NZPhotographer Issue 46, August 2021

ISSUE 46, August 2021 

THE WONDERS OF OUR 

WORLD INTERVIEW WITH 

DEB FORD 

PRODUCING A COFFEE 

TABLE BOOK: A CHALLENGE 

WORTH SWEATING FOR 

BY PETER LAURENSON 

RECONSIDERING OUR 

APPROACH TO LANDSCAPE 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

BY RICHARD YOUNG 

FREE EDITING 

SOFTWARE OPTIONS 

BY FAIRLIE ATKINSON

WELCOME TO ISSUE 46 OF 

NZ PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE 

HELLO EVERYONE, 

First of all a disclosure – this issue 

includes spider photos so if you're an 

arachnophobe beware of pages 27 

and 29 of Deb Ford's interview, we don't 

want to give you an unexpected fright, 

especially if you're viewing online at 

100%! 

If you're experiencing the 'Winter Blues' 

I hope this issue will inspire you to try 

something new with your photography 

whether that's picking up your camera 

and trying a new genre, going to a 

photo-worthy location and consciously 

choosing not to take any photos, 

or sitting down at your computer to 

produce a new version of an old capture, or even a photo book. It's 

also totally fine to concentrate on something besides photography for a 

while – if you're not feeling it, don't force it. 

Over on our Facebook page, we're running a photo competition with 

Peter Laurenson's brand new photography book up for grabs. I invite 

you to sort through your archives and consider your own 'Worth The 

Sweat' journeys and submit your image along with the story behind it to 

our pinned post on Facebook by the 20th August for the chance to win 

a copy of 'KHUMBU Gateway to Mount Everest, Pathways to Kinship'. 

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

Emily Goodwin 

Editor NZ Photographer 

NZPhotographer Issue 46 

August 2021 

Cover Photo 

Gothic Blossoming 

by Suzanne Renner 

Publisher: 

Foto Lifestyle Ltd 

Website: 

nzphotographer.nz 

Graphic Design: 

Maksim Topyrkin 

Advertising Enquiries: 

Email 

hello@nzphotographer.nz 

FOLLOW US 

Peter Laurenson 

Peter Laurenson is an occasional 

climber, traveller, photographer, and 

writer. His adventures, which span 

30+ years, come together on his 

website 'OccasionalClimber'. Peter 

is also Editor of FMC's Backcountry 

Magazine and writes for Wilderness 

Magazine and, occasionally, other 

publications, alongside his bi-monthly 

articles here. 

Fairlie Atkinson 

Fairlie Atkinson teaches 

Photography and Design at Kapiti 

College. She is also a keen fine 

art photographer, and has used 

her work to raise awareness and 

money for conservation. She is a 

keen advocate of the movement 

#photographyforgood and 

encouraging teen photographers 

to find their voice using a lens. 

Richard Young 

Richard is an award-winning 

landscape and wildlife 

photographer originally 

from the UK. The found of 

New Zealand Photography 

Workshops, he helps people 

improve their photography 

whilst experiencing 

New Zealand's stunning 

locations. 

All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material appearing in this magazine in any form is forbidden without prior 

consent of the publisher. 

Disclaimer: Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine.

CONTENTS 

5 

8 

14 

32 

40 

52 

57 

58 

70 

BEHIND THE SHOT 

WITH BHUVANESH RATHORE 

FREE EDITING SOFTWARE OPTIONS 

by Fairlie Atkinson 

MINI 4 SHOT PORTFOLIO 

PRODUCING A COFFEE-TABLE BOOK A 

PHOTOGRAPHER’S CHALLENGE WORTH 

SWEATING FOR 

by Peter Laurenson 

THE WONDERS OF OUR WORLD 

INTERVIEW WITH DEB FORD 

RISING STAR: GRACIE ROZING 

INSPIRATION ZERO – 7 WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED 

by Ana Lyubich 

EXCIO TOP 10 

RECONSIDERING OUR APPROACH TO 

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY 

By Richard Young 

81 PORTFOLIO 

BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH 

MEMBERSHIP 

THE WONDERS OF OUR WORLD 

INTERVIEW WITH DEB FORD 

RISING STAR: GRACIE ROZING 

RECONSIDERING OUR APPROACH TO 

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY 

BY RICHARD YOUNG 

40 

52 

70 

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NZ NATURE 

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Join NZ Photographer Magazine in Fiordland for the first 

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10th - 12th of September 2021 

Experience the stunning natural beauty of the 

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photography excursions for sunset over Lake 

Manapouri and Milford Sound, along with a cruise 

on Milford Sound. Learn from and be inspired by 

leading New Zealand nature photographers including 

Craig Potton, Richard Young, Andris Apse and Edin 

Whitehead on 4 summit sessions with talks, mini 

workshops and live Q&A. 

Summit ticket includes: 

• 4x Summit Sessions Tickets 

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• 2x Full Breakfasts per person 

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Behind The Shot 

with Bhuvanesh Rathore 

Expression of Maha Kali (An Indian Mother Goddess) 

NIKON D5300, AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm F/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens 

@ F5.6, 1/500s, ISO250 

BHUVANESH, TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU... 

I am from Udaipur, India (a.k.a city of Lakes), living 

in Wellington, New Zealand with my wife. I am a 

software engineer and I very much enjoy problem 

solving like any other techie. 

Photography and videography are my alternate 

universe; it is the other me who loves capturing every 

little thing that surprises me as I try to keep a moment 

alive in my pictures and videos. I go by the name 

'butterclick' online, it was a pun intended - thinking 

about camera clicks and the results being “as smooth 

as butter”. 

I am still searching for my area of interest, I like to 

explore different forms of photography. I love shooting 

nature as it varies and beautifies with every changing 

month. In the future, I would also love to travel and 

capture more festive portraits across the globe. 

TELL US ABOUT THIS PHOTO... 

I was at the city of Hyderabad in the state of 

Telangana, India in August 2018 for “Bonalu” an 

annual Telugu festival which is celebrated at 

Golconda Fort. 

Bonalu is a Hindu Festival where the Indian Goddess 

Maha Kali is worshiped and celebrated to ward 

off diseases and usher in good health, peace, and 

prosperity. It’s an annual festival celebrated during July/ 

August in the twin cities Hyderabad and Secunderabad 

and other parts of Telangana state, India. 

I was at the fort at 11am and monsoon was at its best, 

the gloomy weather creating perfect lighting conditions. 

In this photo the person represents Pothuraju who is 

considered the brother of the Mother Goddess. They 

wear a traditional red dhoti, ghungroo (bells) near 

their ankles, and apply turmeric to the body. Their 

NZPhotographer 


5

faces are adorned with colourful paint and big bold 

moustaches, combined with their blood-red tongue 

and blue skin, they portray a fierce demeanour of 

“Maha Kali” symbolizing ‘win over evil’. Pothuraju 

dances to the resounding drums and trumpets, and 

are completely in trance as they lead the procession 

with lashing whips and emerald neem leaves 

(margosa) tied around their waists. 

You cannot miss the vibrant colours and are 

immediately captivated by the resonating drums 

and the dancing. There came a moment when I saw 

the fierce expression and the aggression of Maha 

Kali in their eyes, they were amazingly living the 

prosperous life of Pothuraju in complete devotion 

and commitment. And that’s when I captured in my 

frame. 

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE LOCATION... 

Golconda Fort is undoubtedly one of the most 

magnificent fortress complexes in India, its history 

dating back to the early 13th century. It was initially 

called Shepherd’s Hill, meaning Golla Konda in the 

Telugu language. Historically, the Golconda region 

was renowned for its diamonds, derived from the 

conglomerate rocks of the nearby hills, including the 

world-famous Koh-i-noor diamond. 

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU WITH THIS SHOT? 

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD DO 

DIFFERENTLY IF GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE? 

I have always loved this version of this photograph the 

most. This was one of my first portraits from my initial 

days of learning photography and it has given me a 

lot of motivation to try and capture more different art 

forms and festivals across the globe. 

This photo would still be expressive if you took out the 

colours and made it black and white because of the 

emotion in it. This is something I might explore in the 

future with my festival portraits. 

ANY FINAL WORDS TO LEAVE US WITH? 

With this photograph I want to pay my gratitude 

towards the people who celebrate this amazing 

festival every year and keep a centuries old tradition 

and culture alive. I also want to spread the word that 

celebrating the traditions brings different communities 

together by spreading happiness and love. 

WHERE CAN WE FOLLOW YOU ONLINE? 

@butterclickphotography 

@butterclick 

excio.gallery/butterclick 

26th November - 2nd December 2021 

7 Day Northland 

& Bay of Islands 

Photo Tour - 2021 

EXPERIENCE 

Join Ken Wright and Shaun Barnett on a seven-day photography 

workshop showcasing the best of Northland’s scenery. This location 

offers ideal locations for long exposure photography, wild coastlines, 

waterfalls, and classic jetty shots. 

Historically, Northland was the main hub for activity in New Zealand— 

and to date, it retains numerous remarkable landmarks: Russell, the 

former capital; the Treaty of Waitangi grounds, the home of modern 

New Zealand; giant sand dunes created by volcanoes; the meeting 

place of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea; stunning bays; 

waterfalls; Kauri forest—Northland has it all! 

The never-ending summers of Northland make it a beautiful 

place to relax. As it is a deceptively-large region, we have 

set aside plenty of time to explore and capture some of 

the lushest environment in the country. 

6 August 2021 NZPhotographer 

www.photographyworkshops.co.nz 

info@photographyworkshops.co.nz 

027 261 4417

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7

Free Editing Software Options 

by Fairlie Atkinson 

In my last two articles I looked at ways we can light still life and people with what we have in 

our homes. Lockdown was a time for exploring what we could do on a budget and the results 

were great. But just like with lighting, props, and backdrops, we can also edit on a budget. 

