The man, now 51, was arrested in September 2015 after being caught with about 100 images on hard drives in his luggage as he returned to Brisbane from a trip to South Africa.

He described the photos as "artworks" and said there was no sexual motivation behind their creation.

However, he pleaded guilty to four charges including possessing or producing child pornography material outside Australia, and importing and exporting objectionable goods without approval.

His lawyer, Colin Reid, urged the court to accept the man's claims, saying he had "unusual beliefs" about promiscuity.

He told the court his client created the photos after his stepdaughter, then aged 16, told him she was becoming sexually active with her boyfriend.

Judge Clare was sceptical.

"On material that I currently have before me, I find your client's explanation not credible," she said.

"Perhaps you were jealous of her interest in other people, but what you did was hardly an act of parental concern."

She sentenced the man to two years' jail but ordered he be released on a good behaviour bond after serving 12 months.

AAP