NZPhotographer Issue 56, June 2022

Silverback Gorilla
Canon 5d Mk IV, Canon 100-400 lens @ F6.3, 1/200s, ISO320, 400mm
to support as many of them as possible. If there is
something else I can do to help, I do it.
I’m presently involved with supplementary feeding
sea birds that are suffering from starvation,
penguin conservation on the West Coast, and Kiwi
conservation in the upper North Island. I also sponsor
many wild animals through fantastic organisations
such as Animals Asia, Save the Chimps, David
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, & the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
I also organise fundraising for various charities. I am
a long-standing direct action crew member of Sea
Shepherd, a long-time supporter of the Orangutan
Project and the West Coast Penguin Trust.
Early on, I decided to donate 100% of my earnings
from photography back to wildlife conservation.
Because of my photography, I have been able to
contribute to various worldwide charities. I have
been able to donate over $10,000 to help fund the
construction of a new native bird breeding centre at
Orana Park. This centre will focus on breeding native
birds like Kiwi, Whio, and Pateke for release into the
wild.
Ocean conservation is also a cause that holds a
place in my heart. The situation with plastic in our
oceans and the unnecessary deaths of marine
mammals and seabirds is devastating. I decided to
pursue this more, and I hold three Padi qualifications
in Marine Conservation. Stu and I also regularly do
beach cleanups, and we always take rubbish bags
with us when we go out to beaches. We have filled
several bags with micro-plastics and household plastic
rubbish, even on some remote West Coast beaches.
I have witnessed some very distressing scenes as a
photographer. Doing nothing about it is not an option.
Many people are probably completely unaware
of some of the struggles wildlife face. Images are
powerful motivators, and I believe that photographers
can make a difference by bringing these issues to the
forefront. If your images can motivate even one person
to want to help, that is something to be proud of.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR WORK WITH
ORANA WILDLIFE PARK…
Working with Orana Park is extremely rewarding and
always exciting; I’m very happy to volunteer my time
to the park. They have such a great team who are
just a joy to work with and their breeding programs for
endangered species are such a worthy cause.
We always plan the shoots but, as with all wildlife, no
amount of planning guarantees it will be easy to get
34 June 2022 NZPhotographer