While Photoshop is the best tool on the market for editing photos for professionals, the price 

can be out of the reach of amateur, hobbyist and student photographers. In this article I will 

introduce to you three free editing software tools that my students introduced to me. 

PXLR 

First out of the gate, and in my humble opinion the 

best one, is Pxlr. Pxlr is web based with no sign up 

or sign in and you start by just uploading a photo. 

I had a play with the filters and quite liked the 

vignette. I also tried out removing a background 

and the dispersion tool. I think uncomplicated 

reasonably solid backgrounds can be easily 

removed. Ones like the leafy background in my 

image are more problematic and take longer. 

Once I got to the dispersion tool I was super 

excited as I have tried using Actions in Photoshop 

with no luck, and have created dispersion 

images painstakingly from Youtube tutorials. My 

results are utterly amateurish compared to what 

a professional can do (but I intend to practice 

more!). I brushed the area I wanted to ‘disperse’ 

with great excitement, and up came a large 

watermark and a pop up that I needed to 

upgrade to premium for that effect. Damn. Too 

good to be true! 

All in all though, I really like this software though it 

does have pop up ads. You can crop, play with 

saturation, contrast, blur, and clone and heal just 

like in Photoshop. So as a basic editor it’s great 

and feels like a nice free simplified version of 

Photoshop. 

This is what the Pxlr interface looks like after you upload your image. Very similar to Photoshop with similar tools on the left with menu 

above and more tools on the right. 

8 August 2021 NZPhotographer

Pxlr's background removal in progress. 

The dispersion tool on Pxlr. 



9

POLARR 

Next I tried Polarr which is a complete departure from 

the Photoshop interface. And unfortunately, because I 

am so used to Photoshop, I did not find it very intuitive. 

However, some of my students who have no experience 

with Photoshop love it and find it easy to navigate and 

simple to use. I found the floating image information 

graph that could not be gotten rid of a real distraction. 

I also found the menus to the right side of the screen a 

bit confusing but the menu on the left is very simple and 

easy to use. 

This is again a basic free editing software, that will 

do things like adjust contrast, saturation, shadow, 

intensity, blur etc. It also has some very cool filters 

and overlays, and a border feature I rather liked. The 

downside in the free version is that you’re restricted to 

one download of an edited image a day, so choose 

wisely. 

Fun overlays with the annoying photo info graph that won’t go away plus the pop up to upgrade. 

All the great features you see in RAW and Photoshop are on little sliders on Polarr. 


FOTOR 

Fotor is last on my list of free editing software to try. 

Again, we have an interface which is a departure 

from Photoshop but has many of the basic tools. The 

icons are all on the left and all have their own drop 

down menu so that’s nice and easy to use straight 

away. Annoyingly it has ads and the limited feature 

but hey, they have to make some money somehow, 

and if the ads don’t bother you, there are enough 

editing tools in the free version for this to be a very 

good free alternative to Photoshop. 

As always, I like to check the basic ‘adjustments’ 

panel first and then I go straight the effects and filters. 

I want to know what will make this a bit different or 

enhance my images in a way that isn’t going to be 

laborious and time consuming to do. I confess I kind 

of love the ‘beauty’ effects on this software. I have 

added eye shadow to the gecko in the screenshots 

on the next page. 

The Fotor interface - Nice and simple. 

Fotor has good retro filters which I'm a sucker for! 



11

The beauty tools on Fotor. This is the eyeshadow one and I went a bit mad and applied it above and below! 

A fun framing tool on Fotor. Look away if you are a purist! 

Another fun thing about about Fotor is the framing 

tool. There are not many free ones, and many 

photographers shudder with horror at the thought of 

adding a frame to their images, but it's a fun tool. 

CONCLUSION 

Essentially what you need to ask yourself is ‘what do 

I want from my editing tool?’. If you want to make 

some simple adjustments or corrections, all three 

of these tools are great. If you want to experiment 

with filters, effects and frames, again these tools are 

fantastic and can do a better job than a phone 

editing app as there are more nuances to the tools. 

The tools mentioned here are free (though all have 

an upgrade option to access everything they offer) 

and run on a browser which means you can use 

a Chromebook to edit and don’t have to buy an 

expensive laptop with lots of memory to install and run 

Photoshop and Lightroom. 

However, if you want to create images where you 

have very specific control over the adjustments and 

effects, or want to create fine art photography, then 

these editing tools may be too simple for you. Either 

way, they are great to play with and worth the time to 

explore since you don’t need to part with any money 

to try them out. 


13 Days - Subantarctic 

Islands Photography 

Expedition - 2021 

22 December 2021– 3 January 2022 

EXPERIENCE 

We have the opportunity to join Heritage Expeditions on a tour of the 

Subantarctic Islands. On this 13 day tour, we will have both Richard Young 

and Edin Whitehead as your guides and photography experts on the trip. 

We will have use of the ships lecture theatre to use in the evenings/while 

sailing to hold tuition and review sessions which will focus on capturing 

amazing wildlife and landscape photographs. 

New Zealand and Australia’s Subantarctic Islands are tiny havens for some 

of the most abundant and unique wildlife on the planet. They are composed 

of six groups of Islands. We will be visiting; the Snares, the Auckland 

Islands, Campbell Island and Macquarie Island. Here flora and fauna are 

densely concentrated: the number of indigenous plants and seabirds found 

is far greater than that found on similar groups in the South Atlantic and 

Indian Oceans. 

PLACES VISITED 

The Snares 

Macquarie Island 

Campbell Island 

Auckland Islands 

The Subantarctic Islands not only play an important role in the Southern 

Ocean ecosystem - they also have a rich human history. From their 

discovery 200 years ago, they were exposed to an era of exploitation. In 

time we began to understand their true worth and treasure them for their 

intrinsic value as wild and beautiful places. Visiting them is a pleasure and a 

privilege. You will not be disappointed. 

www.photographyworkshops.co.nz 

info@photographyworkshops.co.nz 

027 261 4417 


Click here for 

More Information 


13

Mini 4 Shot Portfolio 

Our 4x4 feature showcases 4 mini portfolio’s of both 

professional and up and coming New Zealand 

photographers. The 4 images are linked in some way, 

allowing you to get an understanding of what each 

photographer is most passionate about capturing. 

For a chance to get your own 4x4 feature in a future 

issue of the magazine, become a subscriber here. 

AT THE END OF THE WHARF 

Denise Poyner 

WILD HORSES OF ST JAMES 

Gavin Martin 

TARAPURUHI 

Jacqui McGowan 

COASTAL 

Jill Fearne 


DENISE POYNER 


I am very much an amateur photographer, now dabbling in 

photography in a deeper way. I have taken 'snapshots' for a 

long time but recently I wanted to improve my photography, 

particularly in the sense of sharpness and composition. It 

helps to know a good photographer to utilize as a mentor, 

and to have much better gear. I like to photograph birds but 

have recently tried landscape and macro photography. 

AT THE END OF THE WHARF 

At the end of the Shelly Beach wharf near Helensville, there’s a 

show of two types of fishers. 

The first fishers are the people. They come early in the morning to 

try their luck. Sometimes there can be several people but on this 

occasion there were only two, the woman eventually catching a 

kahawai. 

The second fishers are the white-fronted tern. These charming 

birds put on a show of flying, feeding, and preening. They swiftly fly 

around, landing here and there to preen themselves or to present a 

fish to a prospective mate. Photographically they are great subjects 

albeit a challenge because of how quickly they move. 

I enjoy visiting Shelly Beach. It’s quiet and it’s easy to soak up an 

hour or two figuring out shots to take. 



17

GAVIN MARTIN 


I live and work in the stunning alpine village of Hanmer Springs in the South Island. 

My photographic career has evolved over several years and I have been very 

fortunate to have been able to work and play in rural New Zealand. Raised in 

Christchurch, I shifted into the country as a young adult where I worked in wild 

animal pest control and had the privilege of working on several farms in some 

stunning locations before moving to Hanmer Springs several years ago where I 

became involved in the adventure tourism industry. My choice of careers and 

location have allowed me to indulge in my passion for photography. 

www.gavinmartinphotography.com 

WILD HORSES OF ST JAMES 

Every second year wild horses are mustered in from what was New 

Zealand's largest privately owned high country station. 

Farmed by the legendary Jim Stevenson from 1927 until the property was 

sold to the Government in 2009 and turned into a DOC conservation 

estate, St James is nestled against the northern end of the Southern Alps 

and encompasses the Spenser Range of mountains. 

It's a majestic and rugged area of over 80,000 hectares and supports a 

herd of 80 Wild horses who have roamed the Upper Waiau River & Ada 

Valley area for over 80 years. The numbers are kept in check with the 

biannual sale carried out by descents of Jim Stevenson. 

The horses are mustered and driven around 60 km’s from ’The Ada’ to the 

yards in the Clarence Valley where people come from near and far to 

admire and purchase the hardy sought after horses. 



21

JACQUI MCGOWAN

I bought my first digital camera in 2003 and now use a Nikon Z6 

mirrorless with a variety of lenses. I enjoy both capturing images 

and processing them on the computer for a variety of uses. I have 

been a member of Whanganui Camera Club for 20+ years and 

appreciate the interaction with members who have an incredible 

range of interests, creativity and technical expertise. I particularly 

enjoy photographing nature, activities around Whanganui, and 

assisting newer members with basic understanding of their cameras. 

TARAPURUHI 

Toutouwai, Hihi, and Tieke have all been successfully relocated in Bushy 

Park Tarapuruhi bird sanctuary near Whanganui. After volunteer duties 

I explore the bush and wetlands. Capturing images in the dense, dark 

bush is a challenge. I use only natural light so with my 400mm, F6 Sigma 

lens I sometimes need to use 4000 ISO. 

