The Star: August 03, 2017

20 Thursday August 3 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Our People
The Star
Sarah Webber
Family photographer explores
Christchurch
photographer Sarah
Webber made world
headlines with her
photo-shopped images
of orca, dolphins and
the Loch Ness monster
frolicking in a flooded
Heathcote River. She
talks to Sarla Donovan
What was it like to have your
photographs go all around the
world?
It’s incredible. I never imagined
that I’d even get a response
from the Beckenham community
Facebook page. So to have
all these people contact me – it
was quite surreal. I don’t know
how I felt – overwhelmed.
How did it come about?
I photograph everything – if
it’s raining, if it’s flooding, if
it’s snowing, I’ll be out there
with my camera. When I came
home and looked at my photos,
I thought they were boring so,
just for fun, I put the Loch Ness
monster in one of them and
posted it to the Beckenham
neighbourhood Facebook page.
They all just started laughing,
and liking, and commenting,
and requesting more, more,
more. They wanted whales and
dolphins so I so did it, purely just
to make them smile and laugh.
And I was rushing through
them, too, it’s not even good
photo-shopping, I’m just quickly
getting them out. It was just all a
bit of fun.
Were you surprised that some
people thought they were real?
Yes, very surprised. I barely
took 5min on each photo. If
I’d known they were going to
go worldwide, I would have
taken more time. The BBC did
a story on them and the Fox
Live Morning Show in Denver,
Colorado, did a piece on it and
showed my images, so that was
VIRAL PICS: Sarah Webber hit world headlines after her
photo-shopped images of orcas, elephants, bears and
dolphins in the flooded Heathcote River went viral on social
media.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
pretty amazing.
How long have you been a
photographer?
I started getting into
photography when my eldest
daughter was born in 2010 and
then turned professional around
2013. I’d always wanted to do
photography at high school
(Avonside Girls’ High) but I
didn’t want to do seventh form
art. I didn’t pursue a degree
or qualification because I just
wanted to do photography. So
that turned me towards other
things.
What did you do instead?
After high school, I went to
teachers college and did a degree
in primary school teaching
and learning. After some relief
teaching, I moved to Brisbane
and worked in early childhood
over there. I was young, wanted
warmer weather and just to
do something before I settled
down. We were there for four
years, then I came home with my
partner, now my husband, and
started a family. And, of course,
with a newborn baby, you just
want to take photos of them
every second of the day. It was
about that time I got a decent
SLR camera and I just self-taught
from there. I didn’t go to any
schools, just practice, practice,
practice every day. A friend
suggested I take it professional,
so I did. With my teaching
and childcare background, I
got along with children and
babies so that’s naturally where
I started: Photographing babies,
children, families and I just love
it. Not so much the studio stuff,
I love meeting families in their
homes, in the gardens or at the
beach. My real passion is the
storytelling, the journalistic type
of image.
People in show business say
never work with children or
animals . . . you do both. What’s
the secret?
Haha, I consider myself to be
a big kid really. And, with the
teaching background, I find it
easy to quickly build a rapport
with children. I get down at
their level and just play before I
even start a session. As for the
animals, well most of them are
just so cute who wouldn’t want
to work with them.
Have you ever had a total
nightmare on a photoshoot?
I haven’t had any nightmare
shoots yet. The worst it’s been
would be when a ‘cake smash’
session gets out of control, you
know, a crying toddler running
onto my carpet with bright pink
icing all over their body. Luckily,
I don’t offer cake smash sessions
anymore.
What other hobbies/interests
do you have?
Spending time with my family
is a high priority for me. We
like to get out and about and
explore new parks and beaches,
usually with our golden retriever,
Perry, in tow. Perry had a field
day digging huge muddy holes
all over our yard during the
floods unfortunately. He wasn’t
popular, though it did provide
some funny photo opportunities
ORCA: A killer whale leaps
through the Heathcote River.
PHOTOS: SARAH WEBBER
PHOTOGRAPHY
for me. I also have to admit that I
do enjoy a good sauvignon blanc
in the evenings after a long day.
Drinking wine can be a hobby
right?
Are the rest of your family
still here in Christchurch?
Yes, I am very lucky to have all
of my family on both sides living
here in Christchurch. Mum
and Dad have always been keen
photographers so I guess that
may have been where my passion
for photography stemmed from.
Mum takes gorgeous wildlife
shots wherever she travels, and
lives adjacent to a reserve packed
with oodles of native flora and
fauna.
Where do you head away for
family holidays?
Family holidays don’t
come too often with work
commitments. However, we do
love a good beach getaway. Our
favourite local spot is Okains
Bay, which is an old childhood
regular. We love the Coromandel
and the warmth that the North
Island provides, but my ultimate
holiday is somewhere tropical
with cocktails and nothing
much to do other than swim and
lounge in the sun.
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looks we can help you create
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