I’m super pleased to become a finalist for the second consecutive year in New Zealand’s most prestigious annual photo competition. It comes with a lot of hard work so I must be doing something right, I guess. Each year, the competition gets harder and harder as time-lapse becomes increasingly popular. To get noticed, one really needs to be creative in the way their production comes together to tell a compelling story. No longer is it a show reel of your best work.
This time around, my planning goes back a year. While I did not get a place in 2016, it was great be a finalist alongside 5 other top entries from across the country. I was determined more than ever to get back with a place in the finals for 2017, and that has now become a reality.
This year, an entry I titled ‘Daily Grind’ made it through. Photographed around the shortest day, this time-lapse shows the daily grind of commuters travelling to and from their place of work in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand.
Some clips allow us to see beyond the reflective windows when day becomes night. We can observe office staff busy at work and others engaged in social interaction. Similarly, the highways and streets become the lifeblood of the city. It’s a bit like looking into a giant ant farm.
Many of these scenes involved working with building managers and accommodation providers to get the unique point of view I aimed to achieve. I am grateful for their assistance.
There will only be 3 winners selected from the 6 finalists which will be announced on prize-giving night in Auckland on Wednesday 13 December, which coincidentally just happens to be my birthday. There will also be an exhibition starting off in Christchurch this weekend and later in Auckland. You can see my time-lapse and other entries on the New Zealand Geographic website here. My entry has a thumbnail image similar to that shown above near the bottom, so it should be obvious. Be sure to have some sound and PLEASE VOTE ON MY TIME-LAPSE – thank you !