NZPhotographer Issue 59, September 2022

Escaping Stress Whilst Evoking Emotion
Interview With Shelly Linehan
time after my studies had finished) that I picked up
a camera and started taking images again. When I
began to get back into photography, I learned that
film cameras were out, and digital cameras were the
new thing. This was all new to me, the basic camera
fundamentals were the same, but now you had
to develop your images via computer software at
home instead of taking your film into a photo lab and
waiting to get your photos back. Joining my local
camera club helped me to learn these new digital
skills and meet new people.
I still work full time as a Vet Nurse in a busy mixed
animal practice in Whangarei, but I now also run my
photography business part-time. I sell landscape and
fine art prints, calendars, gift cards etc., at markets
and from my website/social media platforms. I also
shoot family portraits and have just started to get into
pet portraits which I’m very excited about. I have just
gone down to 4 days a week in my day job, so this
will give me more time to focus on my photography
business.
SHELLY, CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU
AND YOUR LIFE?
I was brought up on a dairy farm just out of Dargaville
on the west coast of the North Island. This was where
I learnt the love of animals and discovered my love
for the beach. I worked various jobs until I was 23, and
then I started my Vet Nurse Career.
Today I live on the beautiful Whangarei Heads on the
east coast with my husband and my 3-legged rescue
cat Stevie. I’m very lucky to live so close to the coast,
within a 15-minute drive. I spend a lot of my spare time
at the beach; it’s so relaxing just to get out and take a
walk.
WHEN DID YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNEY
BEGIN, AND WHERE HAS IT LED YOU TODAY?
My photography journey began when I was 16 years
old, long before digital came along! I enjoyed getting
out and photographing anything that interested me,
including nature, landscapes, and people. When I
started my Vet Nurse career, I put my camera down,
and it wasn’t until many years (once I had more spare
WHAT ARE YOU SHOOTING WITH?
I use a Canon 5D MK4, mainly the Canon 24-70mm 2.8
and the 70-200mm 2.8. I find most of my images are
made with these two lenses. I also have a 16-35mm
2.8 that I sometimes use for those ‘big landscapes’. I
try to keep my kit as simple as possible as I don’t like to
overcomplicate things. I use a set of Benro filters when
taking landscapes to help darken down the bright sky
to even out my exposures, so I don’t have to bracket.
I also love to use the 6 and 10-stop filters to slow down
and smooth out the water and give movement in the
clouds. I use a Manfrotto tripod too that desperately
needs replacing due to too much sand and saltwater!
WHAT DOES PHOTOGRAPHY MEAN TO YOU?
WHY DO YOU TAKE PHOTOS?
I find photography very relaxing and calming. I have
a stressful job at times, and if I go out with my camera,
it helps me forget about work and all the worries and
stresses that everyday life can bring. I love to travel
around our country, discovering and photographing
the new and beautiful landscapes that New Zealand
offers. Capturing the magic light inspires me the most
to get out and take photographs.
Photography, to me, is very expressive; you have
the freedom to do what you want and how you
want. If you want to break all the rules, you can;
no one is there to stop you. An example would be
12 September 2022 NZPhotographer