Images are the fuel that powers the internet's engine.

The old days of bulletin boards and blogging are gone, relegated to the past as users find ever more efficient ways to create and upload content to the web. It's a process of trial and error, and it leads right up to the present, where words are secondary and photo and video platforms dominate the online landscape.

In this environment, where visuals are so pervasive they appear wherever you scroll, click, or tap, it becomes harder to distinguish quality work.

Now living in Cronulla, Lance Morgan began taking photos while living on the Gold Coast. What began as a release, a way to extricate himself from the pecking order, developed into a talent that now occupies more of his time than surfing ever did.

You'll find Lance's work growing in the online jungle. Look closely, however, and you'll see something less prosaic than your usual daily fare.

Hayden Blair flies into frame at a wave that's usually photographed from a safe distance

About four years ago I picked up a camera because at the time I was living on the Gold Coast and I was getting the shits with the crowds. I started with a GoPro, as I think as a lot of people do these days. I kept at it for a couple of months until I though, 'Yep, this is something I want to invest a bit more in.'

So I did.

I bought equipment but I've never done any courses - I'm completely self-taught. Sometimes I feel like my progression is too slow; I know what I want to shoot, and how I want to shoot it, but there's not enough swells to make it all happen.

Early entry is the advantage of riding longer equipment, but there's a downside too: once that rail is set there's no deviating from the path.

Ollie Dousett - above and in sequence below - chooses his line wisely.

This place is one of my favourite waves to shoot. It’s quite a drive from my home and has taken me a while to dial in, but when it’s on it’s well worth the effort.

Over the past eighteen months of chasing this fickle beast I’ve run into Ollie on most sessions - even the swells that slip under the radar, as was the case with these shots.

He’s put in a tonne of hours down there and is one of the most inspirational guys you could spark up a conversation with. He trains so damn hard and has more drive than a Mack truck. It blows my mind that he doesn’t have any sponsors, but I don’t think that will last long.

Cape Solander bares its teeth, Max McGuigan pokes out his tongue

After what I've been told was a bit of a drought, there's been more Cape Solander swells this year than any other year. It was amazing. We were out there every other week through winter. We had a lot of those south swells that tended east - just perfect for it.

I was really lucky because I had six weeks off as well. It was perfectly timed for all the swells that Sydney had.

Shane Ackerman and the reward for an early-AM kick off and a few hundred highway miles

I'm happy to shoot anyone...anyone who's having a crack that is. I started meeting up with Shane Ackerman, we'd either travel together or meet up because he's chasing the same sort of waves. He's a guy who I like being in the water with. He's surfed a lot of heavy waves and knows how to handle himself.

I've put myself through a One Ocean International surf rescue course, because I've had my eyes on waves like The Right and I want to make sure I'm prepared.

I feel like a lot more guys should be doing these watermen courses because you've got people going out there, putting themselves in pretty precarious situation sometimes, and they don't really have much training or awareness. It's slowly changing.