NZPhotographer Issue 34, August 2020

A good tip is to try going out with some friends before
and trying to recreate a situation where it will help with
the event you’re photographing. Personally, someone
recommended to me that I shoot in aperture priority
mode rather than manual mode which I was so used
to doing as this would be quicker with less risk of missing
the special moments so I spent lots of time practising
shooting in aperture priority mode before the big day.
HOW DO YOU PROMOTE YOUR WORK AND
GET YOURSELF ‘OUT THERE’?
Honestly, I feel at this stage it’s mostly word of mouth,
Queenstown is not the biggest of towns so it's quite
easy to get your name out there. There's also my
Instagram page where I gain more and more followers
each day whether that’s other keen photographers
or just people genuinely interested in my work. I also
have a website which I try to promote around town.
WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS DID YOU
WORK ON DURING LOCKDOWN?
Lockdown was an interesting time to try new things.
I am so fortunate to have amazing views from my
balcony in Queenstown which is also situated right
on a walking track on the lake so I had a lot to work
with. I found I put a lot more practice into my sunrise
shots, spent more time with my lens ball, and also had
a go at shooting astro in a light polluted area which
actually turned out very well!
My favourite landscape to date is actually the one
I took from my balcony during lockdown called 'Swept
Remarks'. I’d had an idea of how I wanted this image
to look in my head for so long, with the clouds swept
on the ridgeline of the Remarkables and then one day
I looked outside and the shot was there. I’ve actually
got it printed on a large canvas on my own bedroom
wall and have sold a few prints of it too.
Lockdown also gave me the chance to have a look
through old photos that I forgot existed, have a play
around with them and it turned out great! Out of all
the new photos I ended up editing there were lots
that I took at the Milford track earlier in January, but
the one that really stood out to me was the reflection
of a small lake that I took up the Clinton Valley.
WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN AS AN
EXCIO MEMBER?
Excio has helped me a lot, giving me the opportunity
to see other photographers work and to gain new
ideas. I never get bored of looking at other people’s
photos, especially astro and long exposure shots. I love
reading the interviews on the Excio blog about other
photographers, learning what they get up to, the different
types of photography and reading the various tips. It’s
definitely an encouraging and supportive community.
I haven’t had chance to try one of the weekly challenges
yet but that is definitely on my to do list!
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
JOURNEY?
I really want to start shooting more photos that show
people in my landscape or astro shots. I want to take
people to experience what I do and to be able to
provide them with an amazing memory at the end
with a large print of themselves stood beneath the
milky way for example.
I recently took my girlfriend out with me and we got
a shot together under the milky way (page 42) which
created great memories for us both! I’d also like to
start teaching people astro photography and taking
them out at night with me.
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
YOU OR YOUR WORK?
Just watch this space really!! I am really going to be
focusing on getting out more, carry on improving and
just generally enjoying photography to the max!
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
excio.gallery/wanderingwolf
instagram.com/wanderingwolf.photography
www.wanderingwolfphotography.co.uk
SWEPT REMARKS
F7, 1/800s, ISO100
48
NZPhotographer