Just interviewed on my old Varsity Radio Station Radio Active FM. Great fun interview with Simon Smith and Zelda Edwards about my new book, recent adventures, and life. Really enjoyed the chat.
Click here if you missed it live and want to listen. We chewed the fat on things like; Greenland, the Arctic, Climate change, life in space, teleprompters, Antarctica, TankCam, NZ’s rarest bird (the fairy tern!), NZ Geographic Mag falcons, the spice of life, Icebergs around NZ, Majestic New Zealand book, stalked in cyberspace, and Head like a Hole…
Update 22 Jan 2010: We now have signed copies of Majestic New Zealand available for supporters. If you’d like to consider a copy, have a look here.
It gives me the willies when we have icebergs turn up around the New Zealand coastline and tourism operators go wild. Silly stuff happens and I’m worried someone’s going slip up without good knowledge. I’m always up for a laugh, but from experience people don’t know what they’re playing with. The worst will happen sometime, it’s an odds game and there’s no warning before things get serious. Icebergs seem beautiful and benign, but so did the mythical Sirens of Sirenum scopuli luring mariners with their song. Check this out….
Why do I worry? I’ve had a load of experience showing people icebergs and I’ve learnt and seen a few things that would make the hair on your neck stand up. I’ve had over a dozen trips and over 6 months of taking people to see icebergs in Antarctic and the Arctic and I’ve seen and photographed some unexpected things from the close up of the zodiac boats I drive around them. We’re trained to read them and work with respect.
Major misconception: Icebergs don’t melt away – they die, often violently. Bits break off, the balance changes, and they start rolling. When they roll, more bits break off and a chain reaction starts that can ultimately break a big berg into many small bits very quickly. The forces are unbelievable. Check out this photo I took in cold water off Antarctica of a ‘new’ iceberg (not a rotten weathered berg off NZ in warm water) collapsing without notice.
It’s taken a while to post, but here it is, an exciting short trip to ride a motorcycle in Southern Indian at short notice. Here’s a copy of a dispatch to friends: Change of life circumstances, an opportunity, brother in India, tickets booked Wednesday, Mumbai by Saturday, Classic Royal Enfield Bullet motorbike rented illegally from Policeman by lunchtime, an adventure unfolds….
A mass email for those interested to know more…
Thought I had better file something from India before departing. Things have been so full on the classic Royal Enfield Bullet 350cc motorcycle Suisted tour, and not really near touristy type places that getting to an internet connection has been a bit hard.
So, in the nutshell, joined brother Phil and Nicki in Panaji Goa about 8 days ago. Served a whirlwind apprenticeship under Phil, learning the ropes on communicating (yes you might be speaking with an english speaker, but our logic is worlds apart – once you’ve confused them you’re stuck), wheeling and dealing, route finding (read communication), food, chai, riding a motorbike that is doubly back to front – gear lever on opposite foot, and change direction reversed – if you emergency brake like in NZ you only succeed in changing up a gear!).
Phil and Nicki really impressed me at how quickly they’ve learned, and esp. Phil dubbing Nicki as he hasn’t done many miles on a motorbike – let alone dubbing (not to mention the nerves of steel and trust that Nicki has sitting on the back watching the traffic and potholes unfold) . With that done, we set off into the maelstrom of traffic on my 350 bullet ( it dones 80KM flat out – basic design unchanged since 1940s). Road rules don’t really exist, the basic factor is might is right, and motorbikes are bottom feeders. You need to treat the centre line as fully moveable and stay 100% awake, and use horn all the time on traffic you come up on (and cows and dogs). Trucks will pass trucks on blind corners – it’s your job to expect this and be ready to run off the road for them…
Overtake the bus on the right side, the tuk-tuk on the wrong side, through the roadworks, over the bridge. Catch the bus overtaking the truck on the blind corner - Situation Normal!
I’ve just been interviewed by Graeme Hill on RadioLive for EnviroNews, about my new book Majestic New Zealand, recent adventures, life and a bit of philosphy. Click here if you missed it live and would like a listen.
Update 22 Jan 2010: We now have signed copies of Majestic New Zealand available for supporters. If you’d like to consider a copy, have a look here.
