"NZ Professional Photographer of the Year 2017" NZIPP - The New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography

July 2017

Richard Wood - Photographic Life Journey

I left school in 1996 not knowing what to do with my life. Well…. I’d really wanted to be a vet. Unfortunately the discovery of other distractions in my 6th and 7th form years didn’t quite let me deliver the marks required to take on that 5 year challenge on.

So I embarked on a three year bachelor of business studies, majoring in marketing. I met an English girlfriend in my final year who was crazy about photography. I never paid much attention to it to be honest apart from having to deal with the camera always coming along with us to everything.

A year later in London Natural History Museum, I found myself astounded at huge backlit prints that were the finalists of the International Wildlife Photography Awards. I walked out of there inspired and certain of what was about to take up a huge part of my life.

After 7 years at Massey University, where I started my Bachelor of Design in Photography I had two degrees and it was time to start earning. 20 years on, I haven’t really ever embarked on any real wildlife photography, but I’m still having fun living the dream of doing what I love for my career.

Some years later I met the apple in my eye, my daughter Emilie-Rose. I think we can all take an inspirational look at how children see, and watch how that can flow into your own work. Emilie-Rose tells me today she wants to be a vet. But also wants to be a photographer too just for fun. I tell her that that’s a pretty good idea.

I take my inspiration from both my physical surroundings and/or worlds that come to me through pure imagination. These are often triggered by events and emotions. I love art history and just plain history to be honest. Much of my work is also inspired by events of the past. I believe taking the viewer somewhere new is often the beginnings of a great image. People enjoy going to a world that’s different from which they experience every day. Whether it be real or imaginative.

I print here at the studio myself. I believe this is an important final step to completing your photographic works. Having it done well is imperative to displaying the image how people are supposed to appreciate it.

Much of people’s lives operate on devices today. Different sizes, shapes, makes and models means every screen is different. Your image will rarely be viewed how you see fit and want it to. Same with handing over digital files to people. Who knows how it will be printed. Printing at home or in the studio yourself gives you full control over how your work is displayed and appreciated for exactly how you envisioned. It allows you to retain yourself as an artist and create a final tangible product instead of being lost in a leafy storm of pictures that is the web.

I print on the fabulous Epson Stylus Pro 7890. This is a large format 24 inch printer. She’s like having a large futuristic robot at home. Watching the large prints roll out with such speed yet with complete detail, I’m always blown away at the technology that must be required to get each particle of colour so perfectly on the paper. The difference between printing on quality Epson gear at home on beautiful stock as opposed to dropping off at a lab? My prints look like you can reach into them and touch the subjects. The cost effectiveness of printing at home on a large format Epson is fabulous. It’s almost tragedy at times when I watch colleagues go back a forth to the lab, spending such large amounts of money trying to get their work right. Having the Epson large format here with me as I work, removes a lot of running about stress, costs me less, gives me incredible imaging results and finally allows me to delve into the art of printing. Printing is and always has been such a large important area of photography. I’m glad that I myself can continue that journey through to print even as technology changes.

Richard Wood, “NZ Professional Photographer of the Year 2017” NZIPP – The New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography.

To find out more about the Epson Stylus Pro 7890 please see the link below: http://bit.ly/StylusPro7890

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