NZPhotographer Issue 14, December 2018

ISSUE 14, December 2018

INTERVIEW WITH ANGELA JURY HOW TO CAPTURE: MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY WITH RICHARD YOUNG

FESTIVE SQUIRRELS

BY GEERT WEGGEN

PORTS OF QUAIL

BY BRENDON GILCHRIST

December 2018

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WELCOME TO ISSUE 14 OF NZ PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE

HELLO EVERYONE, This issue is a mixed bag of goodness with animals, babies, and nature all gracing the following pages – A little something for everyone!

With Christmas right around the corner we wanted to inject some festivity into December's issue and Geert Weggen's squirrels certainly do that – Cuteness overload for the animal lovers amongst us!

Continuing with the cuteness, we've interviewed the award-winning baby portrait photographer, Angela Jury. Find out how she's grown her business and what actually goes in to getting those ohso-cute shots of baby.

Kids and animals aren't everyone's cup of tea so if you just want to get outdoors and photograph nature, let Richard give you some tips on taking macro shots and allow Brendon to take you on an overnight tour of Quail Island as he captures the boat graveyard.

When we sent the email out asking if you wanted to get your photos in the last issue of 2018 you really responded, we were overwhelmed with readers' submissions this month! We tried to include 1 photo from everyone, including our international readers, flick to the back of the mag to see if your photo was included... If we couldn't fit you in, don't be upset, submit again in 2019.

Emily Goodwin

Editor NZ Photographer General Info: NZPhotographer Issue 14 December 2018 Cover Photo

by Angela Jury www.angelajury.com

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NZPhotographer

Publisher: Excio Group

Editor: Emily Goodwin

Website: www.excio.io/nzphotographer

Graphic Design: Maksim Topyrkin

Group Director: Ana Lyubich ana@excio.io

Advertising Enquiries: Phone 04 889 29 25 or Email hello@excio.io

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS

Brendon Gilchrist

Richard Young

Brendon is the man behind ESB Photography. He treks from sea to mountain, and back again, capturing the uniqueness of New Zealand’s unforgiving landscape.

Richard is an award-winning landscape and wildlife photographer who teaches photography workshops and runs photography tours. He is the founder of New Zealand Photography Workshops.

nzphotographer

nzp_magazine

nzp@excio.io

Š 2018 NZPhotographer Magazine 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.

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CONTENTS

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6 INTERVIEW WITH ANGELA JURY

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BEHIND THE SHOT WITH TE RAWHITIROA BOSCH GEERT WEGGEN’S FESTIVE SQUIRRELS HOW TO CAPTURE: MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY with Richard Young INTERVIEW WITH ANGELA JURY PORTS OF QUAIL

by Brendon Gilchrist

BEHIND THE SHOT WITH TE RAWHITIROA BOSCH

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BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH

HOW TO CAPTURE: MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

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PORTS OF QUAIL

by Brendon Gilchrist

A new era of Nikon imaging has arrived. A system born from our unending quest for perfection. A system that opens a new dimension of possibilities. A system inspired by our past but designed for tomorrow.

A system only Nikon could create.

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December 2018

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F3.5, 1/100s, ISO640

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Behind The Shot With Te Rawhitiroa Bosch TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY… As a self-taught photographer growing up in beautiful Whaingaroa, Aotearoa NZ, my love of photography stems from a passion for capturing moments of connection.

Pūrākau – storytelling is for me one of the most powerful connecting forces in the world. Through the lens, I like to harness this force, this power of storytelling to capture not only the subject but also the deeper story, the magic, the heart, the emotion behind every moment caught.

I’m passionate about Te Ao Māori and about reclaiming our narratives and telling our own stories so that the beauty, passion, talent, generosity, and strength of our people is highlighted instead of the negative and racial stereotypes that are so often sensationalised and reinforced in the media. This portrait is a perfect example of the beauty of our people and of the world we want to carry on into the future for our descendants.

WHO IS THE LADY IN THE PHOTOGRAPH? This is my auntie: Kōkā Neria Mataira – Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu.