The Hihi gather around the sugar-water stations and the Toutouwai wait 

nearby as I scratch leaf matter to disturb insects. The raucous Tieke are 

more elusive. The Kereru often swoosh around in the sunlight so I just need 

a fast shutter speed to capture them. 

Local Iwi - Ngā Rauru Kiitahi, gifted the name ‘Tarapuruhi’ meaning - 

‘Place of abundant birdlife’.

JILL FEARNE

I am a beginner photographer with a passion for the outdoors. I 

am still exploring and take photos of everything. I love discovering 

what I do not know. I have always taken lots of ‘snaps’ but only 

got into thinking about my photography and using a DSLR 3 years 

ago. Photography has given me the gift of ‘seeing’ the world. 

There are opportunities for photos everywhere and I wish I had 

more time to explore this beautiful world we live in! 

@jill.fearn.5 

COASTAL 

My series depicts photos that I have had fun taking. I am typically a 

morning person and love the morning light. I enjoy slow shutter speed on 

water as I adore the effect it gives - creating colour and movement that 

sometimes can’t be seen with the naked eye. 

The first photo (next page) was taken in the evening and is of the Three 

Sisters in Taranaki. I particularly love this photo because of Mt Taranaki 

being showcased in the background. 

The second photo was taken at Nugget Point, Clutha. It was just before 

sunrise and is a multi-focus staked photo hence the detail that is depicted 

in the picture. 

The third photo was taken early morning at Greenpoint Ship Graveyard 

near Bluff. I took hundreds of photos of these boats but this one is my pick 

because of the colours and clarity of the boats. 

Lastly, number four was taken early morning at Waikawa Marina, Picton. 

Nature, the natural New Zealand environment, and water is always a 

drawcard for me. Having lived most of my life by the sea and in around 

boats, the marinas and harbours are always interesting to me.

Producing a Coffee-Table Book 

A Photographer’s Challenge 

Worth Sweating For 

by Peter Laurenson 



Dusk from Kala Patthar 

(5,545m). Mount Everest is the 

black pyramid left of centre. 


33

Ama Dablam (6,856m), viewed from 4,800 metres, above Base Camp. 

Since February 2020 I’ve been writing about 

photographic locations worth sweating for here in 

NZPhotographer – wonderful places that demand 

a little pain in order to enjoy the gain. Places that take 

more effort to reach than the immediate-gratificationselfie-seeking 

hordes are prepared to make. This 

article is, for me, about the ultimate worth sweating for 

destination. In fact, it encompasses seemingly endless 

magnificent photographic locations visited over a 32 

year journey, culminating in a hard-back, coffee table 

format book with a difference. 

Set in Khumbu, the region to the south of Mount 

Everest in Nepal, home to the Sherpa people, my 220 

page book is entitled KHUMBU Gateway to Mount 

Everest Pathways to Kinship. Containing over 200 

images and about 45,000 words, it’s impossible for me 

to tell you the whole story in an article like this and 

nor do I wish to – hopefully a description of it might 

be enough to encourage some readers to want to 

buy a copy! Either way, as photographers like me, I 

think that many of you will find it interesting to read 

about what it takes to produce such a book. Aside 

from the satisfaction derived, getting powerful images 

off devices and in to print, it allows compelling story 

telling and a special kind of reader enjoyment. 

My love affair with Khumbu started back in May 1988, 

when as a 26-year-old, I first visited Khumbu on my 

O.E. Since then I’ve been back another six times to 

Khumbu, plus three other times to Nepal, twice to the 

Karakoram, twice to Tibet and twice to northern India. 

All these trips informed the experiences and thinking 

that comes together in my book. 


My son Will approaching Luza (4,410m) at sunset in December 2017. 

1988 was the year I really got in to photography. In 

anticipation of my imminent O.E, in 1987 I attended 

a basic night course at Wellington High School that 

introduced me to how to manually use an SLR camera – 

setting shutter speed and F-Stop to get the right exposure 

and composition. Digital didn’t exist back then, and 

learning how to manually shoot film and slides really was 

a great foundation for me. During 1988 I took thousands 

of images, plenty of them not working out – I actually over 

exposed quite a few of my Khumbu images on that first 

visit, as I grappled with the extremes of light and shadow 

that you encounter in the high mountains. But I learnt 

heaps too and honed my technique with several of the 

images from 1988 featuring in my new book. 

I became Dad to Ben in 1994, Ed in 2000 and Will in 

2002, each son joining me on visits to Khumbu as they 

turned 15 which I mentioned in my interview in issue 24 

which touched on my passion for capturing Khumbu. 

I first started trying to write about my Himalayan 

experiences back in 1996, under a working title 

Pilgrimages to the Roof of the World. That got no 

publisher support but did result in my first website, 

which has since died. My first coffee table style 

book - Occasional Climber: A journey to Mount 

Clarity followed in 2013 with my current website 

occasionalclimber.co.nz coming soon after where 

you will find a lot of information and images about the 

Himalaya and Khumbu. 

In February 2017 I was invited by Shaun Barnett to join 

him on a tramp in the Ruahine Ranges. Shaun is one of 

New Zealand’s best known backcountry photographer/ 

writers and he knows our backcountry better than most, 

so his trips tend to be real gems. I’ve been on quite a 

few with him since and we’ve become good friends. 

Shaun helped me shape the concept of KHUMBU 

Gateway to Mount Everest Pathways to Kinship and 

then agreed to be my editor in 2018. 

Inspired by having such skills backing me, I started 

writing in earnest in 2019, had a final visit to Khumbu in 

December 2019 (luckily just ahead of Covid-19), then 

completed my work mid 2020. This included actually 

designing and laying out all my text, pictures and 

maps in InDesign, which really bought the book to 

vivid life. The design process also formed an essential 

part of editing and unifying my own work. Selecting 

224 images from the thousands I’d taken over the 

years, then working out how these best fitted with the 

narrative, was a mammoth task. 

This still wasn’t enough initially to secure publisher 

support. My first attempt, following a wait of about 

two months, resulted in a ‘no, there isn’t a big enough 

market and there is too much work still to do in culling 

back text and images by about ten percent’. 

At this point I realised that my book might never see 

the light of day in the form I aspired to, so at great 

expense I had several prototypes printed so that I 

could at least hold a copy in my hands in the form I 

wanted it to be; and so I could give each of my sons 

a copy and also let me 102-year-old Grandad see it 

before it was too late. 



35

At their 130 year-old Tibetan-style home in Jorsale in November 1995. 

From left: Phura Diki, Lakpa Tenzing (cousin), Pasang Dorje, Pasang Chhuldin, and Nima. 

As it turned out, producing these prototypes was 

a game-changer, allowing me to demonstrate far 

better the potential of my project. I secured Bateman 

Book’s support in October 2020. Having actual printed 

prototypes also made final fine-tuning more accurate 

and complete. With the Bateman team’s backing I 

was then able to secure publication grants from both 

Federated Mountain Club’s Mountain and Forest 

Trust and New Zealand Alpine Club’s Dow Hall fund 

which, aside from helping financially, gave me a real 

confidence boost in terms of peer credibility and 

endorsement. 

Around this time Guy Cotter agreed to write his foreword 

for my book. Guy is one of New Zealand’s leading 

mountaineers and mountain guides. He is also Director 

and CEO of Adventure Consultants, who guide on 

Everest and other nearby peaks, so Guy knows Khumbu 

and quite a few Sherpa better than most, making him 

ideally qualified to write the foreword. 

If you get hold of a copy of KHUMBU Pathways to 

Kinship (there’s one up for grabs if you submit your 

own ‘Worth The Sweat’ photos’ to the competition!) 

you’ll immediately see that it’s very visual. I can take 

good photographs, but there are already lots of books 

filled with nice photographs of parts of the Himalaya 

so I knew that if my book was to deserve a reader’s 

attention it had to be more than just another visually 

beautiful coffee table production. 

What distinguishes my book from others is its multi-layered 

story. Spanning seven trekking journeys over more than 

thirty fascinating years, it’s a journey through tourism 

expansion, the emergence of guided climbs to the 

summit of Mount Everest, economic and technological 

development, and environmental and cultural change. 

And trekking in the mighty Himalaya is really just the 

entre! On my second visit to Khumbu, in November 

1995, I stopped at Jorsale village for the night and 

ended up staying at a teahouse. There I met a little 

Sherpa girl named Phura (who was just a few months 

older than my son Ben) along with her mum Nima and 

dad Pasang Dorje. That night marked the beginning 

of a friendship, spanning two countries far apart, 

which has slowly grown as our families themselves 

have grown over the decades. So my story is also 

about a journey of kinship between a Kiwi family and 

a Sherpa family; and a journey shared by a father and 

each of his three sons. The combination of time spent 

and personal contact with my Sherpa friends has also 

helped me to include lots of fascinating information 

about Khumbu and the Sherpa people. 

With help from Wellington-based Roger Smith at 

Geographx we created a map of Khumbu, which 

features in the book’s Introduction. At the risk of 

blowing my own trumpet, I haven’t found a better 

‘at-a-glance’ map of Khumbu. You can easily locate 

all the trekking trails and view points, passes, major 


Window on a different life - a young boy from Dingboche considers a picture of my boys and me in April 2006.

Looking north-east to Cho La and south to Khumbi Yul Lha, from 4,950 metres on the Everest Wifi highpoint above Pangka. 

glaciers, rivers, peaks, and villages, plus heights in 

metres above sea level. 

While my book is not intended to be a comprehensive 

trekking guide, I do think that a sense of place is 

important and that readers will appreciate knowing 

clearly what they’re looking at and reading about. To 

further assist this, for a selection of the many stitched 

panoramic images featured in the book, I’ve added 

peak and place names (as seen above). That said, 

there are many other images included primarily for 

their aesthetic rather than their informational qualities. 

