Tell us about the five projects you’ve chosen as your favourites. What stood out about these in particular?
1. Kahutara House by Patchwork Architects
I am an unashamed Patchwork fanboy. They design incredibly practical houses out of simple materials that are beautiful and playful. Normally they are working with steep Wellington sites but here they are were given a flat canvas in the Wairarapa and amazing views to the east. The angular exterior is softened inside the intricate timber detailing and includes a huge timber Tukutuku wall that can move to split the living in two. My favourite moment is the diamond-shaped concrete path that surrounds the house. Serving many roles; it’s an entrance path, a wall holding out the meadow and a race track for visiting kids.
2. Alpine Terrace by Fearon Hay
There is no excuse not to take great images when shooting Fearon Hay projects. They consistently design the most photogenic projects that are placed in the best landscapes in New Zealand. Alpine Terrace is no exception – a low-slung courtyard house, black on black with pops of colour from the homeowners’ art collection. What was special for me on this shoot was how all the elements came together. Excited architects and lovely homeowners, the time of year and the weather were perfect, annoying green grass replaced by fields of golden wheat and did I mention snowy mountain backgrounds on three sides!
3. The Dart by Studio John Irving
Shoots with John Irving seem to be as much about celebrating the project as the photography. There is always a great lunch with wine match and recently we even managed to squeeze in a midday surf while we waited for the light. This good-time attitude can be seen throughout John’s architecture with houses designed to entertain on a large scale. The Dart continues the theme with a resort feel, a place intended for play and relaxation. I was most excited to see the aerial view and appreciate the effort that had gone into making this perfect dart, a way-point in the landscape pointing true north.
4. Les Mills Auckland City by Knight Associates and Monk Mackenzie
I’ve been lucky to work alongside Rufus Knight documenting his interior projects for many years. We both like to tell the story of a project slowly, preferring a series of tight vignettes than the tell-all wide shot. The Les Mills project was one of the more technically challenging shoots I have ever done. The interior is either black or mirrors, almost completely dark and a working gym with non-stop exercise classes. Shooting for over 16 hours straight with some of the longest exposures of my life, it was very satisfying to see this golden mirrored cube come to life.
5. River Retreat by Edwards White
Nestled on the bank of the mighty Waikato River, not far from where I grew up, Dan Smith designed this home for his own growing family. It’s my favourite kind of architecture, where the size and budget are modest and the architect gets on the tools to help finish the build. There are so many good ideas squeezed into this simple form, including cedar rain screens that unclip and can be maintained at ground level, and movable walls in the bedrooms so the layout can change with the family’s needs. It is a project that captures your imagination and, of all that I have shot, the most stolen on the internet. I’ve given up counting how many design blogs it turns up on.
How did you get started with photography? Did you always have an interest in architecture and buildings or has that evolved over time?
At school, I wanted to be a journalist, then an architect and then I finally settled on photography. I studied at Massey in Wellington, with ambitions of becoming a fashion/commercial photographer before realising, after a few years, I had no interest in fashion. I clearly remember having a wall of square format images I had taken of moody interiors, light wrapping around corners of textured buildings and saying to a friend “Imagine if I could get paid to take pictures like this.” Nearly 20 years later, and I feel very lucky to be able to spend my time chasing shafts of light around great houses.
How do you go about capturing a space?
I like to walk through the project with the architect and understand the important moments and details. After that, it’s a dance with the light and the weather. You plan for which areas will work best with the light but then I will often shoot the same composition many times throughout the day to see what looks best. Bookings can be months in advance and shooting far from home so there is an element of luck in getting the perfect weather. When it all comes together, and the fleeting dawn sun arrives, it is an exciting, frantic rush to make the most of it.
You also work as a video director and founded a production company called Swell?
I had always had an interest in video and during the GFC in 2008, when photography work got slow, I went to film school on the side. From then on, video has become a big part of my practice and in 2015 my partner Anna and I founded Swell Productions. With a focus on design, we make films for architects, magazines and related brands. We have been lucky to work with the NZIA on many of their Gold Medal documentaries and chasing Roger Walker’s vintage Ferrari around Wellington is a career highlight. Lately, we have been problem-solving how to keep shooting in Covid times. With events such as the HERE awards and the NZIA National Awards going online, we have had the challenge of producing socially distanced content to celebrate these awards.
Are there any projects that you would love to photograph?
My dream shoot would be La Fabrica by the late Ricardo Bofill. I’ve always loved where new architecture meets the old bones of existing stone and concrete. I could happily take moody images of billowing linen and concrete arches all day long there.
Swell Productions Hotel Britomart video for the 2021 NZIA awards ceremony.
