April 1st 2025: Arvo sessions

It's easy to take our light for granted in Dunedin. But on any given afternoon it can be sublime, like this past week when we had a golden hour that lasted for at least two. When it coincides with a decent swell there are not many places I'd rather be.

Whether it's the atmospheric images of students playing touch rugby on the beach, or surfers doing all they can to get barrelled at St Kilda, there is something special about all that golden light.

This week I have been up in the North Island on assignment for various projects and clients. Finding that dreamy light certainly takes a lot of extra effort ... or the clever and subtle addition of light. The key to adding artificial light is to make sure you can't tell it was added to the picture. That may sound easy, but it isn't. But every now and then you get it right and discover a great image that could have been taken on any regular arvo in Dunedin.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS We've been shooting with the T Patterson Surfboards team up here. Brand shoots used to happen all the time, but with the evaporation of magazines they've become a thing of the past mostly. So getting to shoot with some of the New Zealand T Patterson team – including some of the best up and coming surfers – was a real buzz. The act of making quality content together has the side effect of creating a real buzz around the team and the sport. You can check out the T Patterson boards right here.