A Queensland Vietnam veteran has paid tribute to his fellow servicemen by shooting present-day portraits in the same manner as photographs of them in their uniforms.

The exhibition, which opened in time for Remembrance Day, sees 80 veterans from Bribie Island featured in images captured by Adrian Lowe.

Veterans In Focus includes portraits of local veterans dressed in their "civvies" as well as shots of them as young soldiers to show the now and then.

Short films of the veterans morphing from youth to older age, as well as letters sent to and from home, also appear as part of the unique display.

A variety of local veterans aged from 41 to 93 who served in World War II, Korea, Borneo, Malaysia, Vietnam, PNG, Iraq and Afghanistan are featured.

Bribie Island, north-east of Brisbane, boasts the most veterans of any postcode in Australia.

"It was to highlight the real person underneath the uniform," Mr Lowe told 612 ABC Brisbane's Spencer Howson.

"Very often people are displayed in jackets and medals and they tend to get pigeon-holed as those other people."

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Recreating the past

Mr Lowe said a lot of effort went into ensuring that each photograph taken matched the young photo of the veteran.

"Because they are posed in exactly the same pose, expression and lighting you can see that youngster in that older person," he said.

"Veterans take instructions very well.

"When I told them to drop a shoulder, chin up, look around ... it's much different to models in the past."

He said he hoped the unique display would allow others to see veterans in a different light.

"The whole display is to break the barrier for older people and to see the youngster within them," Mr Lowe said.

"It's designed to engage the viewer a bit more and see that youngster in them ... it's quite amazing really.

"With the photos there are short stories of them telling a funny or unique story about their service, and we made a morph movie where you see veterans ageing from their young photo to the old photo."

Mr Lowe said there had already been much interest in the display.

"We're hoping it will be toured and there's been interest from other galleries and museums to take it around the country over the next couple of years," he said.

The exhibition is open at the Bribie Community Arts Centre until Sunday.