With the arrival of Covid-19 last year, I worried that 

the pandemic would inevitably delay completion 

of my book. In actual fact, Covid-19 turned out to 

work well for this project. Firstly I used the seclusion 

of the initial nationwide lockdown to build the maps 

and select and consistently process images from 

32 years of photography (spanning film, slides and 

pixels, and five different cameras!) – so that when 

viewed in the same book, they all have a cohesive 

feel. Secondly, Covid-19 became an unexpected 

‘circuit breaker’ that provided a poignant point to 

end my story – actually even better than my planned 

conclusion, which was to be a trip with my partner 

Cathy to finally meet my Sherpa friends and therefore 

close the ‘kinship’ loop. That trip will now happen post 

pandemic and post publication. 

As events unfolded last year, it dawned on me that, 

just as Covid-19 had become a ‘circuit breaker’ on 

humanity’s fossil-fuel-powered, insatiable consumption 

and shameful wastefulness, even since the evidence 

of our planet’s human-induced warming has become 

indisputable, Covid-19 had also pushed pause 

on what was looking like death by unrestrained 

economic endeavour for the essence of Khumbu. 

The final Chapter is now titled ‘A New Dawn’, because 

that is indeed what we all now face. Whether this 

new dawn is luxuriant and restorative, or bleak and 

destructive, depends upon us all. The choices we 

make will determine the global outcome; and the 

same can be said for Khumbu. 

My hope is that KHUMBU Pathways to Kinship (available 

to order from www.batemanbooks.co.nz from 2nd 

August) will help to inform and encourage readers to 

make those choices that will sustain and nurture the 

unique and very special place called Khumbu, that I 

have come to know and love. More photos can be 

seen at the links below. 

www.occasionalclimber.co.nz/ 

browse-images-2/roof-of-the-world/ 

excio.gallery/occasionalclimber-khumbu 

YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A COPY OF KHUMBU GATEWAY TO MOUNT EVEREST 

PATHWAYS TO KINSHIP IN THE ‘WORTH THE SWEAT’ PHOTO COMPETITION WHICH RUNS 1 ST – 20 TH 

AUGUST OVER ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.



39

The Wonders Of Our World 

Interview with Deb Ford 

my admiration and love of photography went by the 

wayside as I got older and life got busier. 

Currently I work as a registered nurse in an acute 

mental health ward. It’s challenging, hectic but also 

rewarding. Just recently I have also started as a casual 

lecturer at CQUniversity assisting with residential 

schools for nursing students. This is something that I 

never expected to do but I love being able to play a 

small role in teaching future nurses, and maybe trying 

to sway them into nursing in the field of mental health! 

I seem to be one of those ‘later in life’ people as I did 

my nursing degree when I was in my 40’s and started 

photography in my late 40’s. Both of these were things 

I had always wanted to do but hadn’t gotten around 

to. Photography is my absolute passion now, I love it 

and can’t imagine my life without it and my absolute 

dream would be to travel the world, camera in hand, 

capturing images of scenery, wildlife, the people and 

the places. 

DEB, TELL US ABOUT YOU AND WHEN YOU GOT 

STARTED WITH PHOTOGRAPHY... 

I’m mum to 2 gorgeous children (now adults), and 

am married to a fantastic man who may roll his 

eyes occasionally when I whip out my camera but 

who is wonderfully encouraging and supportive. I 

live in Mackay, Queensland, Australia and have just 

recently turned the fabulous 50. I celebrated this by 

going away with my husband and my camera club 

to a beautiful seaside town and then to an island 

getaway. The camera was kept very busy capturing 

the gorgeous scenery and wildlife that we came 

across! 

I first picked up a digital camera about 2 years 

ago, I had always loved photography and it was 

just the right time for me to get a new camera and 

start learning photography properly. When I was a 

teenager and in my early 20’s, I was always carrying 

around a point and shoot film camera, capturing 

images of the people and events in my life at this time. 

I was also an avid magazine reader and would always 

admire the many fantastic images in magazines but 

I never thought photography would impact me so 

personally. It gives me so much joy and I love that 

I can show people things in detail via my macro 

photography and give them a better appreciation 

of the critters of the world. It’s made me much more 

observant and I notice so much more beauty in 

the world and that is something that I am extremely 

grateful for. I share my images online because I love 

them and I want other people to stop and just enjoy 

the feeling that an image can give. If even one of my 

images impacts someone, whether it be that it makes 

them stop and think, or helps them to focus more on 

the wonders of nature, or even just puts a smile on 

their face then I’m grateful. 

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT 

PHOTOGRAPHING? 

I haven’t come across a genre of photography that 

I don’t love as of yet, but my particular passion is 

macro images of insects. There’s just something so 

fascinating about seeing the little critters up close! 

Wildlife and street photography are another two of my 

photography passions. There’s something exhilarating 

and breathtaking about being out in nature, seeing 

wildlife and capturing images of them. 

Meanwhile, street photography fascinates me, I love 

capturing images of real life and people. I live in a small 

town which makes this much more challenging but you 

can always find something if you keep an eye out. 


Top: Long Legged Fly 

Canon R5, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens 

@ F3.2, 1/640s, ISO200, 100mm 

Bottom: Escape Into The Sunset 

Canon R5, Canon RF 24 – 240mm f/4 – 6.3 IS USM lens 

@ F11, 1/20s, ISO1000, 24mm

Picnic Bay Jetty 

Canon R5, Canon RF 24-240mm f/4 – 6.3 IS USM lens 

@ F11, 6s, ISO200 

WHAT GEAR DO YOU HAVE? 

I have 2 cameras, the Canon EOS R and the Canon 

R5. My favourite lens is my Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L 

IS USM macro lens (although I am very impatiently 

waiting for the RF version to be released!). I also have 

the RF 24–105mm f/4L IS USM and the 24–240mm 

version also. Additionally, I also have a Canon EF 100– 

400mm f/4.5 -5.6L IS 11 USM which is a fantastic bird 

lens! And last is the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM 

lens which I primarily use for street photography. 

I currently use Cokin Filters for my landscape 

photography, although I am often guilty of forgetting 

to take my filters with me and frequently capture 

sunrises and sunsets without them. I frequently use a 

flash for my macro photography which is the Canon 

Speedlite 430EX 111-RT. This is used in conjunction with 

various diffusers including the MagMod Professional 

Flash Kit. I am still searching for the best diffuser so if 

anyone has any suggestions let me know! 

I have plans to try the Pringle can DIY diffuser which a 

lot of people swear by - Google it if you are interested! 

I have also purchased the GODOX 86011S TTL 

Speedlite which just arrived when I was writing this so I 

haven’t had time to try it out yet. As for camera bags, 

what can I say – I have an extensive collection and as 

with most photographers, I am always searching for 

that elusive bag that meets all my needs! 

YOU’RE RELATIVELY NEW TO PHOTOGRAPHY, 

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN LEARNING AND 

IMPROVING? WHAT WAS THE ‘AHA’ MOMENT 

THAT REALLY STEPPED UP YOUR TECHNIQUE? 

Photography has been a big learning curve, the more I 

learn the more I want to learn! I joined the Mackay Camera 

Group, which I love so much, the members have all been 

very supportive and encouraging and I was thrilled to 

recently be nominated and accepted as Vice President. 

Additionally, I have done several courses, read a lot about 

photography and watched many Youtube videos. 


The Allure Of The Night 

Canon EOS R, Canon RF 24-240mm f/4 – 6.3 IS USM lens 

@ F8, 1/80s, ISO6400 

When I first started I thought I would never be able 

to get my head around shooting in manual mode 

and learning how the exposure triangle works was a 

challenge. Initially, I frequently shot in auto mode (I 

know, shock horror!) and then one day I challenged 

myself to stop shooting in auto and use manual. It 

took a few attempts but one day it just seemed to 

make sense and I found I was adjusting my settings 

and getting photos that turned out well. This was the 

moment that made me realise that I could do this and 

get the images I pictured in my head when taking the 

shot! 

HAVE YOU TAKEN PART IN ANY 

COMPETITIONS? 

Competition photography is something that I have had 

some success with recently. Early this year I placed in the 

top ten in the Animal and Nature section of Photographer 

of the Year 2020 with my macro portfolio of images titled 

‘Small Creatures”. I was also lucky enough to receive a Top 

20 award in Capture Magazines Australasia’s Top Emerging 

Photographer 2021 in the animal category with my portfolio 

titled “The little things’. Additionally, I have had some success 

in local competitions and received several photo of the 

month awards in my camera club’s monthly competition. 



43

Top: Guarding Her Babies 


@ F11, 1/250s, ISO100, 100mm 

Bottom: Jumping Spider & Its Prey (Mopsus Mormon) 


@ F11, 1/250s, ISO100, 100mm

Watching Me Watching You - Species of Jumping Spider 


@ F6.3, 1/250s, ISO100, 100mm

TELL US ABOUT ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE 

PHOTOS... 

One of my favourite photos would have to be a photo 

of the humble fly. It was the first ‘good’ shot I got when 

learning macro and I did a few jumps of joy when I 

captured it. This photo cemented my love of macro 

and capturing images of insects close up! Incidentally, 

it also led to a strange obsession – I love to capture 

images of flies. I have many, many photos of all sorts 

of flies. Weird I know, but seriously there are so many 

different species with amazing colours in the fly family! 

WHAT MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS CAN YOU 

SHARE WITH US? 

If you are shooting macro shots of insects out in nature 

take a lot of shots, you can always delete them!! 

Also keep up that shutter speed unless you have hit 

that wonderful jackpot combination of an insect not 

moving and no wind!! 

