Everyone's a winner, baby, that's the truth!

I’ve somehow walked away from the NZIPP Asia Pacific Photography Awards with Highly Commended recognition for all nine of my entries. Which, statistically speaking, is about as likely as getting a perfectly clear sky on a night you’ve planned a Milky Way shoot (so very rare, but very welcome).

Even better: the images spanned three categories.

Photojournalism – Rome and Cuba; where every alley and face tells a story Advertising & Editorial – football and motorsport; fast, loud, and mostly out of focus if you’re not paying attention Landscape – the opposite of that; slow light, big skies, long exposures, cold toes

I’m chuffed, honestly; every one of these images required something different—sometimes patience, sometimes agility, and occasionally just dumb luck. But they all asked me to do the same thing: stop; pay attention; look again.

Thanks to the judges and the NZIPP for seeing something in the work. And thanks to all my photog fellow travellers, for the encouragement, the comments, the gear chat, and the shared sense of wonder.

Turns out, when you slow down, look up, and widen the aperture…good things can happen :-)