March 11th 2014: My toolbox

Almost 20 years ago now I bought my first camera kit: a $420 bag with four lenses, one flash and a Canon AE-1 camera inside. It seemed innocuous enough at the time, but that kit set me on a path that would lead me all the way to your inbox today.

That sturdy, reliable Canon AE-1 opened my eyes to the world of photography, but more importantly it introduced me to a brand that has had my back for my whole career: Canon. I eventually traded the AE-1 in on a Canon Eos 5 – a radically new Eos line of cameras with, among their many features, autofocus (much to the disappointment of many surf photographers who believed it was "cheating").

With the Eos 5 in hand I burned through rolls and rolls of transparency film – faster than ever and my success rate soared as I slowly added L-series lenses to the mix.

Eventually the line between my new career costing a lot of money as I cut my teeth in this game, crossed with the line when I started to make a living. Travel followed and my companions were beautiful glass lenses and camera bodies that made my job easy and inspired me to push my boundaries. Canon was at the forefront in sports photography and so I always knew I had the best equipment available.

Then digital swarmed in like a rabid wasp. Film was out. Pixels were in. Luckily for me, Canon was again leading the charge in this new medium. But even then, I would never have imagined the technology that I would be holding in my hands this morning and every day of my life. I shoot mainly on the Canon Eos 5D MkIII with a range of L-series lenses and each time I push that shutter I know I'm capturing the moment with some of the best equipment ever built. It's easy to take for granted, but for 20 years now, Canon has brought my dreams to life.

And today, Canon New Zealand has joined Box of Light on our journey. We couldn't be more stoked.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS Want to win one of the all-new Canon PowerShot D30s? It's rated to 25m, shockproof, St Clair Point-proof, sea lion proof and makes great pictures easy. Sign up to our weekly reports in March and you're in with a chance. Tell your mates ...