NZPhotographer Issue 35, September 2020

DANCING IN THE DUNES
F1.8, 1/2500s, ISO100, 135mm
some amazing friendships and find that the more
you shoot with someone (as long as you are open to
collaboration) the more of a partnership you form.
The people I shoot know they can trust me. They know
that I will only share images that make them look like
their best self.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE SHOT? TELL US
ABOUT THAT…
‘Dancing in the dunes’ is my favourite. I have
worked with Anita for well over a year now and quite
regularly, so we have a great working relationship.
Dancing in the dunes was taken at the end of a
perfect day of photography. We started at the
Botanic Gardens in Manurewa and did some images
around the cherry blossoms, getting lucky with the
small number of people about and the amount of
blossom. The light was really nice all day but things just
kept getting better.
After some coffee, we went to the Winter Gardens in
Auckland where we met with a photographer friend
(Delwyn Barnett) and then after a late lunch and a
wardrobe stop, we headed out to Piha. As is often
the way, the plan was super flexible and changed on
the fly all day. The late afternoon light was magical
(in fact this folder of images is named the magic
shoot!). I remember Anita asking if we were ok
because it went really quiet. I had to explain that we
were stunned into silence because we just knew we
were getting great images (photographers all know
this feeling).
I must have several hundred similar shots but the
moment where I asked Anita to channel her inner
ballerina, relax into it and dance, that’s when the
magic really hit. This is one of those images I’m scared
to enter into competitions because it means too
much to me.
September 2020 39