I shoot on film because digital can't do what I want for the Beach Books. I've always loved the 1 to 3 ratio of the image panoramic cameras give. I use two new Panoramic film cameras. The PTB 617 in the shots of me setting up was bought brand new in 2010. It is old technology of course, but it gives me to ability to use a lot of different lenses. Most of my award winning images have been made on film.
You have won a couple of photographic awards. Were they pretty well planned or did they come out of being at the right place and the right time?
Yep, 10 international ones for panoramas over the last 3 years. When I was working for the magazine I couldn't see the sense in entering comps. But I get it now, on a personal level it matches you against your peers. It's a healthy challenge that makes you strive to do better.
I reckon it's about planning to be at the right place at the right time. You make your own luck by getting out there. I never use the phrase “you got lucky”, it robs the person's credit for their graft.
You're on to your 6th and 7th books now I think. How did becoming a publisher come about? What are the next two titles about and when do they come out?
It's the evolution of working in print for the last 25 years. Sure, I was the Senior Photographer for NZ Surfing Mag for 15 years. That was the glamorous part of the job and only 50% of my actual job. The other half was being Editor and Editorial Director. I was responsible the direction, content, look, deadlines, scheduling and production. As much as I like sand between my toes, there's something pretty special about the smell of fresh ink on the print shop floor.
I'm just applying the skills learnt during my 15-year apprenticeship.
The next book in production now is beach book. I did the books Beached As Vol 1 and Beached As Then and Nowto get way from being just a surf photographer. They sold out so that's nice. But they also challenged me to be a better photographer. So the next beach book is better photography.
There was a realisation that big books are hard to post and travel with. This next one is a small landscape size 15cm x 21cm so it's user friendly. Easy to post, easy to carry a couple with you overseas to gift. It is still over 200 pages and hard cover... it's a nugget.
Our working title is The Big Little Beach Book- Loved New Zealand Beaches. There are over 50 Kiwi Beaches featured, from Cape Reinga to past Bluff. There are iconic ones in there as well as hidden treasures. It'll be out for Fathers’ Day.
The next project is a biggie and back more to surfing. After doing the two beach books, my co-collaborator Brent Courtney and I did the South Seas book, which was back to surf culture. That has sold through 2 print runs over the last 3 years, but we can't keep pumping out the same book.
We're working on the follow up/ evolution but it is a bigger task than we first thought. We're working on it, but prioritising getting the Big Little Beach Book out on time.
You worked on NZ Surfing magazine in the era before Instagram/Youtube/Vimeo etc. In a world where content is consumed in seconds now do you think the current magazines are doing a good job of staying relevant?
No, they are failing. It's sad to see a lot of them on their death rattle trying to punch out the same formula that we created in the 90's. Dude...move on or get steamrolled! There is room for magazines in our insty world, but they have to move with the times and fill the void that instantaneous fixes miss. Well-written, well-researched, interesting stories about people doing good things. The magazines that have moved to this will survive, but the days of being king of media are gone.