join Ted Grambeau for the grand opening of Currumbin Beach General Store and a special book-signing event.
Bring some friends, catch up over a drink and pick up a personally signed copy of Currumbin in Light. A beautiful opportunity to celebrate Currumbin, meet the photographer behind the images and take home a little piece of the place.
