Presented by Polaroid, here are 10 of New Zealand’s best contemporary photographers.
New Zealand has some of the finest, most jaw-dropping landscapes in the world. If you’ve seen any of the Lord Of The Rings films you will know exactly what I’m talking about. From the majesty of Milford Sound – The Eighth Wonder Of The World – to the sheer intimidation of Mt. Cook, it’s a photographers paradise in every sense. Thus we have collated 10 of New Zealand’s best contemporary photographers, for your pleasure.
Brought to you by Polaroid, check it out below.
Cruz Erdmann
Cruz Erdmann had only been using an underwater camera for 12 months when he won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, organised by London’s Natural History Museum. The Auckland-based 14 year old has a passion for diving with his father, who is a marine biologist.
The magnificent shot entitled Night Glow is of a bigfin reef squid in the Lembeh Strait off North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It’s a candid and elucidating reminder of the lesser-known creatures of the deep, and cemented Erdmann’s status as one of New Zealand’s best contemporary photographers.
Check out the article here.
Cam Hay
Cam Hay is a promising young concert photographer who has an impressive eye for capturing motion. While he also shoots portraitures and miscellaneous scenes it’s his powerful black and white stage photos that shimmer with vibrance.
Cam Hay has shot 38 bands across 67 venues at 88 gigs. He is a burgeoning talent soon to make a mark in New Zealand’s photo album of history.
Check out his website here.
Mark Emirali
Mark Emirali is a premiere landscape photographer who is heavily inspired by the West Coast of Wellington. The deep fog that blankets the rolling hillsides makes for some remarkably beautiful landscape shots.
Emirali doesn’t stop there however. His portraitures and individualistic street photography is deeply empathetic, drawing you into the subject as if you were there.
Check out his website here.
Daniel Murray
Daniel Murray’s landscapes could all be desktop backgrounds. They are insanely beautiful and capture the pristine youth of New Zealand’s nature perfectly. Based in Christchurch, Daniel Murray has a strong philosophy on photography wherein he attempts to recreate his experience of a place.
And that’s what photography ultimately is. Not an objective reality but a snapshot of someone’s experience. Amazing landscapes from a brilliant mind.
Check out his website here.
Jakob Munford
Jakob Munford is a young film photographer who captures candid lifestyle shots as they unfold around him. The young film enthusiast has a natural gift for capturing honest, ephemeral moments and that’s worth more than anything through the lens.
“You don’t get a second chance to take a photo so you try your best to make the one shot count,” says Munford.
Check out Jakob’s Instagram here.
Jacki Key
Jacki Key uses her photography to tell valuable stories and connect with her audience. One of New Zealand’s most exciting contemporary photographers, Key uses this stunning ability to comment on global, environmental and social issues.
Growing up in Northland, Jacki Key lived the classic Kiwi lifestyle; fishing, gathering, and living off permaculture. The local kauri forest and the beach were both her playground and classroom, the foundation of a lifetime’s interest in social issues, sustainability, and the environment.
Check out her website here.
Jackie Ranken
In 2008 Jacki Ranken was awarded NZIPP Photographer of the year and Landscape Photographer of the year. She specialises in monochrome landscapes that have a distinct element and are key to Ranken’s art.
Shooting aerial and fine art shorts in addition to landscape and portraits, Ranken uses the latter form to create a meaningful connection between subject, photographer and viewer.
Check out her website here.
Derek Henderson
Derek Henderson is a unique photographer. With that special talent of capturing the moment within the moment, Henderson snaps everything from intimate portraitures of Maori youths to sweeping landscapes that’ll knock you off your feet.
Ever-roaming, Henderson collects particular pictorial moments from abroad as well as New Zealand. His expansive exteriors encompass skies and seas and a certain wildness innate to New Zealand’s nature.
Check out his website below.
Amanda Ratcliffe
Amanda Ratcliffe is an NZ native with a particular interest in street documentary photography. With 12 years experience in the music industry, Ratcliffe captures the moments around the limelight, focusing on backstage and behind the scenes vignettes.
These intimate snapshots show that, mixed in with all the fame and glory, is a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears.
Check out her website here.
Joyce Campbell
Joyce Campbell’s photography borders the frantic line between art and academia. She is a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland Elam School of the Arts and has travelled a the world as an art curator and freelance writer.
Her recent work utilises anachronistic photographic techniques to examine the collision of natural and cultural systems.
Check out her website here.
