On Thursday night we found ourselves up in the big smoke at the Karanga Plaza in the Wynyard Quarter of Auckland's viaduct. We were there for the New Zealand Geographic 2013 Photographer of the Year awards evening. We're very proud to say that our image of a wave at Blackhead Beach made runner-up in the Landscape category. Check out all the results here.
The best bit about this venture north was getting to meet the New Zealand Geographic team and some of the photographers who have inspired my own journey with photography. At one point I found myself chatting with Kim Westerskov (five-time BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year) and Darryl Torckler (also a multi-award winning dive photographer). These gentlemen are among the finest in the world and throw in the newly-crowned Richard Robinson (who won the overall title with his stunning shot of a leopard anenome – at 38m no less) and we had a pretty fascinating conversation taking place.
Yesterday I managed to catch-up with Kim in Dunedin – he was in town for the Brighton Surf Club's 75th Anniversary – he's a Dunedin boy through and through. He's also a mad keen surfer – in fact one of the pioneers in New Zealand – he surfed Raglan in the '60s and has more stories than you can fit into one long weekend when it comes to his beloved Brighton Surf Club. He's been face-to-face with more creatures than you could ever imagine: "I never feel fear with them," he told me. Even having a sea lion firmly latched onto his skull didn't unnerve him. "I was very relaxed – the line where the sea lion's fun and my pain threshold crossed, never happened," he smiles. The bull sea lion left puncture holes in the hood of his suit, but Kim was fine.
Kim now shares his learning through a series of workshops – learn more about this fascinating Otago character and his work here.
There's a complex twist of lows wrestling through the southern ocean right now, but the fruit could be a few days away. Until then we have small swells, but periods of good wind as the weather sweeps through. Strong northwest winds in the hills this week with more snow due at the end of the week.
See you out there ...
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