Craig Parry Photography

gallery is simply stunning. There are so many different shots of Byron from aerial shots looking at Byron from a different perspective I could not walk past without walking inside and Im glad I did. I was captivated by the photos of Byron and surrounds. I I bought a photo for my daughter and her partner who are about to have their first baby, a photo of a mother and calf whale and hearing the story behind the photos it was a beautiful experience
Aug 14th, 2022

I would definitely recommend this gallery! Very unique to the area. The attendant was extremely knowledgeable of the pieces & the back stories of the work. Definitely enjoyed my time there which ended in me buying two beautiful photographs for our newly built home on the Noosa Coast.
Aug 6th, 2022

Absolutely love his work, gallery in Byron Bay is a must see for anyone visiting Australia. His whale photos and underwater images are amazing. Has many photography workshops locally and in Tonga swimming with whales. I am planning on Tonga trip next year, especially after seeing his live feed from there in August this year. Craig's Gallery is in Fletcher St., near the beach.
Jun 17th, 2022

I am left with profound disappointment and frustration with regards to my recent experience with Craig Parry Photography, which I feel obliged to share with you as a warning! I booked a whale photography tour in Tonga back in 2020, paying a whopping AUD 3832 (~ USD 2600) in two deposits. However, this whole thing has turned into a nightmare, as the tour was postponed three times due to the pandemic and a volcanic eruption. Despite those setbacks, I remained optimistic, believing that Craig Parry Photography would live up to their promise of providing the trip that I had paid for. Last year, Craig Parry then offered me an alternative option to either have the tour canceled and be reimbursed the second deposit or have the tour postponed to 2023. I chose to postpone the tour to 2023, expecting to receive what I paid for. However, in December 2022, I received an email stating that the tour scheduled for 2023 would be significantly different from what was originally booked: the now "revised" tour was for a set date, involved shorter duration, fewer whale swims, shared accommodation, and a different location on a different island (again, all of this being vastly different compared to what was originally offered). When I expressed my reservations about this alternative option, they assured me that I could wait for them to schedule the regular trips for this year, but they failed to deliver on their promise, telling me when I followed up in February 2023 they would only be able to offer the "revised tour". When I demanded a refund of my deposit, they stated that they were unable to reimburse any of the money paid, as their suppliers were not reimbursing them. While I sympathize with their financial difficulties, it is not my responsibility to bear the consequences of their suppliers' incompetence or lack of accountability, as well as their failure to demand their money back from their suppliers. In addition, I have never seen what they actually paid their suppliers, leaving me with the question how much money they kept for themselves that they are now not reimbursing? Despite me being accommodating and only requesting a 75% refund, they did not respond to my follow-up inquiries, leaving me no other option but to pursue legal action to recover my money. Therefore, I urge everyone to exercise extreme caution when dealing with Craig Parry Photography, as they are clearly unreliable and untrustworthy.
Feb 10th, 2023

Nearing the end of our trip around Queensland, me and my fianc came into Craig Parrys store. While perusing the photography, we found two black and white images which we felt worked well together. We held these out and were discussing whether we wanted the images when the store attendant first approached us. She stated that the black and white photography was amazing and went to take the items out of our hands stating I will bag those up for you. We found this very brash as we were clearly still discussing the images and this hard sales technique felt incredibly pressured. I replied that we were still thinking about the images and asked whether one of the larger prints on the wall was available in a smaller size. The store attendant pulled it out for us and then told us it was a photograph of Migaloo. We had not previously heard of this whale which must have been clear from our expressions. The store attendant then proceeded to patronise us by stating I cant believe you have never heard of Migaloo and everyone knows about Migaloo and even laughed at us. We found this manner somewhat off-putting and looked back at the prints. We noticed that a discount of 30 dollars off for 3 prints was displayed on the wall, we asked if an equivalent discount for two could be given of 20 dollars the attendant replied erm no before picking up her mobile phone. A minute or two later, another couple entered the store, the attendant then proceeded to act very differently towards them. Unprompted she provided details of the artist and politely took them through some of his work. As we were leaving we said we were going to think on the prints. After leaving my fianc said that she loved the artwork, but she felt like she couldnt buy from such a rude store attendant. Later in the day I decided that I wanted to pick up the prints as a surprise regardless. When I returned it was around 20 to 4. I picked up the prints and thought it was worth asking for the discount again, the pause the attendant had used earlier had made it seem like she was considering it. However, rather than simply replying no or sorry the only discount is the one advertised the attendant proceeded to call me rude and offensive for requesting a discount and told me I was taking money out of the pockets of the family run business. I was taken aback by this response. As the sales director of a car dealership chain, I train and hire sales staff consistently and I was appalled at the service this attendant thought was appropriate. She also said that if I didnt want the prints I could leave and attempted to pressure me a second time by stating that you need to make a decision so I can close the store even though the store was not due to close for over 10 minutes. The art itself is gorgeous and this review is no reflection on the photographer who is clearly dedicated to his work and exemplary in his field. If the photography had not been so beautiful there is no way I would of considered buying from the individual I was being served by. Even if there is a cultural difference in whether it is appropriate to haggle in Australia versus the UK, Byron bay is a destination that is visited by people from all backgrounds and explaining this politely would have been easy. It is not my fault that I was unaware of Australias apparently steadfast culture of never haggling on artwork. Throughout the interaction I remained both polite and factual, while the attendant called me names. Ultimately, I chose to buy the art despite the service received because I could tell my fianc was taken with the photography. However, for anybody on the fringe of a decision who does not enjoy hard sales, being insulted, or hurried to leave/buy this experience would have been very distressing. The art is fantastic, my advice would be to buy it online. We went to the store twice on Saturday the 27th of August and we were in the store for less than 20 minutes.
Aug 13th, 2022