She is the epitome of beauty – inside and out – and has dedicated her life to embodying her love for our people, for our language and our culture through awakening the gift of Te Reo Māori – the Māori language within the hearts of many through Te Ātaarangi, one of the foundational language revitalisation initiatives that was established to bring the Māori language back from the brink of extinction.

She proudly wears her moko kauae (traditional Māori chin tattoo), another cultural treasure in renaissance.

It speaks to her grounding in Te Ao Māori – in our Māori worldview, to her whakapapa – her genealogy, and to the way she raises her children and grandchildren in her loving, gentle and dignified way.

I captured her in the heart of Te Ihorangi, the meeting house of Aratiatia Marae at Fairfield College in Hamilton which was carved by Master Carver Kereti Rautangata.

WHY IS THIS PORTRAIT SO SPECIAL TO YOU – ASIDE FROM IT BEING YOUR AUNTIE. This portrait holds a special place in my heart because it not only encapsulates Kōkā, but also the legacy left by my Nan. Kōkā Neria teaches Māori language through Te Ātaarangi, a methodology developed by her mother (my Nan) Dame Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira and Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi in the 70’s. This initiative has been

a part of my life since I was born. My Nan, my mother, and my aunties were all teachers of Te Ātaarangi and I’ve seen first-hand the life changing impact it’s had for thousands of people over the years. This was reflected in the many comments and messages posted by past students in response to this photograph on my social feeds, acknowledging and thanking Kōkā for the identity affirming contribution she had made in their lives.

WAS THIS A PLANNED PORTRAIT SHOT? This was literally a spur of the moment shot. We were filming video resources for Poutiria Te Aroha – a parenting with non-violence programme informed by Māori concepts and designed for whanau Māori. The Te Ātaarangi rākau methodology (the colourful rākau/ Cuisenaire rods in the foreground) is used to teach core concepts of the programme.

We were about to take a break when I saw the opportunity to capture her in her element. I lay low on the ground to get the rākau in the foreground, framed her in the centre of the designs on the back wall of the wharenui meeting house and asked her to look at me briefly, then I took the shot. It all happened naturally and in a matter of seconds.

It was a real and special moment, not a posed portrait and I feel that the realness is what people feel when they see the image.

WHAT CAMERA EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE? I like a light kit so usually roll with one camera (Canon 5D MkIV) and 2 lenses (Canon EF 24–70mm f/.28 & Canon EF 70–200mm f/2.8 L II USM), but I’ve recently picked up the Sigma Art Series 50mm f/1.4 lens which is a dream for portraits!

I don’t really use flash or tripods, and I like to be free of bags, straps, and slings. At a shoot I’ll have my camera on a Spider holster on my right – my lenses on the TriLens holster on my left – a spare battery and CF card in my pocket, keeping me free and ready to get the job done.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? www.facebook.com/RawhitiroaPhotography www.instagram.com/rawhitiroa www.rawhitiroa.com

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Geert Weggen’s Festive Squirrels

eert Weggen is a Dutch/Swedish awardwinning photographer who specialises in photographing red squirrels with props, you may have seen his work around the web.

He creates scenes so that it looks like the squirrels are riding horses, playing pool, skating, skiing and many other things which put a smile on peoples faces.

The red squirrels have built up a special relationship with Geert over the years and visit on a daily basis looking for food. They climb on him, the props, and have become used to the noises of the camera and the camera flash. Some of the props Geert makes himself, others come from flea markets and online – He’s searching daily for new ideas and new props!

Geert’s journey with photography started with black and white photography in 1986 when he did some photo workshops and had a dark room. He became the photographer of a youth magazine but then put away his camera and stopped with photography until the digital age.

In 2013 Geert became a full time photographer.

His work is published internationally in newspapers, books, television programs, and magazines. He has been featured in National Geographic magazine 3 times and had a 10 page article in Nphoto magazine about his squirrel photo workshops which began last year and allow a maximum of 3 people to join his 5 day workshops to see the squirrels and capture them on camera. Geert has also published 8 books in 4 languages and has a line of postcards, puzzles, and calendars featuring his furry and feathered friends.

