Marli Nagtegaal, Photographer & Owner Of Skylight Media

I've been taking photos since high school, always packing a camera on my travels, weekends away, and in my previous careers. I started working as a freelance photographer in 2019, shooting commercially for real estate and short-stays.

Skylight Media was born from a love of beautiful, naturally-lit homes and wanting to frame those spaces on camera.

I can honestly say that I love my job. Arriving at a property with my camera in hand, exploring how the light fills each room, a little styling and perfecting the composition – that’s a perfect day for me!

I’m happy to travel for work and available for photography consignments right across Western Australia and beyond.

I prefer a simple, no-fuss style of photography, utilising natural light wherever possible to create true-to-life images. My final, edited shots are light and natural.

You won’t find me arriving at a photo shoot with tonnes of gear and artificial lighting, rather the best few pieces to ensure the job is done efficiently and unobtrusively.

I work alone at photoshoots, so I can really concentrate on the space and capture the best possible images. Meanwhile I have some excellent editors who can assist me with post-processing after large shoots and during busy weeks.

My work involves lots of travel, after-hours editing and behind the scenes business. Most weeks I will limit my schedule to a maximum of 4 photoshoots, so I can ensure that all my clients are receiving the best quality work from me.  

A photographer since high school (top of photography studies!), I then further developed my skills as an assistant for other professionals in travel, architecture, commercial, and landscape photography. I also studied photography and editing at night school with North Metropolitan Tafe in Perth, while still working in my previous career as an enviro in the mining industry.

For nearly 20 years my camera went with me everywhere : at work in the Margaret River Region, Perth, the Pilbara and Tasmania and on my travels around Australia, Japan, New Zealand, China, Morocco and Indonesia. Over that time I developed a strong sense of composition and a love for natural, documentary style photography.

I also worked in real estate and as an Airbnb host where I realised the power in marketing really beautifully photographed homes.

Eventually the word got around that I could take decent photos of homes and gardens and I started to pick up the odd real estate and short-stay shoot. Things grew from there and before long I was fielding requests almost every week to take photos of someone’s house for sale or an Airbnb. And so, in 2022, I decided it was finally time to turn my side-gig into a small business and it has grown from there. 

When I’m not working on photoshoots or busy in my home-based office you’ll find me walking my dogs on our local beaches and forest trails, dining out with my husband at one of our region’s amazing restaurants, or cooking up something slow and delicious at home with some fresh goodies from our garden.

My family (husband and two fur kids!) and I also take our little camper trailer on adventures around WA when we have a few days or more free. We love to explore camping areas off the beaten track, country towns and country pubs, or we visit our families who are all over the state including in Albany, Augusta, Pemberton, Kojonup and Mandurah.