Teamed up with Editor of NZ Geographic Magazine, James Frankham, to do a feature on nocturnal Mana Island. Photography of wildlife can be tough, but doing it alone, in the dark, fitting between southerly cold fronts and short timeframes makes it all the sweeter for me when it comes off. I enjoyed this one, and working with James in a can-do style.
The story is contained in the 100th issue of NZ Geographic Magazine (a great milestone for James and the team). How about getting a copy as it’s a beaut read – in fact it’s so good I can’t think of a reason not to. Better still I think you should subscribe). Here are a few of the frames selected for publication and a bit of info behind them. I wanted to show rarely seen wildlife living on this special island, but contextually it’s so close to our capital city (hence I wanted the light pollution illuminating the skies beyond). The shot above was taken after sitting motionless in the dark for 2 hours in camouflage clothing waiting for the diving petrels to return to their burrows after dark. I was ready to leave when a lone bird landed nearby amongst the flowering native ice plant - what a stroke of luck. It sat there preening while I careffully took it’s portrait. Above is one of the island’s geckos. At night they all come out hunting insects and …. > > > Continue reading : full post + comments > > >
We’ve had a busy week on publicity with radio, press and TV interviews which has been great.
National book stores are stocking it. Paper Plus Group has it in most shops now, and Borders and Whitcoulls have good stocks. Also, in Wellington, you’ll find it in the Te Papa Store.
We’ve just had this great review in from Fish & Game Magazine:
“Rob Suisted is one of New Zealand’s premier wildlife and scenic photographers and his latest book Majestic New Zealand (New Holland, RRP $59.99) confirms his place among the elite. This book is a portrait of four major themes in the landscape; our statuesque mountains and volcanoes, stately rivers and lakes, the ever-changing coast, and our fertile farmland. A collection of 144 pages of sublime photos, Suisted’s book is supplemented with quality text by award winning travel writer and photographer Liz Light. It makes a wonderful coffee table addition for anglers, hunters, and, oh yes, even dairy farmers – three groups, which above all, need to understand the majesty of our environment and the need to take care of it.” Issue 66 Fish and Game Magazine.
Update 22 Jan 2010: We now have signed copies of Majestic New Zealand available for supporters. If you’d like to consider a copy, have a look here.
I’m regularly asked about making money from stock photography. Here are some thoughts:
Producing quality stock photography requires a huge commitment. The business models are changing continuously and will continue to change in the future, but through your hard work, keeping the faith and producing quality work then it might just work.
The trouble is there are plenty of places to flog your work for a pittance (or likely a big loss) these days such as the micro-stock industry like I-stock, and it’s becoming harder to find a sensible route. Photography has been commoditised* and if you want to make some dough you need to figure out a way around this problem. It seems like everywhere you turn there’s a chance to make a few cents from your photos – but a little thought easily uncovers a major problem:
Recently I met a Canadian chap (not a local canadian boy whose name rhymes with ‘potatto’ I should stress) who proudly told me that he’d licenced 268 images. I was impressed because I knew he took the odd photo, so I was keen to learn more. He proudly told me he’d made “$67.00″ total for all 268 images through an online microstock website! I asked him why he bothered for that tiny amount given the huge amount of work and expense he’s put in? “To make some money” was his reply. $0.25 per license isn’t making money – it doesn’t even cover the time taken to upload the images (let alone equipment, travel, or even make some income), but this seemed irrelevant to him. In his mind he’d made some money. I wondered if he’d ever work willingly for someone on this return? I bet not – so why had he been taken advantage of so easily? … > > > Continue reading : full post + comments > > >
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Just interviewed on my old Varsity Radio Station Radio Active FM. Great fun interview with Simon Smith and Zelda Edwards about my new book, recent adventures, and life. Really enjoyed the chat.
Click here if you missed it live and want to listen. We chewed the fat on things like; Greenland, the Arctic, Climate change, life in space, teleprompters, Antarctica, TankCam, NZ’s rarest bird (the fairy tern!), NZ Geographic Mag falcons, the spice of life, Icebergs around NZ, Majestic New Zealand book, stalked in cyberspace, and Head like a Hole…
