My connection with the landscape started at an early age. When I was a young boy, my brothers and I would spend every minute we had exploring the landscape around our home. Every day, we created new ways to relive our adventures; whether it was exploring somewhere new or building makeshift bush huts, our adventures were creative. My creativity is a passion that is true to my spirit, and it has influenced me from an early age, through my education and into my adult life. My passion for exploration is an ember forever burning in my heart, and I always look forward to starting a new adventure.
My creative pathway turned to photography in 2012 when I picked up my first camera whilst I was at university. As a confident self-learner, I quickly found ways to improve my photography. My camera has been my companion on every adventure since 2012. Photography has taken me on a creative journey. It has been a journey that has taken me on many adventures to wonderful places. Over the last ten years, has enabled me to craft my mind's eye into something unique to me. I feel very fortunate that I have my camera to share how I see the landscape with you.
In 2013, my family became New Zealand residents, and in 2020 we became proud citizens. New Zealand is a beautifully diverse country, and I love exploring it with my camera. It is a photographer's dream. This presents it’s own challenges though because there are many photographers in New Zealand. When I explore the landscape, my personal perceptions will abstract the landscape, and I use my camera to create a piece of art capturing recognisable landscapes in a surreal way.
In 2020, I had a life-changing back injury. Two surgeries later, I have had to walk away from my previous career as a construction project specialist. Despite the impact of this injury on my life and family, I see it as an opportunity to turn my landscape photography into my new career. You see, the thing is, the outdoors and walking is the best thing for my injury. So, in 2022 I decided to kickstart my new career by joining a group of inspiring people called Creative Waikato on its Elevate programme. The Elevate programme gives artists like me the tools we need to build a sustainable creative career.