His animal photography started about 5-6 years ago when Geert finished building his house in a Swedish village called: Bispgården. Located next to the forest, he built a large balcony pointing to the south with a half open roof to allow the snow and rain to come in and also the animals.

The moment there was a fox standing before his door was really the catalyst for what was to come.

The fox visited daily to get food and during that time Geert took photos of it. At the end of 2 weeks, the fox started to go onto the balcony and began interacting with props. Not long after that, a Russian bird began visiting Geert for some weeks and then the red squirrels and more birds – The balcony was now a studio with props and natural material like mushrooms, along with cameras, mirrors etc.

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www.facebook.com/geertweggen www.instagram.com/geertweggen geertweggen.com

albums.excio.io/profile/Geert Weggen

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HOW TO CAPTURE: MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY Macro Photography Tips with Richard Young

Fern Koru, Tongariro National Park

F4, 1/4s, ISO400

CONTROL THE DEPTH OF FIELD:

ADD A BACKGROUND:

You want the person looking at the photograph to be easily able to see what your subject is, not be distracted by other things in the photograph. Use a large aperture (eg f2.8 or f4) to give you a shallow depth of field, keeping your subject in focus and the background out of focus.

Find a background that complements or is a contrast to the subject you are shooting. Position yourself so that you can line up that pleasing background behind the subject.

GET CLOSE:

FILL THE FRAME:

Get close to your subject but also at the same height - If you are photographing something on the ground that is where you need to be; on the ground with it!

Photographing your subject from up high will often result in a flat image.

For good close up photographs you will want a lens of 50-200mm so that your subject fills the frame. Most longer lenses can be used for close up work but for true macro photography you will need a macro lens with a close focusing ability or macro extension tubes/filters.

IMPROVE YOUR MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY ON A PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP WITH NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

Interview with Angela Jury HI ANGELA, TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR JOURNEY INTO PHOTOGRAPHY. Hey! I am located on Auckland’s beautiful North Shore, and I am a full time baby portrait photographer.

I live with my husband and two gorgeous children Jasper and Sienna and our lovely boxer Enzo. Jasper is 5 and has just started his school adventure, he is an old soul, fierce and loving in equal measures, he flows through life like he has done it all before and he is so clever and not afraid to test the boundaries! Sienna is 7 and shows a level of compassion and understanding that seems beyond her, she is a collector of treasures and a lover of animals, she was born on my birthday and as a Taurus, it is fair to say we lock horns occasionally!

Becoming a mother has been my greatest achievement, I know people often say this, but in having them I really found myself. The selfless devotion of motherhood taught me how to dig deep, gain perspective over what is really important and set an example in my own life that I hope my children will one day be proud of. Life with kiddies as any parent would attest is full and interesting and experiencing it firsthand really provoked my journey into capturing these precious milestones for other families.

My family directly inspired my journey into photography. My husband was a wedding photographer with quite an impressive portfolio and I reluctantly joined him on many weddings as a second shooter and always found myself with a macro lens capturing the rings and little details of the day.

I would say my real journey into photography began once my babies were born though. I wanted to capture each heart melting moment, the expressions and details that made them uniquely beautiful, so that in the moment of looking at that capture I could be transported back to this amazing time anytime I wanted just by looking at a single image.

I know in watching childhood unfold in front of me with my own babies how important each milestone is, how quickly tiny fingers become hands that will fill your palm. Each step is so treasured and it is such an honour to be able to document some of this experience for my clients. Tiny toes, folding skin, soft lashes on cheeks, curly bodies and chubby hands.. heaven!

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My business has become its own entity, in connecting with my clients and working from my heart and producing work I genuinely like it has found its own groove. I don’t purposely advertise so find the clients who I work with fit seamlessly with my style and services.

DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE OVER MATERNITY SHOOTS, NEWBORN, OR TODDLERS? I must say, though newborn photography seems to be my niche, the career path really found me. As I continued to capture these amazing babies, they continued to come! I truly feel inspired by each baby I have in my studio. Everywhere I go, if it is walking the dog in nature, in a homewares store, or at markets in other countries, I am thinking ‘can I put a baby in that?’ It really is an organic motivation, and more often than not I have the props in the studio long before I use them. It is such an industry specific skill set within these sessions, each individual session has its own before and after process to enable the finished image.

