NZPhotographer Issue 55, May 2022

A series that I have recently completed is a response
to the impact of wildfires on forests and trees. In 2008, I
worked in the Australian outback, personally witnessing
the impact of an out-of-control fire on the landscape and
trees. More recently, in 2020, most of us in New Zealand
experienced first-hand the smoke and haze from the
bushfires in Australia. The series is my interpretation of the
intensity and ferocity of wildfires, their journey through the
forest and what they leave behind. ‘Fire II’ (seen on page
43) is one of the images from that series.
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST
PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGES YOU’VE HAD TO
OVERCOME OR STILL STRUGGLE WITH TODAY?
I think the biggest challenge for any visual artist is the
beliefs and perceptions that you have about your
work and your creative process. Self-doubt, resistance
and imposter syndrome are always lingering in the
shadows. Aside from that, my biggest challenges
currently are getting to know my ‘new friend’, the
Canon R5 and getting my head around Photoshop.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ONGOING COLLECTION
THAT EXPLORES THE ENERGY AND LIFE FORCE
OF TREES...
I’m drawn to forests and trees. I love walking through
them, their visual appearance, the shapes and lines they
create, the way the light interacts with them and the
many possible compositions they offer. Most importantly,
they always leave me with a sense of peace, calm and
balance. There seems to be a transformational energy
that leads to this change in emotional state. The Japanese
call this Shinrin-yoku or ‘forest bathing’, which recognises
that spending time in nature is good for our health, our
emotional state and provides us with a sense of calm.
My collection “Life-force of Trees” attempts to capture
a visual representation of what we experience
when we ‘bathe’ or walk in forests. The in-camera
techniques push past the surface details, removing
distracting details leaving only colours, shapes, lines
and light that, to my mind, convey a sense of this
transformational energy.
TELL US ABOUT THE COMPETITIONS YOU’VE
HAD SUCCESS WITH...
‘Reward of Sunrise’ was the first image I entered into a
competition that I won. That competition was actually
an NZP magazine competition – the 2019 “Photography
Unleashed“ Long Exposure Competition. The image
was created during a yearlong photography
challenge with a friend, where we wanted to explore
and reacquaint ourselves with ND filters, particularly
the 10-stop ND filter. We thought a challenge with
predetermined monthly themes would be fun. Winning
this competition gave me the confidence to submit
images to other awards and competitions.
Reward of Sunrise
Canon 6D, Canon EF 16-35mm lens, 6 stop ND, 3 stop GND
@ F11, 168.0s, ISO100