A Walk on the wild side

I don't generally do a lot of event photography, not a conscious decision really, just not what most of my clients require. But when I got a call recently from a kids charity I jumped at the chance to be involved. They had been put on to me by another client and there is nothing better than a recommendation as far as I'm concerned!

Cure Kids is an outstanding charity who raise money to find cures for life threatening illnesses that affect children. I don't think there could be a more worthwhile cause to be involved with. I was asked to cover the Peugeot Walk on the Wild Side to Cure Kids, on the stunning west coast north of Auckland. Several courses up to 17kms long were on offer, as well as a family short course, and more than 300 people involved. The courses crossed both private and public land with diverse native bush, cliff top trails and rugged beaches, with the odd guerilla thrown in for fun!

Logistically it was a challenging event to cover. I wanted to be everywhere to cover all the facets from face painting, hot hula warm ups, pre-race characters, team shots, to the start, the finish and various points on the course, with very limited access. I had 2 cameras running hot for the two hours prior to the start and captured a good range of shots showing the flavour of the event. Then it was a mad dash back to the car for a forty minute drive back out from Bethells beach to get across to the next access point at Muriwai and back on to the course. This is where things went bit pear shaped… despite my best efforts and race car driving, by the time I reached the half way point on the course nearly all the participants had already gone through! I tried running down the course to see if I could catch anyone, (no mean feat with 15kg of camera gear on a rough trail!) but to no avail. So a mad rush back to the car and another hair raising drive back to the start, followed by a sprint up the beach, wading across a river to a good position between two bays. PHEW!

Although by this point all the fastest participants had reached the finish, (an amazing 1hour 54 mins by the super fit!) the remainder of the 'normal' people came through in a steady stream and I was able to get some great shots of them and the wild scenery. I take my hat off to everyone, who with a little encouragement, responded for the camera with nothing but smiles despite their tiredness.

It was thoroughly refreshing to do this style of photography and a wonderful atmosphere to be around. Many thanks to Daniel and Ruth from Cure Kids who got me involved, Rob from Angle who recommended me and everyone who put up with me sticking a camera in their face on the day!

The images were very well received so I hope I can get involved with more of these events… now where can I get hold of a helicopter?

Dropping anchor

Being a photographer is such a great opportunity to meet new people and see new places. Dropping in on other peoples lives, even briefly, is something I never cease to enjoy. I recently got to do a shoot at Bayswater marina on the north shore of Auckland. It is a great location with some stunning views across to the city and out to the Hauraki gulf. I had visited there many years ago to do some night photography of the city skyline, but not been back since. 

The good folks at Telecom NZ wanted me to get shots of their technology in action in this marine environment. Stunning sunny day, beautiful boats and a day out amongst it all, where do I sign up! Add to that the fact that the marina manager Ed, turned out to be just about the most helpful man I have ever met. I swear he would of rustled us up a submarine if we had asked for one!

We had previously done a site visit to work out where we could best catch staff in their day to day duties to get our shots with minimum interruption to their schedule. To say it was bright would be an understatement, so liberal use of the trusty polarizer, ND filter and a good dose of fill flash to open out the shadows was required. We could of done with a liberal dose of sunblock, that's for sure, mental note to put a new tube in the gear bag! The environment was so cool that we were spoilt for shot opportunities, my personal favorite being a mega yacht that Ed took us onboard, just stunning.

There were a few scary moments on the edges of some of the pontoons I must say. Caught up in the moment catching the shot, I nearly took my gear for a swim on several occasions!  In the end I enlisted the help of someone hanging on to the back of my belt to save me. I tell you It's a very fine line between being saved and getting a wedgy!