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Often enough I will follow the same family through this whole journey and I feel so incredibly blessed to both witness it, and be entrusted to do it service.

I watch my families grow and unfold, babies become siblings and a couple becomes a family, wow! Every time a previous client touches base about a new session my heart leaps like it is a family member announcing their amazing news. I do really take the privilege seriously.

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR STUDIO SETUP? I am so lucky with my studio as I operate from my own home in Birkenhead. We have a beautifully restored 1920’s villa with a lovely high stud and traditional features and mouldings. Our villa was originally a certified childcare centre in the heart of Birkenhead before it was relocated and refurbished in the 1960’s.

The space works perfectly for sessions as it has a double lounge, providing ample comfort for parents to relax with a cup of tea and a magazine or to just watch the session unfold. Session times can be lengthy as we move at babies pace so it is important to me that my clients are comfortable.

My space evolves depending on who I am shooting. I have a series of permanently fixed backdrops and a large sun room which is like a

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huge walk-in wardrobe for photography props. It is literally heaven in there! I shoot primarily with studio light for optimum control and will use my strobes on portable wheels so I can move around the space capturing a variety of set up’s for each session.

Everything is designed for comfort and to enable me to maximise each session. I want the best results for the duration of time I have with my clients… If baby is fussing; I have a plan. If the parents only want purple, I have a plan. If there is a new big sister who doesn’t want to go near the baby, I have a plan!

SO HOW DO YOU GET THE BABIES TO LOOK SO CUTE ALL OF THE TIME?!

Haha! They ARE cute all the time!! I mean how lucky am I? Really all I do is capture babies looking as gorgeous as they really are! I would have had sooo many babies if the opportunity presented, so the next best thing is to enjoy my client’s gorgeous miracles!

I have a passion for emotive images, and with newborns it really comes through in expression.

Traditionally newborns are captured asleep, as many mothers will know it can be tricky when new babies are awake to have them not fuss. However, I really love those beautiful stares, probably because they can be so tricky. Expressions like kissy

faces, smiles, frowns, yawns and stares all take the image to the next level for me.

One image can be the result of an hour of posing baby, lots of dirty laundry, a pile of fresh flowers and props strewn around the studio and hours of post-production. My goal is always to capture the essence of baby, how they really look, how they naturally want to move and be, what styling suits them best; simple or elaborate or a combination, and then I gently move in that direction. There is a real beautiful rawness following those first few days of babies arrival, birth hormones make baby naturally curly and womb-like and my job is purely to enhance the natural beauty in front of me.

TELL US ABOUT THE AWARDS YOU’VE WON. I have struggled a bit with the award system, feeling that validation for my work should really come from within and from making my clients happy. However, it is a natural progression in the industry to become a part of professional photography associations.

I am really lucky to have received numerous awards over the past couple of years, both nationally and internationally. I love being able to give my clients the gift of an award winning image.

This year (2018) I won a gold at the New Zealand photography awards in Wellington and that was such a thrill. I think the judges’ comments were my favourite part. Storytelling within an image opens up to so many different perceptions, and to have such esteemed professionals comment on their perspective of both technical skill and emotion was seriously a career highlight. As a sole trader it can be an isolating career and to see my work sit alongside so many other industry professionals who I admire was breath-taking in itself. It was also a privilege to be a finalist for photographer of the year 2018, so humbling.

HOW DO YOU JUGGLE FAMILY LIFE AND YOUR BUSINESS? Great question!! It truly is a juggle. Being the best for everyone is a mother’s greatest hardship. It really is a work in progress. I allow myself time for yoga and meditation practice most days and other than this it is fairly non-stop until well after midnight.

My ultimate goal is to achieve balance, although I can’t complain it is such a blessing that I am able to spend my days doing something I love.

The energy and personal reward I receive from this career path actually far surpasses the output of energy, it really comes full circle in such a rewarding and self-fulfilling way.

