I applied at the last minute, literally. And was humbled beyond words when I found out my expression of interest had been shortlisted. I was humbled further when I met the other candidates this Saturday and participated in a group gathering, which was also the first stage of our interview process. After 3 hours in the company of these incredible creative entrepreneurs and a few members of the ART Venture facilitation team, my hunger to get a place in the programme had grown to being ravenous. Preparing for the selection panel has involved days of challenging self-reflection and evaluation of my business model. My solo interview was today: I left the room feeling so proud that I had reached this stage and had the chance to talk about my artistic and creative visions with the panel. And now I’m writing a public post about something I don’t know if I’ll get. Why? Because it has awakened a passion that freelancing was beginning to dull. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Freelancing is tough. Freelancing in the photography industry which is over-saturated, fiercely competitive, misunderstood, largely ungoverned and rife with bad practice… even harder. Lately I’ve been so grateful for organisational structures like The Big Idea and the AIPA because they give me such a wealth of information and support. I want people to know about Arts Regional Trust and the work that they do for my sector. I want to direct people to The Big Idea and Survive and Thrive as amazing resources.

What next… I’ll celebrate if I get a place on ART Venture, and I’ll celebrate if I don’t. Here’s to hoping, and to taking as much positive learning as I can if this is as far as I’ve gone in the process for 2013. There’s always next year.

Being on K’Road is particularly important to me as I am the newest committee member of the K Road Business Association and have taken the role of Secretary. I love K’Road and the vibrant arts scene here, so I can’t wait to do more in the community as a committee member.

I wish I wasn’t so busy so that I could nest in my studio but I am furiously preparing for two exhibitions in the Auckland Festival of Photography. Source opens at Whitespace on June 4th – read more about this show here. And, on the same night as part of the Festival Circuit, I’m showing work in Alien Worlds -  where I unleash my abstract aesthetic!

I am preparing to update my website soon and cannot wait to streamline the design and portfolio pages, as well as relaunching this blog. I’ve been developing content for the last 3 months and have some beautiful new work to put online.

My commercial work over the last month and a half has been as diverse and exciting as ever. It’s been great working with Mojo, gather and hunt’s Tasting Club at Cazador, Matter and Resene at Urbis Design Day, First Thursdays, All Fresco, Celia Hay and The New Zealand School of Food and Wine, Daughters of Neverland and one of my favourite artists, Tiffany Singh. I often pop updates or share albums my client’s upload on Facebook for now. But I will be centralizing my posts on my website when it is relaunched. Can’t wait for that.

Here’s a shot from the Mojo campaign: I really enjoyed spending a couple early mornings watching their skilled and passionate baristas at work in the Viaduct cafe.

One of my favorite jobs this year has been assisting Rebecca Swan on an Air New Zealand job. Rebecca is a photographic idol and I loved working alongside her. I’ve also really enjoyed getting to see the baristas and chefs in action for Mojo (watch this space for the big reveal!). Of course, photographing Tiffany Singh is always a rainbow-filled pleasure. Another artist I met at Art DEGO last year commissioned work from me to be used by Villa Maria – photographing Alex Bartleet’s work is a textural haven. I loved having a media pass to The Pride Parade, it was such a colourful and vibrant afternoon. I’ve so appreciated my blossoming relationship with K Rd and the K Rd Business Association, we’ve got big plans to collaborate creatively and I am inspired when working with such visionary, community-focused people. As always, I have photographed for gather & hunt and loved every minute of Laneway, and their latest Tasting Club at Cazador.

In the last two months my work has been published by Auckland Arts Gallery, The New Zealand Herald, Queens Wharf, The K Road Business Association and Air New Zealand. In the background I am preparing to exhibit in the Auckland Festival of Photography with 3 other photographers. I’m keeping quiet about this for a little while until we make our official announcement. Let’s just say I was thrilled to be asked to join the ranks of these award winning photographers in a stunning gallery space. I’ve also been to Melbourne and back, turned thirty, traveled to the Hokianga and grieved the loss of my grandfather. Oh, and did I mention I’ve also design course?

So, perhaps, considering all of this… I can see why my blog is a bit behind. My Facebook page and twitter remain a good way to keep up with weekly happenings, but I shall endeavor to blog more.

Here’s an image of Tiffany holding one of her favorite things, a rainbow…

As the calendar year draws to a close, I’ve reflected on what I’ve achieved in six months. By far, the best decision I made was to immerse myself full-time as a professional photographer and artist. The next best decision was to move into a shared studio, which I’ve spent many happy and productive hours in. Monster Valley has been an inspirational haven for me, and sharing this space with filmmaker Karl Sheridan has been absolutely invaluable.