Move in very slowly with insects and if you are 

photographing dragonflies and want to capture their 

image front on, move in from the side first and very 

slowly move around to the front of them as they adjust 

to your presence. 

I recommend carrying little clamps to move stray 

leaves or stems etc out of the way so you don’t have 

to remove these things in post production. You can 

buy macro clamps for this but I have utilized objects 

from home, such as some hair clips and borrowing 

some bendy wire from my husband’s shed. 

If you are just starting to do macro be prepared for a lot 

of blurry images and missed focus, macro takes practice 

and it can be discouraging at first but stick with it! A lot 

of people will say you must use a tripod for macro, I’m 

a bit of a rule breaker in this area as I never use a tripod. 

I much prefer having the freedom to move around 

quickly and all my macro shots are handheld. I’m 

lucky in that I have a reasonably steady hand and my 

camera and lens have great image stabilization. 

The Humble Fly 

Canon EOS R, Canon EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM lens 

@ F11, 1/50s, ISO125

Orb Weaver Spider 


@ F11, 1/250s, ISO125, 100mm

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST 

CHALLENGES IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND 

HOW ARE YOU OVERCOMING THOSE? 

People photography has been my biggest 

challenge, there’s just something about the 

pressure of getting those good shots so you 

don’t disappoint people that makes me anxious. 

I’ve been doing a few shoots as a second 

shooter for weddings and doing sessions for 

friends and family to help me overcome this 

fear. 

Funnily enough I love street photography and 

have never really suffered that anxious feeling 

when shooting people street photography wise. 

I have no fears going out and about and taking 

photos of people in the street and will happily 

approach someone asking to take their photo. I 

enjoy observing people and street photography 

is just a step up from that. 

Another challenge I faced recently was 

breaking two bones in my leg while hiking and 

Tears Of Happiness 

Canon R5, Canon RF 24-240mm f/4 - 6.3 IS USM lens 

@ F6.3, 1/2000s, ISO400 

taking photos. There was an extensive recovery 

period in which I was confined to months in a 

wheelchair and on crutches. This was endlessly 

frustrating and I wasn’t about to do as much 

photography wise as I wished. I was very lucky 

in that my husband came up with the idea of 

‘wheelchair walks’ where he would take me 

out on all the nature walks in my area and I 

would shoot images from the comfort of the 

wheelchair. This helped save my sanity in so 

many ways, I was still able to capture images 

and enjoy wandering in nature. There were still 

many frustrations as I wasn’t able to manouvre 

myself around to capture my maco insect 

images well. I can still remember how excited 

I was when I could walk unaided and the first 

time I was able to get down on the ground (and 

back up again!) to photograph an insect in 

some low lying bushes. That was such a happy 

moment and I even did a quick ‘happy dance’ 

jig to celebrate lol. 


WHAT TIPS/TRICKS HAVE YOU PICKED UP 

FROM BEING A SECOND SHOOTER AT 

WEDDINGS? DO YOU THINK YOU’D LIKE 

TO BECOME A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER 

ONE DAY? 

I did pick up a few great tips when shooting 

weddings. Firstly, always be ready to snap that 

shot. Secondly, continually scour the crowd 

for the ‘moments’, for example, the shot of 

a beaming great grandmother as her great 

grandchild is placed in her lap. The shot of a 

proud mother or father smiling and crying happy 

tears. The hug of absolute joy between friends. 

Second shooting gave me better insight into 

finding the special moments and emotions that 

can make a photo grab at your heartstrings. 

Although I enjoyed it I don’t think that being a 

wedding photographer is something that I would 

like to do, it can be quite stressful and extremely 

hectic and there’s a lot of pressure to capture 

the moments. 

AS AN EXCIO MEMBER, WHAT DO YOU 

MOST ENJOY ABOUT THE COMMUNITY? 

I love it - Excio is a fantastic initiative for 

photographers. It differs from other social media, 

such as Instagram, in that it is based solely on 

showcasing photographers and their images, 

building a community that allows people to 

showcase their skills, learn from others and 

support like-minded photographers. I absolutely 

love looking at all the images from the other 

talented members and seeing how they have 

captured moments in the world. Supporting 

charities is also an important element of Excio 

that I love. 

HOW DO YOU SUPPORT / PLAY A ROLE IN 

#PHOTOGRAPHYFORGOOD? 

#PhotographyForGood is a fantastic initiative 

that the world really needs right now. Covid has 

impacted everything and this has an affect on 

our mental health even if we have had minimal 

impact from Covid. Photography is something 

that allows people to view amazing images of 

moments in time, it showcases the beauty in 

the world and allows people to focus on the 

wonders of the world and the people in it. 

For me personally, photography is my happy 

place. I work a stressful job (Mental Health 

Nurse) and doing photography has increased 

my appreciation of the world and what’s in 

it. I observe so much more of the wonders 

of nature, I pay more attention to people 

and I see more of the kindness in the world. 

#PhotographyForGood not only allows people 

to appreciate the world we live in but it also 

helps support charities that make a difference. 

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT 

YOU OR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY? 

I have a bit of a weird quirk when it comes to 

going out to take photos. I always arrive at my 

destination coffee in hand and have learned 

to shoot while holding my coffee cup! If I’m 

shooting in town I’ll grab a takeaway on my 

way to where I’m shooting, if I’m shooting out 

of town I fill my insulated travel mug and take 

it with me. I have the art of holding a camera 

and my coffee cup down pat and can shoot 

pretty much anything while holding my coffee 

and having a sip in between shots. The things a 

caffeine addict will do!! 

WHAT ARE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY HOPES 

AND DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE? 

Ah so so many hopes and dreams for the future. 

I would absolutely love to become a wildlife/ 

nature photographer full time and travel around 

the world capturing moments. Something else 

I would love to do is more street photography 

with different cultures around the world, I love 

people and enjoy talking with different cultures 

to learn more about them and I would love to 

showcase this in imagery. One of my biggest 

hopes is to watch the Northern Lights and 

capture this amazing phenomenon with my 

camera. I was going overseas last year to do this 

but obviously had to cancel when Covid reared 

its ugly head but I will do it one day! 

ANY INSPIRING WORDS TO LEAVE US 

WITH? 

I came across this quote a while back by Aaron 

Siskind and I love it... 

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, 

of loving. What you have caught on film is 

captured forever... It remembers little things, 

long after you have forgotten everything”. 

WHERE CAN WE SEE MORE OF YOUR 

PHOTOS? 

@Deb-Ford-Photography-106143827985435 

@debfordphotography 

excio.gallery/deb 



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51

Rising Star: Gracie Rozing 

Now in year 13 at Kāpiti College, 17 year old Gracie uses photography to portray 

emotions. Her camera helps her to express herself, connect with others, and work 

through her mental health issues. Her photographic work is more than a ‘pretty 

picture’, it asks the viewer to reflect on the emotions captured and the emotions felt 

within themselves when viewing her images too. 

GRACIE, TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY WITH 

PHOTOGRAPHY SO FAR... 

My interest in photography and the wider world 

of creative arts first became obvious to me in 

year 11 when my friends in the year 12 design and 

photography class would show me the work they had 

produced using design programmes such as adobe 

photoshop. However, it was the visual messages and 

feelings that my friends and other students were able 

to portray through their photography boards that 

really influenced my drive to pursue photography. 

When I first joined the photography class in year 12 I 

was excited yet unsure of what was to come, though 

I quickly fell in love with the subject as I started to pick 

up basic camera techniques and learn new skills. 

I have been suffering from a real creative block this 

year - Some of my close friends have left school, and 

my design and photography teacher from year 12, 

who is one of my biggest influences, is on leave this 

year. It was these people with whom I used to spend 

a lot of time bouncing ideas off of - We would look 

at other photographers and their work and then 

talk about what I wanted to capture in my images. 

I always find it worthwhile to bounce ideas off other 

people who are close to me as they are often the 

ones I want to use as my models and they know me 

really well. 

I have struggled with various mental health issues 

throughout my life too. Photography has been my 

way of showing what I feel at times. It’s also my way 

of connecting with other people who feel that way 

too. Photography has given me a creative outlet and 

the confidence to push my boundaries a bit when 

it comes to showing howI feel which I can now do 

through my images. My photography classroom is my 

safe place and it is certainly the subject that I enjoy 

the most at school. 

Detached 


Purity 

WHAT ARE YOU SHOOTING WITH? 

My collection of photography equipment is rather limited 

compared to other photographers; When I was 15, my 

grandmother gifted me her Canon EOS 1100D camera 

as I was taking the level 2 design and photography class 

the next year, and she felt that I could put it to better 

use than her. At that time I had never experimented with 

photography on anything other than my Iphone and was 

excited to get to know the camera. 

YOU SEEM DRAWN TO PHOTOGRAPHING 

PEOPLE RATHER THAN NATURE OR 

LANDSCAPES – WHAT IS IT ABOUT PORTRAIT 

PHOTOGRAPHY THAT CAPTIVATES YOU? 

It’s true, I am more drawn towards portrait photography 

and photographing real people rather than landscape 

and nature photography styles. I find that through 

portraiture I am able to capture the raw connections 

between people and their emotions, which is something 

I am captivated by. I want to portray the emotions I feel 

in my life or take a photo that other people can look at 

and recognise an emotion that they themselves have 

felt. I want them to look at my photos and actually think 

- Not just to enjoy what they look like, but to think about 

the emotion they feel when looking at them. 

TELL US ABOUT ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOS... 

The shoot I did last year with the girl in the wings is 

my favourite shoot so far. My model and I planned 

the outfit and composition, and we were in the 

studio for hours trying different things with light and 

camera settings. We also played with cellophane over 

lights to create different colours. Overall I was really 

happy with the result and felt proud of what we had 

accomplished. 



