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Joy Retold

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Joy Retold, Photographer, Port Macquarie.

Welcome to Joy Retold by Jodie - Hobbyist Photographer from Port Macquarie - Sharing moments that made me smile, made me wonder, or simply made me stop and look a little closer.

14/10/2026

A little bird with a big building project! 🌿🐦

I was standing near one of our palm trees over the weekend when I noticed quite a bit of fluttering going on amongst the leaves.

I couldn’t really see what was happening, even with my camera lens extended to 400 mm. There was lots of activity around the trunk, with little birds flying back and forth between the palm and a nearby tree.

It wasn’t until I got back inside and loaded the photos onto my computer that I discovered what all the fuss was about.

A female mistletoebird was busy stripping fine fibres from the palm, gathering them in her beak and flying off with her building supplies!

Apparently, these tiny birds construct remarkable little hanging, pear-shaped nests using plant fibres and spiderwebs.

I even spotted a second bird doing much the same thing.

It’s amazing what can be happening right in front of you without you realising it. Sometimes the camera sees what our eyes miss. 💚

Joy Retold — finding joy in the little things.

29/09/2026

This morning I accidentally discovered our resident supermodel on our property dam..🦎📸

At first I thought I'd just get a quick photo of this tiny juvenile water dragon.... but then the posing started 😂

Apparently he/she had a whole portfolio in mind ...

SWIPE THROUGH FOR THE FULL PHOTO SHOOT....

24/09/2026

A different kind of joy behind the lens 📷

Last night I joined Kristen Shaw Photography and the Shutter Sisterhood for a wander through Port Macquarie — and it reminded me just how much fun photography can be when you stop worrying about getting the “perfect” shot.

It was a style of photography I haven’t played with in a very long time. Instead of my usual birds, long lenses and sharp action shots, we wandered the streets, played with movement, colour, light and blur, and just enjoyed being creative.

I loved it. There was something quite freeing about not needing every photo to be perfectly sharp or technically perfect — sometimes the unexpected ones were the ones that made me smile the most.

I also found myself seeing Port Macquarie with fresh eyes. After living here for four years, I discovered murals I’d never noticed, little corners I’d never explored, and just how pretty and full of life the C*D is at night.

A lovely night of photography, creativity, good company… finished off with a w**e at Florence Jones w**e & cheese. And yes, I can highly recommend the Pinot Grigio. 🥂

18/09/2026

Sometimes the mistakes are more interesting than the photo you were trying to take. ✨

Wet hands, a smeared iPhone lens and the moon somehow created this strange little creature in the sky tonight 👽

I liked the accident enough to play with it in Lightroom… and suddenly it looked like it belonged somewhere in outer space 🪐

14/09/2026

A little Airlie Beach through my lens after a quick trip north last weekend🌴📸
Turquoise water, tropical views, the airport aquarium, and of course…I still managed to find plenty of birds. 😂

10/09/2026

Sometimes you don’t realise what you’ve photographed until afterwards.

Very early yesterday morning in Hervey Bay, I spotted this beautiful osprey sitting in a tree opposite our hotel balcony.

I started taking photos, and then another osprey appeared. And then appeared again. And again.

At the time I couldn’t quite work out what was going on. I wondered whether I was witnessing some sort of courtship behaviour. It wasn’t until I went back through the photos that the story became a little clearer.

The second osprey seemed to be busy delivering sticks and nesting material — although his (?) construction technique could perhaps use some work. 😂 More than once, his carefully collected contribution seemed to end up on the other osprey rather than in the tree, before promptly falling out again.

Off he’d go to find another piece, while his companion remained patiently in place.

Eventually he retired to a nearby tree… where even an osprey wasn’t big enough to escape the attention of a very determined little noisy miner.

I thought I was simply photographing an osprey in a tree. Instead, I seem to have captured a little chapter in the preparations for a future family.

Have you ever taken a photo and only realised afterwards what was actually happening?

Joy Retold by Jodie

07/09/2026

What time do your kookaburras start waking you up in the morning? 😂

There’s something very Australian about starting the day with the sound of kookaburras laughing somewhere nearby.

Some mornings it feels as though they’ve taken it upon themselves to announce that the day has officially begun.

No snooze button. No volume control. Just kookaburras. 🤎

04/09/2026

Spring comes in pairs. 🌿💛

Over the last little while, I’ve noticed something when looking through my photos — so many of the birds around me seem to be appearing two by two.

With spring now here, there’s a little more going on between the branches and across the water. Birds are pairing up, staying close, calling to one another, defending their patch and preparing for the business of raising the next generation.

Some bird partnerships last only for a breeding season, while others can continue for years. And although I have no idea what these particular couples are saying to each other, I do love watching the little relationships play out.

The quiet companionship of two ducks on the dam.
Two ravens tucked together in a tree.
And lorikeets… well, they always seem to have plenty to say. 😄

Spring has only just begun. I have a feeling there are going to be plenty more little stories to photograph.

- Joy Retold by Jodie

29/08/2026

International Dog Day 2026 seemed like a pretty good day to spend behind the camera.

A few days ago, Emma from Chips and Tricks put out an invitation to anyone who might like some practice photographing dogs in action. She was planning to take a group of dogs to Grants Beach and thought it might be a great opportunity to practice catching them doing what dogs do best - running, playing and having an enormously good time!

Being the dog lover that I am, I just couldn't resist.

We had a beautiful stretch of beach entirely to ourselves, a gorgeous day and some very enthusiastic models who had absolutely no intention of posing for me.

And that turned out to be the best part!

There were expressions and tiny split-second interactions I simply couldn't have taken in while they were happening - flying ears, sandy noses, tongues everywhere, four feet off the ground and faces that seem to capture pure happiness.

This is one of the things I love most about photography. Life happens at full speed; a photograph lets us see one tiny piece of it again.

A big thank you to Emma and her husband for letting me tag along. Some of these gorgeous faces belong to Emma, while others were spending the day in her care - so to their families, I hope you enjoy seeing your fur babies having such a wonderful time.

May this little moment brighten yours!

Jodie x

26/08/2026

Hello, and welcome to Joy Retold.

I’m Jodie, and I’m based in Port Macquarie on the beautiful Mid North Coast of NSW.

Photography has become a way for me to slow things down and notice the little moments happening around me — particularly in nature and wildlife.

Sometimes it’s a split second our eyes simply can’t hold onto: a bird opening its wings, an expression on an animal’s face, or a dog running with complete abandon. Other times, it’s something that was there all along, but becomes so much more interesting when you stop and really look.

Like this little face that popped up between the lilies in our dam.

That’s what I love about photography. It freezes a moment long enough for us to really see it — and sometimes reveals something I didn’t even notice when I pressed the shutter.

Joy Retold is my place to share those moments, the stories behind them, and hopefully a little of the joy I found in them too. 😊

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Port Macquarie, NSW

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