Highlights of the year were working for Air New Zealand over 2 weeks for The Hobbit Premiere; every single one of gather & hunt’s delicious Tasting Club events; getting membership in the Advertising & Illustrative Photographers Association; and the wonderful response to my solo exhibition ‘Wood for the Trees’. I’ve participated in 5 exhibitions in 6 months, had work printed in several magazines & publications, met such amazing artists and colleagues, and above all I do a job I love every day.

Thank you to my clients:

Air New Zealand, cosset, rekindle, Epic Beer and Orcon, Whitebook, gather & hunt, The Refreshment Room, Art Week Auckland, ARTDego (and all the incredible chefs and artists involved), PledgeMe, Beatnik Publishing, Kiri Schumacher, K-Rd Business Association, Newmarket Business Association, Tiffany Singh, Tin Roof Dinners, Dregs – A New Zealand Street Art Documentary, The Kiwi Diary, Love Your Mountain Day and Friends of the Maungawhau, The Velociteers, Chris & Shannon Gee, Gemma Long, Melissa Bulkeley, Sarrah and Penny at Soothe Space, Claire Dann Massage, Samantha Steele, Global Poverty Project NZ, DHL Fashion Awards, Luciana Camargo, The Digital Darkroom, Wet Hot Beauties, First Thursdays and Cleo Barnett.

Thank you especially to these supportive people:

Karl Sheridan, Courteney Peters and Dominique Fourie, Naomi Dixon, Cleo Barnett, Barbara Holloway, Tiffany Singh and John at The Digital Darkroom, Erin at Alphabet City, Aaron K at the AIPA, David and Gabi of The Garden and Daryl of The Framing Studio.

Thank you for exhibiting my work:

Monster Valley, The Digital Darkroom, Design Assembly, The Kiwi Diary and Sitka New Zealand.

My last booking of the year is on the 31st December, and I know I’ll begin 2013 with so much encouragement, affirmation and energy. As well as more diligence in blog posting.

The Canon 100mm f/2.8 is a life-changer.

I was thrilled with how many people attended the opening: Monster Valley Gallery had over 100 people visit us. The catering by cosset was phenomenal and paired beautifully with cocktails made from their syrups and Lothlorien Feijoa Wine. Everyone commented on the atmosphere I had created, which was intentional down to the fallen petals on the stairwell.

Two comments made most about the exhibition have been “moody” and “cinematic”. “Beautiful”, “haunting” and “whimsical” are other oft repeated descriptions.

A highlight for me was stealing a few seconds to observe guests as they encountered the images… And recognizing amazement, delight, and serenity in people’s responses.

This is my second exhibition and my first solo show. Cosset’s walls had a collection of my images for a group show called “voices” in November 2011. I borrowed a camera for to get those shots. 8 months later I am exhibiting a solo show in a studio-gallery and working towards my third exhibition in December.

A second highlight was seeing the limited edition book I produced for the show – it arrived a few hours before the opening night.

Next week I’ll be updating my blog with a post about some frequently asked questions I received this week… My most common answer is “No, I don’t use photoshop”.

For more info: Here is our Monster Valley event page and my web page.

If you haven’t been able to make it yet, my show runs until 18th September and I will be at the gallery Saturday’s 10-4pm and Sunday’s 11-2pm.

Putting on a solo show is a demanding, but creatively abundant, endeavor. At times I’ve missed having other artists to bounce concept/coherency and themes with. But I’ve also had to dig deep to produce something with such integrity to where my artistic expression is currently presiding. Any exhibitor will know the stage when nerves and vulnerability set in…. Will people like it? Will people come to the opening night?

But this time I feel peacefully confident because I’ve been staring at these images for a few weeks since shooting them, and I’m profoundly swept away by their dramatic presence.

“Wood for the Trees” is about exploring the perspectives through which we see the world. Because my work and my livelihood is so focused on ‘seeing’ and constantly evaluating the impact of a shot, I’m often pondering the fine line between getting lost in macro details or stepping back into a landscape moment. There is such beauty in everyday objects and our everyday neighbourhood. And I spent four mornings exploring this with my camera. Four morning walks in my local area became a solo show. There’s a lot to do in the next two weeks: printing, framing , invites, and promotion to name a few.

But until then, I’m just enjoying the sense of abundance in what I have created and the incredible support and encouragement I’ve received along the way. I’d like to say a huge thanks here to cosset, Lothlorien, The Digital Darkroom, my Monster Valley friends, and above all to the little things, for being so beautiful if we care to look for you.