53

Fallen Angel 

WHAT HAVE YOU STRUGGLED WITH THE MOST IN 

LEARNING PHOTOGRAPHY? 

Figuring out how to use the different camera settings and 

operating in manual mode have always been a challenge 

for me. I have also had trouble adapting to the different 

styles of photography and it took me a while to figure out 

what worked for me. When I began learning how to use my 

camera I experimented a lot with still life and portraiture as 

I found it less challenging than other styles of photography 

and felt as if I was able to utilize it to express my ideas and 

creativity in a way that I was comfortable with. Over time I 

have tried to expand my photography and have done some 

landscape, though for me personally I have found that it is 

portraiture which allows me to portray the feelings behind my 

images in a way that is clear to me. 

DO YOU WANT PHOTOGRAPHY TO BE PART OF YOUR 

CAREER PLAN IN THE FUTURE? 

At this stage I don’t have a clear idea of what my future with 

photography or future in general looks like. Though, I think that 

I will always want to see things through the lens of a camera 

now. I believe I can appreciate what other photographers do 

now, and I will always have this skill that will allow me to be 

creative. 

WHERE CAN WE SEE MORE OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY? 

@grac1esphotography 

Lust 


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55

LEARN MORE 

www.excio.io 

56 August 2021 NZPhotographer 

Photo by Jakub Soltysiak

INSPIRATION ZERO – 7 WAYS TO 

STAY MOTIVATED 

Exposure to sunlight increases 

the release of a hormone 

called serotonin in your brain - a 

happiness hormone. But with more 

rainy days and cold weather still on 

the horizon for at least another month 

here in NZ it is totally natural for us 

creatives to feel a little uninspired, 

less focused, and more anxious. 

Photography is a great way to boost 

your mood but what can you do 

when you don’t feel like picking up 

your camera? Some tips and tricks 

that worked for me are as follows: 

1. See what others are doing. Nothing 

beats a good book and a cup of 

tea/coffee in a comfy chair on a 

gloomy wet day and photography 

focused books and magazines are a 

great way to find inspiration and learn 

from others. If physical copies aren’t 

your thing, just grab your phone and 

scroll through Instagram or check out 

the Excio app. You might also visit a 

gallery, or view our own online gallery 

and support a good cause at the 

same time. Inspiration is not the same 

as imitation! Try not to copy the exact 

style or composition, instead using 

someone else’s work as a guide try 

and create your own series. 

2. Narrow down your options. Set 

yourself a limit on something e.g. 

measure a 1x1 sqm area in your 

home or backyard and photograph 

whatever is already there. 

Alternatively, ditch the tape measure 

and dive into still life photography, 

picking one type of object to 

photograph - It can be anything 

from food, to flowers, to household 

objects; kitchenware, instruments, 

garden tools, even books – why not? 

3. Try miniature photography. There 

are heaps of miniatures on AliExpress 

if you don’t have any (it may take 

some time for delivery) or you can 

buy some locally. It doesn’t have to 

be people figurines – It could be toys, 

objects, animals and so on. 

4. Experiment with liquids. If you are 

an Excio member you can read a 

blog post from Kelly Vivian on how 

she photographed M&Ms last year – 

super creative and easy to try. Get 

some food colouring, oils or paint and 

set free your imagination. 

5. Work with your archives. If you 

have some spare time it is a great 

exercise to go through your hard 

drives and work on some old files 

– delete the duplicates taken ‘just 

in case’ or experiment with editing 

some shots you initially overlooked 

and add a new creative look to 

them, perhaps something different to 

your usual style. 

6. Set realistic goals and take one 

step at a time. When you think about 

picking up your camera but are not 

sure what to photograph try focusing 

on small goals like photographing ten 

different types of flowers, 5 birds, or 

a series of black and white shots etc. 

Just be sure to decide how many 

photographs will be in your series – 

our brains work better when given 

exact milestones. 

7. Stop thinking about photography! 

Sometimes the feeling of not keeping 

up with everything that’s happening 

(photo challenges, competitions, 

editing, etc) is enormous and the 

pressure grows which makes it harder 

and harder (in your mind) to get 

back into photography. Stop blaming 

yourself – it’s not a big issue at all and 

you can resume all your activities 

as soon as you are ready and you 

feel like it. Quite often it is very useful 

to actually get distracted and do 

something different, something 

you’ve wanted to do for a long time 

(I’m not talking about your day job 

or house chores!). Go to the cinema, 

organize a party with friends, paint or 

sew, go skydiving – do something that 

will help you feel refreshed and you 

will soon find that the photography 

motivation comes right back! 

Ana Lyubich 

Co-founder of the Excio 

Photo Community and 

NZPhotographer Magazine, 

Ana is a passionate 

photographer and 

photography mentor. She 

loves exploring the unseen 

macro world and capturing 

people’s genuine emotions. 

Ana is always happy to help 

other fellow photographers so 

don’t hesitate to get in touch 

with her at ana@excio.io 

www.excio.io 

@excionz 



57

PHOTO COMMUNITY 

From more than 20,000 photographs published on Excio 

by our members, these 10 made it to the top this month. 


A PAIR OF YELLOW-EYED 

PENGUINS (HOIHO) MEET UP 

ROBERT SANSON 

Seen in this photo are a pair of Yellow-eyed Penguins (Hoiho) who have met up again 

at the end of the day after a long day fishing out in the Southern Ocean, off the coast 

of Southland, New Zealand. Their diet consists predominantly of fish. They are the rarest 

species of penguin in the world, found only in New Zealand, and sadly, their numbers 

are declining due to habitat loss, predation of their young on land and predation in the 

ocean due to barracuda and leopard seals. However, it is believed that most deaths are 

due to getting caught in set nets around the coastline. 

excio.gallery/robert 



59

KITEKITE FALLS 

PAUL BELLI 

Kitekite Falls, Piha. What a gorgeous spot and a gorgeous 

waterfall, it was well worth the walk which 

was approximately 25mins from the car park. 

excio.gallery/belli 


PARISIENNE OPTIONS 

SIMON HERTNON 

Summer. A pause to check a phone. Open 

space ahead. What happens next? Taken at 

Luxembourg Gardens, Paris on my iPhone 6 

excio.gallery/simon_hertnon 



61

WHITE WATER 

ROSE-ANNE SHAW 

Gulls enjoying the strong wind and surveying the surf. 

excio.gallery/roseanneshaw 


RARANGI MOONRISE 

SUE HENLEY 

Rarangi beach is a rugged and wild beach on 

Marlborough's beautiful East coast in New Zealand. 

excio.gallery/henley 



63

THE NOT SO UGLY DUCKLING 

ENZO GIORDANI 

A mid-winter cygnet braves the cold weather at 

Western Springs, New Zealand. 

excio.gallery/enzo 


BLUE HAZE 

M & A WHYTE 

These little alpine flowers were taken at Mt Hutt ski field in the 

summer, I then transformed them into art. 

excio.gallery/whyte 



65

AUTUMN TONES 

PAMELA JOHNSTONE 

The beautiful gold tones of Autumn leaves pilled up after a light drizzle of rain. 

excio.gallery/pamela 


SNOWDROP 

VICKY FINLAY 

Snowdrops are my favourite Spring flower, every year I try to 

capture the essence of Spring and what is to come. Maple 

Glen Gardens spoiled us for choice - Such a magical place. 

excio.gallery/vicki 



67

NOT YOUR USUAL CATHEDRAL COVE 

ALICIA JOUBERT 

Early mornings at Cathedral Cove are my favourite – that light! 

excio.gallery/adventurelief 




69

Reconsidering Our Approach To 

Landscape Photography 

By Richard Young 




71

I have not been writing much lately. It is easy to 

produce a quick article to meet a deadline, but it is 

not so easy to write something worth saying. Will it just 

add to all the other noise that is already out there? 

That is always the fear - and I find the same applies to 

the production of photographs, which is why there are 

times in my own photography practice where I don’t 

shoot anything seriously for months at a time. This 

may seem hard to believe from a full-time landscape 

photographer but if I don’t have anything new to say, 

I’d rather not say anything at all. 

Much like writing an engaging piece, making an 

original photograph requires a lot of energy and 

the right headspace, which can be hard to find 

when focusing on teaching, running a business, and 

other projects. I can capture a stunning landscape 

any day of the week, but a stunning capture 

doesn’t guarantee depth of expression. In fact, it’s 

not uncommon for me to find myself in just such a 

landscape, in excellent shooting conditions, without 

ever unpacking my camera. I study the light and work 

out what I’m trying to say. I may see a shot that will 

work, but I question if it is worth me taking it: is it a shot 

I need? What will its end-use be? Will I even ever use it 

or will it just add to the noise of all the other unsorted 

files on my hard drives? 

Today, life tends to take place in a rushed manner. It’s 

hard to leave this attitude behind, even when we go 

out to photograph wild places. Our instinct is to turn 

up, capture the image, and go. Little regard tends 

to be given to our impact on the landscape we are 

“capturing” or our reasons for photographing it to 

start with. But when I am out shooting, I actually spend 

more time engaging in the landscape - studying 

it, working out how to compose it, seeing how the 

light reacts with it - than I do taking photos. I enjoy 

the thought process behind the creation of a work 

as much as I enjoy the end product. Of course, this 

thought process of ‘what I am trying to express?’ will 

not be obvious to the viewer, so how can I express it 

in the resulting photograph? If we give ourselves time 

to connect with our landscape, take it in, and decide 


the story we wish to tell, it can lead us to a more 

sustainable approach and a more original body of 

work. 