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CAN YOU SHARE SOME TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING NEWBORNS FOR OUR READERS? Oh sure! My top tip would have to be safety. If you do not know about newborn safety or the behind the scene set’s to enable posing and prop usage then please, please hire a professional. I can recommend numerous photographers nationwide who have years of experience and knowledge and it is an investment to utilise skills and safety to get the results you want. Newborns are so precious, their safety and comfort must be the greatest priority.

If I was to start my career over, some things I would like to have been told are: • Keep the room nice and warm with warm blankets and wheat bags for baby as they find it hard to regulate their body temperature.

• Have some white noise – my baby shusher is one of my best investments!

• Invest in a good bean bag posing system. I would avoid any makeshift type arrangements and when posing, never leave baby unattended, even just for a second.

• Invest in your education. There are so many workshops that can teach you safe techniques, a smooth workflow, and editing techniques.

• Charge, learn and evolve your practice so that you can charge adequately or don’t charge at all. Give yourself the space to learn with friends and relatives and through organised workshops before you sell work that is substandard.

• Keep going, when you feel like giving up, when you hate your work, when you have a baby who has colic, when you don’t feel like you will ever know enough… keep going.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? Mentoring has been on my mind a lot lately, I would love to do it and have requests from people regularly. But life

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is so busy right now, and whilst I do not resent a minute of energy I put into the business, I know my own children are also deserving of my best. I really feel at this stage I could not do mentoring justice, it is a long-term goal when I can give it my best. Until then, I hope we can all continue to inspire growth in each other.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW? I am really a firm believer in sharing knowledge and inspiring growth in others. I have people contact me often asking for advice, what techniques I used, or even simply where did I get that prop, and I always answer them. It costs nothing and I know from having to learn the hard way with limited available workshops back then, and nobody willing to answer any questions, how important it is to pool knowledge. I don’t know everything or even most things but I am happy to share what I do know.

I don’t see this as a competitive industry, we each have our own style and flow, and my greatest hope is that clients will look around and compare photographers to find the style that represents them the best.

It does us all a service to support and build each other up into our own unique selves, as sole operators and as women in business. We no longer have to be small or fit into a certain shaped box we can be our authentic selves and be successful at it.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? www.facebook.com/angelajuryphotography www.instagram.com/angelajuryphotography www.angelajury.com

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FRESH SHOOTS PHOTO COMPETITION

ENTER

The competition is split into four quarterly competitions based on each of the four seasons.

Submissions for Spring season are now OPEN To submit your image and see T&Cs please go to: www.excio.io/freshshoots

CATEGORIES

NATURE

PEOPLE

CREATIVE

EVENTS

PRIZES SENIOR - overall winner Voucher from Nikon NZ worth $400 & WPS Society membership valued at $84

JUNIORÂ - overall winner A place on a New Zealand Photography Workshop in Wellington

View category prizes here: www.excio.io/freshshoots

PARTNERS

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Ports of Quail

by Brendon Gilchrist

F16, 1/5s, ISO64

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Ahoy, me hearties, welcome aboard my latest article to Quail Island aka Otamahua.

I hope you enjoy what I am about to write and I hope you, your family or friends will consider a visit to this block of land that is closer to home than you might think.

O

tamahua or Quail Island as it’s known is Canterbury’s biggest island and is located in the harbour of Lyttelton, a short boat trip on the Black Cats Catamaran or a short Kayak journey if you’re game! The island has plenty to see and lots of history to enrich the mind. It is so named due to its birds, the local Maori using the name Otamahua meaning ‘A place to gather sea-bird eggs’ and Captain William Mein Smith naming it Quail Island due to the now extinct Quail (Koreke) that were found here.

It was busy when I arrived at the hut on the Sunday morning, and I was amazed to meet a lady who had visited Iguacu Falls last year! This is what I love about hiking and staying in the huts, it’s not just about the location, it’s about the people you can meet and connect with. Saying this, I also enjoy the solitude – By 3.30pm on the Sunday afternoon, when the last boat leaves the island, I had the hut and indeed the island to myself with a body of water separating me from the world.

As many of you will have realised by now, I love hiking as much as I love photography and I enjoy “Hut Bagging” – Discovering and then staying in different hiking huts!

