I would say one word that describes me best would be resilient which leads me into answering the second question.
That resilience was grown through the loss of my mother at 17 to ovarian cancer. I had always carried around a camera in my early teens but after experiencing this loss I started to feel a desire to capture more. I found that when I had a camera with me it helped me to feel more grounded and present. Not only that I began to value the way photography allowed you to recall a memory almost as though you were standing there again. Whether that be people, places or spaces. I would say this is where the heart of my passion for photography stems from particularly when capturing people.
I would describe my vibe or style as earthy, intuitive and grounded. I like to sit back in the quiet and wait for the small moment not everyone in the room is necessarily paying attention to. When it comes to outdoor scenes or photos I often just feel led by the heart and try to take photos from my own unique perspective whether through a shell, or through the looking glass of my own hand like in the photo’s provided.
I would say a photographer whose work inspires me is @shelleylawnikanis - a Byron Bay based photographer. She has such a unique way of capturing people and I aspire to be able to capture the level of heart that she does in her work one day with practice and time. Her photography also began following the loss of her husband. I started following her not long after and she often just posted photos of her children as they grew following this. Then she began to take more photo’s of other people. One look at her page and you will see exactly why she is my absolute inspiration.
I wouldn’t say I have had a mentor as such my photography journey has been largely self led but I have bumped into @omelettedc a new creative community which has definitely inspired and encouraged me to be picking up my camera more again.
My favorite all time place to relax and get the best photographs is by far at the beach. My happy place every time. Anywhere with cliffs, rugged rocky ledges, curling waves I could crouch down for hours to capture the perfect wave.
In my kit is only the very basics. A Nikon D-3300 and I also utilize an iPhone 15 pro max when out and about and caught without my lense. I have an easy transfer device for transferring straight from my SD to my phone. My go to editing app is VSCO cam however am learning to dabble with Lightroom at this time.
I would say one of the images I am most proud of recently is a photo I took of Wake Te Matau a Māui sailing past the 2024 Dawn Parade. It was such an unreal sunrise for such a beautiful morning and event. I remember scrambling down to the waters edge and crouching with my frozen fingers and face just waiting for the perfect moment. There was such a serene feeling to the morning. I knew the moment I captured it that it was an image I would be proud of for a long time to come.
Something that no one would know is that I am an absolute fish and love to swim. You’ll often find me in the pool doing lap after lap usually no less than 3 or so kilometers. Another one of my happy places. Somewhere to quiet the mind that also requires leaning into your resilience as you push through a lengthy set of laps.