I’m lucky enough to be based in what many consider 

one of the top countries for landscape photography: 

New Zealand. Its iconic locations have been shared 

worldwide and used to help drive tourism as the 

country’s largest export earner pre-COVID. Most 

landscape photographers worldwide will recognise 

or be able to name our most famous locations, and 

many have visited these places themselves. The same 

few locations tend to top the list for visitors (including, 

of course, a particular famed tree often simply 

referred to as “That Tree” - you know the one I’m 

talking about!). 

But does this stunning natural canvas lead to the best 

landscape photography? Does it make it easy to 

be a landscape photographer here? Surely with the 

advantage of all these iconic landscapes, there’s 

no shortage of material for Instagram posts? This 

may be the case, but I also believe it is one of the 

very reasons for the lack of originality in much of the 

landscape photography produced in New Zealand. 

Many stunning images are produced, but often there 

is little to set them apart from one another, apart from 

the latest capture trends and, at times, questionable 

post-processing techniques. This leads to quality of 

work being judged for the craftsmanship in its creation 

over anything else. Has landscape photography 

become simply a craft? One that can be taught from 

a YouTube video? Is there a “recipe” that will produce 

the desired results? Or is there a more engaging way 

to approach and capture the landscape? As much 

as learning craft is important (it gives us the tools to 

work with) executing that craft to capture the same 

landscapes as everyone else will not result in an 

original body of art. 

To be considered a work of art, a piece must be 

driven by intent; a desire to express something through 

its creation. This intent should go beyond simply 



73

capturing the most beautiful rendition of a muchphotographed 

scene. Finding this intent is no new 

challenge in landscape photography (and one of the 

reasons it has long struggled to be accepted as art) 

but it is a challenge that has only been compounded 

by the likes of Instagram. Sure, that sweeping vista 

captured as an HDR, long-exposure panorama will 

get people’s attention. But for how long? What really 

makes it stand out from the last image posted of the 

same location? Has landscape photography just 

become one big competition, played out across 

an online platform judged by the “likes” of unknown 

users, who are in turn equally addicted to the splitsecond 

engagement of each image? 

While it’s true that New Zealand is producing lots 

of stunning landscape photography, I feel there 

is considerably less original work being produced 

here compared to, say, the UK, despite the range 

of landscapes being arguably less diverse in the UK 

than those found in New Zealand. The UK has some 

beautiful wild places, but the scale cannot compare 

to the volume of untouched wilderness that still lies 

within NZ national parks. Perhaps the greater volume 

of original work is partly due to greater population size: 

with 68 million people in the UK compared to our 5 

million, there are obviously a lot more photographers 

in the UK, so if even 1% of these were to produce 

something truly original, that would be a large body 

of original work. But this also works in the opposite 

way; with so many people shooting, it can be hard to 

produce something unique. 

I think one thing that has happened here in NZ (along 

with other popular landscape photography locations, 

such as Iceland) is that production of original work 

has been sidelined by the race to capture the iconic 

locations that so many are visiting. The draw to 

capture them has become central to our approach 

to the landscape, and even if the captures are 

exceptional, they show scenes that have been seen 

so many times before. The abundance of similar 

images makes me question whether I still wish to 

capture the “iconic locations” of NZ anymore. Much 


of my early work was built around these vistas and 

while I’m happy with the images, there are only a 

couple that offer a truly personal expression of the 

landscape. The others could easily be recaptured to 

similar or better quality on a return journey and could 

be captured just as easily by another accomplished 

landscape photographer. This being the case, how 

can I make my images stand out from the work of 

others? 

I often travel to these iconic NZ landscapes 

(sometimes multiple times a year) to guide groups 

on tours and workshops. The participants are mainly 

motivated by the goal of capturing these scenes 

for themselves, and sometimes they produce a 

representation that is “better” than what I have in my 

own portfolio. I don’t usually shoot the scene myself 

on these trips, as my focus is on helping those I am 

there to teach and guide. I also feel I won’t be saying 

anything new by simply capturing a better shot than 

I already have. That being said, there are times, such 

as sitting in a conference room the following day 

reviewing the stunning photographs captured by the 

group, that I do wish I had “got the shot” as well. But 

what I really enjoy about working as a tutor is having 

the opportunity to visit these amazing locations with 

people from all around the world, and discovering 

everyone’s unique visions, something which comprises 

a very important part of the workshop environment. 

There are times when the whole group sets up their 

tripods in a line to capture the same vista but there 

are also times, at other locations or with a more 

considered approach to what they are capturing, 

when everyone ends up with their own unique image. 

I particularly enjoy taking people to lesser-known 

locations for this reason. While everyone has a hit-list of 

images they hope to capture on the trip, the unknown 

locations are often the real gems. Arriving with no 



75

preconceptions allows visitors to explore, experiment, 

and express their own vision. 

Despite some of the limitations, I still enjoy visiting 

iconic landscape photo locations (provided they 

are not too crowded) and believe they serve as an 

important learning step for photographers starting 

to engage with the landscape. It can be useful for 

photographers to pitch their own ability to capture a 

scene against that of others to learn the craft, and I 

get excited in helping people capture such images. 

Teachers of photography often focus heavily on 

technique, but what I enjoy most is teaching people 

to see: to break down the scene in front of them, 

decide the story, determine the key elements of 

their photograph, and figure out how to express their 

vision. Time and time again, even when I’m sure I’ve 

visited a location far too many times to see a fresh 

interpretation, someone always finds a way to create 

something totally new. Maybe they have seen some 

small detail that others overlook, or maybe they just 

approach the view in front of them in an unusual way. 

THE IMPACT TO THE LANDSCAPE 

As a NZ based landscape photographer, I have seen 

the impact photography has had on well-known 

locations. In today’s world of social media, it is hard 

to keep a beautiful location secret for long: as soon 

as it is picked up by well-known “influencers”, the 

crowds start to arrive. In this rush to get the next best 

shot, are we considering our actions to the landscape 

we are shooting and sharing? Photography is a 

powerful marketing tool that can be used to present 

products in a way that is irresistible to the consumer, 

and over recent years, some of our natural resources 

- our landscape have been treated like a product, 

something that can be packaged up and sold. The 

likes of tourism boards have quickly jumped behind 

this: realising the marketing power of photography to 

attract more visitors to a destination, using Instagram 


posts by wide-reaching influencers to attract as many 

visitors as possible to honeypot locations. 

Looking at this post-COVID, people are starting to 

question the benefits of bringing in more visitors. What 

impact are all these people having on the locations 

they visit? How does the experience match the dream 

view that has been sold to the viewer - captured in 

the best light, by a skilled photographer, excluding 

the large crowd of other people that were also there. 

Does the actual experience match up to this image? 

Most likely not; the visitor might even leave feeling 

a little disappointed. As landscape photographers, 

we must consider the part we play in this. Although 

we may wish to share the beauty we find and gain 

exposure, we also need to consider how our actions 

impact the locations we’re shooting. 

As someone whose company involves guiding 

photographers to locations as part of my job, I feel 

responsible for assessing and managing the impact 

of the visit. This is something we have worked hard 

on at New Zealand Photography Workshops: we 

have worked hard to obtain DOC (National Park) 

concession permits for the locations we use, so that 

visitor numbers can be managed, along with any 

negative impact to sensitive landscapes. Our aim is 

not just to reduce our impact on the location, but 

to positively affect it. As part of this sustainability 

philosophy, we sponsor and donate to various 

programs throughout the country, including bird 

conservation and habitat protection for marine 

species, with the aim to leave a positive local impact 

wherever our tours visit. We also offset all the carbon 

from our tours by planting native trees in national 

parks and conservation areas (which will also 

positively impact our future photography, since there 

will be more trees and native wildlife to photograph). 

Of course, there is more work to be done than we 

can do alone: we need to see significant cultural 

changes, both here in New Zealand and on a global 

level, to the way we treat the places we photograph. 

This is why New Zealand Photography Workshops 

decided to join Nature First as a silver partner, not 

only adopting their principles, but helping to educate 

others on the importance of these values when we 

engage with groups on our workshops. While all of 

the principles are equally important, I wish to focus 

on the need to #UseDiscretionIfSharingLocations. This 

can reduce the impact of too many people visiting 

a particular location. Perhaps it can also positively 

impact our photography, helping us approach 

location choice from a more personal perspective, 

rather than chasing the latest honey pot. 

A couple of months ago, I was chatting to the exmanager 

of a local tourism board while we were 

both camping out at a remote and photogenic hut. 

We were speaking about the damage that could be 

done if this became an “Instagram location” - it was a 

remote area that could not handle large numbers of 

visitors. He shared how he had seen the impact of this 

in his past actions, actively using Instagram influencers 

to promote the area as a top tourism destination 

in New Zealand. The board had supported famous 

influencers to post from a local mountain peak with 

stunning vistas and a well-known tree sitting in a lake. 

The plan worked a treat, and these locations became 

globally recognisable but it led to an uncontrolled 

number of people visiting, which in turn led to parking 

problems, toilet problems, and track erosion, which 

has become a considerable problem to manage. 

I’m sure the hut where we were camping had been 

photographed before, it might have even been 

shared on social media channels, but we decided 

we would keep it a secret. If we felt the need to post 

at all, we would be cryptic in its naming, referring 

only to the region of the country and excluding the 

sign on the door that would enable it to be found. As 

landscape photographers, when we post images with 

the location attached, it is important to consider not 

only the other photographers this will attract, which 

has a multiplying effect, but also general members 

of the public. After all, most of these are now 

“photographers’” too, armed with their cellphones. 

A few weeks after my visit to hut, while running a tour 

to a nearby area, I saw first-hand how quickly visitors 

can impact a location. In moody light, we drove out 

to a collection of historic miners’ huts nestled into an 

impressive wild mountain landscape. Just the day 

before, I had talked to the group, asking them to 

#UseDiscretionIfSharingLocations for the places we 

would visit during the workshop. It was important not 

to damage these places for others, and we were, 

after all, guests to the landscape; we intended to 

leave it how it was found. But when we arrived at 

the huts that day, another “special interest group” 

had taken them over - a group of 4WD enthusiasts. 