The new hut on Quail Island is family-friendly and only a 15-minute walk from the jetty making this a great place to stay for those who are new to hiking and hut stays, I highly recommend visiting with the kids or grandkids to introduce them to tramping and nature.

The views are great but the history is what makes this island special as it has had so many different uses over the last 150 years. It’s well known for having been a quarantine station and from 1906–1925 housed a small leper colony of up to 9 individuals. The leper’s, all men, were confined to one little corner of the island that is now a popular swimming beach but the old foundations can still be found in this area with a replica hut in place to show what it would have been like living here as a leper.

Only one man died from the disease and his grave can be visited on the island.

The Department of Conservation transformed the hut on Quail from an old quarantine station caretaker hut into an official 12 bunk hiking hut with 2 separate rooms containing 6 bunks in each, a fireplace with plenty of firewood, tables and chairs to sit and play cards at or swap tales from the tramping tracks, and information about the hut and the island.

A different part of the island was used by famous Antartic explorers for quarantining their Siberian Huskies and ponies. People from Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s 1901– 1904 Expedition, as well as the famous Ernest Shackleton who accompanied Scott on his 1904 expedition used the island to prepare the animals for the journey to the ice.

F5.6, 1/125s, ISO64

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F16, 30s, ISO64

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I could go on for day’s in regards to the history of Quail Island as it’s so interesting but let’s turn our minds to photography.

If you love wildlife and bird photography then you might be lucky and get some great photos of the local inhabitants.

You will see Quail running around (not the native one), native wood pigeons right by the hut and you will be able to hear Tui if not see them.

I was excited for 2 things before I visited; photographing the ships graveyard and photographing the old jetty. Only the first lived up to expectations as the weather conditions weren’t right for me to do any long exposure shots of the rustic ruined jetty (of which only a few poles remain).

The ships graveyard on the western side of the island lived up to my photography expectations though and is well worthy of visiting. Apparently, there are 8 old boats located here but I could only make out 6, maybe the rest are underwater? The biggest skeleton ship is an old Dan measuring 58 meters long. Built for the Orient Line in 1865, this old boat was one of the finest and fastest ships of its time. Originally used to ship tea in the 19th century it was later turned into an immigrant ship moving people between England and Australia and holds a record voyage time of 70 days between the 2 countries.

This island would make a good location for some astrophotography. It is not the darkest of night skies, but still, the location will allow you to capture some unique photos. The hut has a clearing behind it out towards the harbour and with the old wrecks, not forgetting the buildings at swimmers beach too, you could get some great compositions.

Sunset shots can also be magical here, but the day I visited it was stormy. I got an awesome shot of a storm coming through but I had to bail on the hoped-for sunset shot as the wind picked up so much that I was thinking, I’m an hours walk from any shelter, I’m on the Island alone and I don’t think sunset is going to do anything – Sensible to leave now!

I was pleased to capture the stormy boat graveyard but already want to go back and capture some bucketlist shots, those being a beautiful sunset, the Aurora, and some Astrophotography. How many years it will take me to achieve this I do not know but one day I will return with a fresh mind to take another step back into history and to enrich my mind further on an experience only Quail will give.

3 TIPS FOR AN ENJOYABLE QUAIL ISLAND EXPERIENCE • If you are staying in the family-friendly hut, make the most of what’s on offer; the people, the charm of the building and its history but be sure to book if staying at the weekend.

• Stop to read the billboards dotted around the Island that detail the history. Learning the history can help you to create a story that will enhance your photos.

• Stop to look in the old quarantine building – It’s like a museum but don’t miss your 3.30pm boat back!

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F16, 74s, ISO64

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PORTFOLIO

BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH

SNOW WALKER F16, 250s, IS0100

PORT AU PORT PENINSULA, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR, CANADA

Snowshoeing on Pine Tree Mountain with a friend the day after a snowstorm passed through our area.

Aiden Mahoney

SPARKS UNDER BRIDGE F5.6, 8s, ISO160

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA Snow has arrived making steel wool burning safer on a little used road under a bridge. In the background, the building with the crane became the tallest building in western Canada at 60 stories tall on the day I took this photo.

