NZPhotographer Issue 20, June 2019
As of December 2022, NZPhotographer magazine is only available when you purchase an annual or monthly subscription via the NZP website. Find out more: www.nzphotographer.nz
As of December 2022, NZPhotographer magazine is only available when you purchase an annual or monthly subscription via the NZP website. Find out more: www.nzphotographer.nz
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Interview<br />
with Macro<br />
Photographer<br />
Grant Beedie<br />
GRANT, PLEASE TELL US WHO YOU ARE<br />
AND WHAT YOU DO!<br />
I’m a 39 year old Scottish guy who moved to<br />
Christchurch, New Zealand in <strong>20</strong>04. Photography<br />
is mainly a hobby for me (I’m a factory CNC<br />
machinist by day) although I’ve started to run<br />
workshops throughout the warmer months in<br />
Christchurch Botanic Gardens.<br />
I would describe my photography as being Dark,<br />
Moody and Dreamy Macro Photography that is<br />
100% handheld shot in natural light conditions.<br />
I have loved nature from an early age and used<br />
to do a lot of fly fishing back home in Scotland.<br />
Today I enjoy spending time outdoors with my<br />
camera in Christchurch Botanic Gardens. I love<br />
being out in the gardens on an early summers<br />
day as I find it so peaceful so the inspiration for<br />
taking photos is always there.<br />
WHEN DID YOU GET STARTED IN<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY?<br />
I bought myself an entry level DSLR with 2 kit<br />
lenses back in <strong>20</strong>12. Within a few weeks, I realised<br />
that I loved shooting things up close, especially<br />
insects in my garden. My 18–55mm kit lens just<br />
wouldn’t get me close enough, so that’s when<br />
I realised I needed a macro lens. I experimented<br />
for many months and taught myself the basics.<br />
WHAT CAMERA EQUIPMENT DO YOU HAVE?<br />
Currently, I use a Nikon D7100 with a Nikon<br />
105mm Macro Lens<br />
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR<br />
BRAND NAME MACROPHY?<br />
I thought about calling myself ‘Grant Beedie<br />
Photography’, but I felt that it could be a bit<br />
more interesting, so I spent 1 evening writing<br />
down ideas back in <strong>20</strong>16. I wrote down Macro<br />
and Photography and realised it sounded cool<br />
when the two words were joined together!<br />
HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY FROM<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY?<br />
Mostly, it’s from my workshops that I run during<br />
the Summer months. Early <strong>20</strong>18 was when<br />
I decided to start running my macro workshops.<br />
I had 1 or 2 people ask me if I could take them<br />
out to show them some tips, which I did for free,<br />
then I realised I could maybe start running actual<br />
workshops.<br />
I think in order to make the jump to teaching you<br />
have to be very confident that your work is of a<br />
standard that people look up to and that you can<br />
really make a difference to their photography. The<br />
last thing one would want is for paying customers<br />
to do a workshop and to leave feeling like they<br />
haven’t learned much so I was extra keen to<br />
share as much of my knowledge as possible so my<br />
customers would leave feeling really happy about<br />
what they had learned. I think having a friendly<br />
approach and have a huge passion for what you<br />
do is extra important as a teacher.<br />
I have never really had the time or money to<br />
push my photography in other areas, but maybe<br />
in the future I will be able to approach galleries,<br />
art shows, etc.<br />
<strong>June</strong> <strong>20</strong>19<br />
17
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