While I am sure many partake in this activity with 

consideration for the impact of their actions (we were 

responsibly driving a 4WD to get out here ourselves), 

this group was not. As a photography destination 

that day, and likely for some time until it recovers, 

the location was very unphotogenic. The visitors 

had managed to drive their 4WD and dirt bikes right 

between all the huts, turning the land around them 

into a churned-up muddy bog. I’m sure they were 

having a great time and that when they share the 

location with friends, many more will be back, but at 

what cost? 

When incidents like this happen, local authorities 

need to change the access to the location, which 



77

impacts future photography. A classic example is a 

very iconic church known for being captured under 

the Milky Way here in New Zealand. Due to the sheer 

impact of the number of people walking around it, 

mainly to take photos, it has now been fenced off 

for protection, affecting how well it can be both 

experienced and photographed. I have witnessed 

other actions just as damaging to a location by 

photographers: sometimes these are the selfish 

actions of one thoughtless individual, but more often 

the actions of people who are quite unaware of their 

impact of visiting or sharing a location. They might feel 

their footprint is light, but the same footprint multiplied 

by the 100 other photographers who visited that day 

is not. 

WHO ARE WE REALLY PHOTOGRAPHING 

FOR? 

There is a stunning vista across a certain New 

Zealand lake that has become a “must capture” 

location for any landscape photographer. The 

other day, I found myself searching for images of 

it on Google, and was surprised to find that two of 

the first shots that came up were my own. One is 

an image I held dear for many years; if you asked 

me a few years ago, I might well have told you that 

this was a unique and personal expression of this 

vista. But when I look at this image now, although 

it does still bring me happiness, I see there is little to 

set it apart from the many captured there in great 

light by other skilled photographers. We are often 

afraid to return from well-known locations without 

the perfect shot of an iconic view. However, a true 

artist will be more afraid to return without an image 

expressing their personal vision, and the urge to 

capture popular scenes can be little more than a 

distraction. This raises the question: should we be 

photographing famous locations at all if we wish to 

develop a unique body of work? 


The popularity of landscape photography and 

the sharing of images on social media affect 

both where we shoot and how we capture such 

images. We may be envisioning the image we 

want before we even arrive. For a clear example of 

this, you only have to think about “That Tree”. The 

widespread nature of such images has opened up 

a genuine challenge for landscape photographers. 

If we choose to visit such iconic locations, how 

can we capture a unique interpretation of these 

landscapes? Simply showing up and capturing 

a technically perfect image to represent it is not 

enough and besides, it has already been done by 

so many before us. When we make a photograph, 

we want it to be about our experience, not just 

about the place. A personal image that expresses 

our vision might well receive little attention on social 

media; it may not deliver the instant ‘wow’ factor of 

the sweeping vista everyone else is posting. Craving 

that magnificent scene and the recognition that 

comes with its capture, some photographers have 

allowed this to become the primary driver behind 

their work. 

Over the past couple of years, I have largely 

stopped sharing my work via online platforms or 

social media. This is partly due to a personal choice 

to be more engaged with life experiences and 

people rather than engaging with my phone or 

computer (which I already spend far too much 

time on). This choice has given me more freedom 

with the work I produce - making an image I want 

rather than what I feel will get likes or sell as a 

print. This approach has had a positive effect on 

how I evaluate my own work for originality and 

quality. I feel a lot happier with the photographs 

I am making, and feel much less pressure to “get 

the shot”, which allows me to enjoy my time in the 

landscape. Simply posting images to impress others 

and get the most ‘likes’ is like trying to make yourself 

happy by buying material items. It may feel good 

for a time, but it will not lead to lasting happiness; it 

is more likely to lead to social pressure and anxiety. 

Of course, completely avoiding social media 

may not be feasible for those who rely on their 

photography for an income, as there is a strong 

connection between self-promotion and sales. 

Often I hear people say they wish to become 

a professional photographer or start to sell their 

work, and while this is an admirable goal, it is worth 

considering what the cost will be to your work and 

the enjoyment you experience from creating it. 

Choices may start to be driven by business or likes. 

At some point, you will have to decide which is 

more important to you: the business or the personal 

expression? 

Today, much of my work is centred on a more 

expressive approach to landscape photography - 

making photographs about the landscape rather 

than capturing images of the landscape. There 

is a real difference between the two. This can 

be very hard to achieve in well-known locations, 

our approach influenced by all the other images 

we have seen, and this reality has somewhat 

reduced my desire to visit such places. But they 

are iconic for a reason, and if we can disconnect 

from what has been captured there before, it is 

still very possible to produce something original. 

I once made photographs solely to celebrate 

the beauty of a landscape as a grand vista, but 

I take a very different approach now and enjoy 

representing well-known landscapes in a way that 

makes the location unlikely to be recognised. For 

it is not the location that the image is about, but 

my expressive engagement with it. Over the last 

year, I have captured many well-known locations 

(some represented in the photographs in this 

article) in such a way that makes it very hard, if not 

impossible, for a viewer to guess where they were 

taken. This was not my original goal in the capture, 

but rather the result from engaging more closely 

with them. 

So next time you plan a photography trip, arrive 

at an iconic location, or prepare to post an image 

online, ask yourself ‘who are you photographing 

for?’ If it’s for yourself, then be true to this and let it 

guide your work. Consider how you can approach 

landscape photography more thoughtfully and 

expressively, less reliant on the views of others, and 

you might find it leads to more original work and 

a greater enjoyment of the time you spend in the 

landscape creating it. 

RICHARD YOUNG IS ONE OF THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS AT THE NZ NATURE SUMMIT TAKING PLACE 

THIS SEPTEMBER. HIS SUMMIT SESSION WILL FOCUS ON A MORE EXPRESSIVE APPROACH TO 

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY, AND WITH HIS EXPERT TEACHING BACKGROUND, IT PROMISES TO 

BE A UNIQUE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. IF YOU HAVEN’T GOT YOUR TICKET YET, HEAD OVER TO 

NZPHOTOGRAPHER.NZ/SUMMIT 



79

PATTERNS 

READERS' 

SUBMISSIONS 

Photograph patterns! Show 

us how many you can find 

and photograph - all styles 

and genres welcome! Submit 

by 15 August for a chance to 

be featured in the next issue 

of NZPhotographer. 

Submit at www.nzphotographer.nz 


PORTFOLIO 

BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH 

'FLORA' 

GOTHIC BLOSSOMING 

This is a composite of several photos taken of a tree in the Dunedin Botanical Garden last spring. At 

the time, my Affinity zoom group was exploring the Pep Ventosa technique of layering images of 

varying opacities to create impressionistic effects. For me, this resulting image appealed for its dark 

ground base colours rising into light airiness. 

Suzanne Renner 



81

WHITE SCIENCE 

Circles and lines, patterns, drops of water defying gravity, a rainy day straggly flower but 

so interesting if you look and think about how it came to be. I was practicing with a new 

lens on a rainy day, in the Botanical Gardens. Funny how photographs remind you of the 

weather. 

Ann Kilpatrick 


TRAPAEOLUM (NASTURTIUM) 

What's not to like about this easily grown and brightly flowering plant?! Reputed as being 

the perfect 'decoy' plant that attracts beneficial insects and also keeps pests away from 

food plants, the leaves and flowers are edible and the seeds are often made into 'capers'. 

Gail Orgias 



83

BIG REACH ON THE BEACH 

Reaching to get as close to the sun as a bit of Pohutkawa can, to become the big and 

bold and red highlighting our beaches. Taken in South Auckland at the end of March. 

Karen Bowmer 


PLANET GREENS 

Branches parallel to the ground and spreading, spreading, spreading, doing what trees 

do - protecting. Cool shade and rustling leaves not captured here, we all know it. Taken in 

South Auckland near the Waikato River at the end of February. 

Karen Bowmer 



85

THE WEIRD AND THE WONDERFUL 

I was attracted to this flower as I had never seen anything quite like it before... It appealed 

to my sense of quirky. Taken on a recent visit to North Stradbroke Island. 

Lyn Alves 


A GOOD YEAR FOR THE ROSES 

Mid winter and the roses are past their best but even the rose hips make an interesting 

subject before pruning. 

Raewyn Smith 



87

MAGNOLIA PATTERN 

The magnolias bloom early in spring. This was an opportunity to find out what my camera 

can do, testing out multiple exposures in camera. 

Ann Kilpatrick 


COLOUR OF SUMMER 

It's the middle of winter, but seeing this hibiscus flower bought back memories of summer 

and long lazy drawn out days. 

Lyn Alves 



89

AZALEA 

An azalea in our garden. 

Steve Webster 


SIMPLICITY 

An abstract photo of one of my wife's lily flowers. I liked the subtle colours, 

yet strong lines of the image. 

Steve Webster 



91

HELLEBORES 

An anticipated sight during the cold winter months is the appearance 

of hellebore flowers; although, trying to photograph their beauty in my 

garden is difficult because of their hanging heads. I chose a mono and 

HDR treatment for this image to accentuate the shadows and highlights 

produced by the flowers and their placement. 

Suzanne Renner 


COSMOS 

I love the shape of the Cosmos flower and the shades of white that the 

macro lens captures. This image is 10 images stacked. 

Wendy Pemberton 



93

"IF YOU WANT TO BE A 

PHOTOGRAPHER, FIRST 

LEAVE HOME." 

- STEVE MCCURRY 

Photo by Pamela Johnstone

NZPhotographer Issue 46, August 2021

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