Al Popil

FOG BANK F6.3, 1/1600s, ISO400

CARMEL, CALIFORNIA, USA Late afternoon fog enveloping California's Point Lobos State Reserve.

Andy Popadiuk

LAKE WAKATIPU REFLECTION F16, 1-50s, ISO400 Perfect reflection of Lake Wakatipu with beautiful clouds and colours.

Bernd Kupka

DO YOU WANT LEG OR BREAST? F8, 1/1250s

GIBBS FARM, KAIPARA HARBOUR Have never been this close to an ostrich without a fence between it and me. I couldn't get over how its leg looked like a giant chicken drumstick, hence the title. The beautiful view was an added bonus.

Carole Garside

TAIRUA SUNSET F9, 1/500s, ISO100 We spent the night freedom camping at Tairua and were rewarded with this beautiful sunset.

Diane Beguely

HOAR FROST F5.6, 1/160s, ISO100

CONROY'S DAM, ALEXANDRA The first stop on a day out looking to capture this winter's Hoar Fost was at Conroy's Dam. The temperature was -3C

Geoff Perry

WEST COAST DREAMING F11,2.5s, ISO100

HAAST, WEST COAST NZ Photographed while on tour with the NZ Photography crew.

Graham Jones

DANCER F4, 1/125s, IS0100

STUDIO SHOOT, QUEENSTOWN Dancing with the feet is one thing but dancing with the heart is another.

Rhonda Stove

PEDAL POWER Penny Farthings are a regular sight in Oamaru, a quirky little South Island town which celebrates its Victorian heritage.

Liz Cadogan

RED FUGUE F1.6, 1/45s, IS0100 Red roses that I couldn't resist buying. I love the way the Lensbaby Velvet 56 wide open gives a glow and atmospheric colour bleed.

Heather Maree Owens

SMITHY F5.6, 1/30s, ISO1600

TAUHERENIKAU RACECOURSE, FEATHERTSON ".....once Man discovered how to shape iron, a new age began."

Greg Arnold

SANDS OF TIME F14, 15s, ISO50

WHARARIKI BEACH, CAPE FAREWELL, TASMAN

This was my first visit to the wild and vast Wharariki beach and I knew it was going to be an adventurous afternoon of photography. I knew the weather and clouds were clearing up quick so I wanted to get in a long exposure and noticed these ripples in the sand and that there were no foot marks in this particular area.

I set up my tripod and camera pointing down low to the ground so the ripples were pulling the viewer into the image and really wanted to bring out the textures. Only about 10 minutes after this shot the clouds had cleared up from the fast flowing wind that the west coast is notorious for and all of a sudden blank clear skies.

I managed to do a lot of scouting but this was the only ''portfolio image" for the day. As always though, it was amazing being at such a vast piece of coastline being out exploring and having fun with the camera.

Jesse (Tilden) Hebberd

MT TARANAKI FROM THE FORGOTTEN HIGHWAY A last minute decision to drive to Taranaki along the Forgotten Highway became unforgettable!

The light hit the green hills beautifully.

Jo Mohi

MAGNOLIA F14, 1/60s, ISO200

ROLAND'S WOOD, KERIKERI

Using canon 400d this photo was taken late afternoon using the setting sun as backlight to illuminate the petals.

Judy Klaus

HIGH COUNTRY DEER F10, 1/125s, ISO200

TUI STATION, RANGITATA GORGE This photo was taken at a farm in Rangitata Valley, New Zealand

Kathleen Seaward

HOUSE ON THE MARINA AUCKLAND The cold, clear and incredibly still night proved to create the spectacular reflection of the magnificent property on the banks of Milford Marina.

Kelly Vivian

HARBOUR BRIDGE LIGHTS F16, 30s, ISO200

NORTHCOTE POINT The Auckland Harbour Bridge lights lit up for Diwali.

Kunal Kumar

ARMISTICE COMMEMORATION F20, 25s, ISO500 Some of the thousands of crosses covering the lawn in front of the Auckland War Memorial Museum during the Armistice commemoration.

