Photography has fascinated me since I was a boy and watched my father taking photographs and printing in his darkroom. It was a special time of walking and talking together along the southern Wellington coast at sunset with camera and tripod in hand, experiencing patience waiting for the right light to develop, hearing my amazing family history, learning to speak German - magical moments together experiencing and creating beautiful images and building a lide long relationship.
Over time, I came to love the intense colours of the NZ landscape, the big skies, the dramatic weather changes and clouds and the graphic wide open spaces of rural New Zealand. More recently I have developed an interest in the beauty to be found in urban spaces.
In later years I have come to appreciate people more and the importance of telling stories – the power of text and photo fascinates me. "EXTRAordinary" was a 10,000 copy run of a book of interviews and photographs telling the stories of Ambulance Officers/ EMT's in the New Zealand and the extraorinary work these ordinary (largely volunteer) people do.
I have a diverse style and portfolio that covers social documentary, weddings, portrait, landscape and fine art. I specialise in classic toned black & white fine art images. Contemporary fine art black and white prints have led to me being the Central Otago winner of the biennial National Arts Gold Awards in 2013 and 2015.
In 1999 I completed an Advanced Diploma in Photography at Massey University of Wellington and in 2007 was awarded an FPSNZ, Fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand. I am also a member of the artists collective “Hullabaloo Art Space” situated in Old Cromwell Town.
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For the last 35 years I have worked as an Outdoor Education teacher at Dunstan high School in Alexandra. This job has offered me countless opportunities to develop innovative adventure based leadership and personal devlopment programmes for the youth of the area. My office has been the valleys of the Matukituki in Mt Aspiring National Park as well as the snow and mountains of the Snowfarm on the Pisa Range. I am a firm believer in giving something back to the Alexandra community that has supported me over this time. I have been a volunteer Ambulance Officer/EMT for the last 25+ years, I am the training coordinator for Central Otago Search & Rescue, and I am a member of the sub alpine group of Wanaka Search & Rescue
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