I’ve been actively involved in photography now for over 4 decades. I grew up in New Zealand and I still have wonderful memories of being surrounded by nature and beauty and friends and crazy family members and the smells and sounds of wonder. I think those early years gave me a hunger for recording and putting down in print, the images that were locked in my brain. Like most of us, I have had other careers, a building trade in my early days, and then a university degree with a major in Design and Technology, followed by years of teaching in public high schools within Australia.
I have also travelled Asia for years honing my skills as a photographer and photographing people from other communities, religions and faiths. It has helped me to realise that this world really is a global village – at heart we have the same needs for a sense of community, belonging, faith and hope and most of all - wonder. These are the intangibles that I seek to ‘capture’ as I photograph people navigating their way through life. Unlike most photographers, I have little interest in landscapes, skylines, architecture or even wildlife. I am so fascinated with human nature and our intrinsic ability for survival – even in the most horrendous conditions - that every image I endeavour to take will hopefully form a small part in the giant mosaic of the human story.
I believe this is visible in my images, and I hope as you scroll through my various catalogues, you will not only see a ‘pretty’ picture, but will be thrilled and amazed at the wonderful resilience and beauty of mankind. You can therefore have faith, that if you trust me with your special day – be it a wedding, or an event, an advertising shoot, an engagement or a portrait sitting, that your potential images will be in good hands.
What’s in my bag?
I’m reticent to go down this rabbit hole, because I may never surface for air or be seen again! I am as guilty as the next person - I have spent a veritable fortune over the years swapping between this system and that, this new bit of gear and that one. I won’t bore you with all the dozens of cameras and lenses and gear that I have owned. I’m a slow learner, but I’ve finally come to realise that good images have little to do with what gear we shoot. Hand Steve McCurry a plastic throwaway camera, and I’m sure he’d come back with a masterpiece. I’ve finally settled on one system that suits me well. No camera or lens is perfect and it’s taken me a long time to stop searching for that Holy Grail.
I learned the hard and expensive way, but the best tool for the kind of imagery that I create, is to have a full-frame camera system. I shot Fuji cameras for over a decade, but decided that their APSC sensors, are not so suited to professional photography. I now shoot with two bodies – both Nikon Z6ii’s – and five of their lenses. These are the Z24mm 1.8s, Z35mm 1.8s, Z50mm 1.8s, Z24-70 2.8s and their new Z40mm F2 lens. Most of my shoots are covered by the 24-70 zoom and the amazing 35mm lens. The 35 is what I use for the majority of weddings, and for events, I use the 24-70 zoom. For travel, when I want to go a bit lighter, the 40mm plastic lens is a fantastic companion. It is light, sharp and has incredible rendering. Unlike most photographers, I shoot all of my images outdoors with the Godox V1 flash for daylight balanced fill-flash.
Philip