Lawrence Ames

LAKE SERENITY F5.6, 1/640s, ISO200

LAKE ROTOMA, BAY OF PLENTY Finally got the image I was after! The perfectly serene water reflecting the pontoon just the way I wanted. Patience is its own reward.

Lorri Adams

PORORARI SEASTACK F8, 111s, 70mm, 6 Stop ND

PORORARI RIVER Long exposure at the mouth of the Pororari River on a rather cloudy sunset.

Lyle Pethig

PRUDENCE F5.6, 1/400s, ISO100 Pink Roses covered in water drops after a late rain shower.

Marina De wit

BLACKBIRD CHICK F5, 1/1500s, ISO640 A blackbird chick on my backyard fence and sufficiently naive to let me approach within a few meters with my telephoto zoom. No photoshop trickery with the background – I had to use +3EV compensation to open the silhouetted shape against a bright cloudy sky.

Mark Hoffman

POUTO LIGHTHOUSE F9, 1/3s, ISO200

POUTO PENINSULA Pouto Lighthouse overlooking the Tasman Sea. Built in 1884, it's one of the few signs of civilisation in the remote wilderness of sand, sea and sky.

Olga Macagon

WHANGAREI TOWN BASIN F5.6, 1/160s Late afternoon reflections at the Whangarei Town Basin, Whangarei.

Paul Erceg

SPOROPHYTE SENTINALS F2.8, 1/5s, ISO100 Macro of moss sporophytes in my backyard.

Paul Robertson

STONY PATH TO AN OLD FRIEND F10, 1/60s, ISO640

MOTUEKA The sun is taking its time, colouring its moods on the way up. We are back together, exactly ten years since 'The Return of Helios', the glorious morning which blessed us with that epiphany moment under a spectacular red dome. The excitement is as good as ever, our romance is still on.

Peter Kurdulija

NO MOON TONIGHT F11, 1/400s, IS0400

WELLINGTON I was all set up to capture a full moon rising over these houses as the sun was setting in the west but the dark clouds wouldn't clear. So no moon tonight and one of vagaries of photography. Never mind, I think the resulting photo is pretty dramatic.

Peter Maiden

MIST ON MURIWAI F14, 1/2000s, IS0160

MURIWAI BEACH Muriwai... caught over the winter where the swell of the waves meet the roll of the mist off the landscape.

Rachel Elder

WORKING FOR BREAKFAST F8, 1/200s, ISO160

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, USA Bees are my favorite macro subjects. They are difficult to catch because they rarely sit still for more than a second or two which makes a successful shot that much more rewarding.

Joshua Sommerfeldt

THE ROOSTER F6.3, 1/800s, ISO800

CORNWALL PARK A mostly unwanted guest who dropped in on us, crowing started sharply at 5am.

Steve Harper

BIRDS IN THE DARK F1.8, 1/50s, 85mm A recent fashion shoot at Patuna Chasm for The Fashion Creative.

Richard Brooker

A NEW DAY F4.5, 1/30s, IS0200 Sunrise at the Atea a Rangi Star Compass Waitangi regional park Hawkes bay.

Ruth Boere

ORETI HORIZON F32, 1/5s

ORETI BEACH, LNVERCARGILL Abstract sunset at Oreti Beach in lnvercargill using intentional camera movement technique.

Shelley Edhouse

TOKAANU WHARF SUNRISE F11, 10s, ISO250

TOKAANU WHARF, LAKE TAUPO I was lucky as the morning sky exploded over Lake Taupo. The light and colour changed so fast initially I couldn't decide on my settings.

There was a short window of opportunity where the light settled so I managed to capture the old wharf in all its glory.

Simon Wills

AFRICAN GREY FEATHER 1s, ISO200 Feather from an African Grey parrot from the "Parrot Place" in Kerikeri bay of Islands.

Ward Jameson

WATER DROPLETS Zhenya Philip

WHAT MAKES PHOTOGRAPHY A STRANGE INVENTION IS THAT ITS PRIMARY RAW MATERIALS ARE LIGHT AND TIME. JOHN BERGER

106 NZPhotographer