Looking back 2023, was a bit of a beast. We seem to have had a run of them recently but 2023 for a change, was not completely dominated by COVID-19 but the sequelae of it made work very challenging due to severe staff shortage. 2023 at work was largely survival mode.

On a personal note, the year started with losing my mother in February. She was my last remaining parent so that has its challenges. I still have to check myself with the impulse of “I must tell Mom about that” when something interesting happens. This occurred just as I was to sail out of Auckland into the face of Cyclone Gabrielle. It was a working trip as photographer/guide so a distraction but quite surreal with my head in 2 very different places at once. At times a real challenge to put on the mask and do the job.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to restore a scanned image from an old print of a photo taken by my father to be used for Mom’s memorial service. It was good to have the time to work on it and reflect on what they both meant to me. It was a useful exercise in coming to terms with life without them and a reminder of how lucky I was to have the parents I did.

As the year progressed I lost a cousin, 2 work colleagues and an aunt so not the best year in terms of funerals and memorial services. A good lesson in making the most of this life while we have it.

Photography has been one of the things that has kept me going. Immersing myself in it and working hard at it has helped counterbalance the almost overwhelming stress of my medical day job.

A very rewarding part has been leading 2 Wildlife Masterclasses on the Otago Peninsula with Edin. We have spent a good amount of time developing this class and enjoyed the planning and delivery. With this teaching role comes a significant degree of Imposter Syndrome to which my response has been to enter some photography competitions to try and convince myself of some credibility.

First up was the Dunedin Festival of Photography which was the first time I have entered this. Next came New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year where I was pleased to be a finalist for the 4th time. The most exciting though, was Bird Photographer of the Year where one of my bird in flight images was one of only 6 awarded in the category and selected for the touring exhibition. This was my first time playing in a bird photography only sandpit so nice to recognised amongst my fellow niche crazies.

I have mixed feelings about photography competitions as I have written before but this has been my most successful year and has helped me feel that maybe I do know enough to be able to share some useful insights.

Apart from the 2 Otago workshops I have been lucky to travel a bit in New Zealand with a South Island trip in March to the Canterbury High Country and Arthurs Pass for some landscapes and birds. Sadly the hoped for Rock wren didn’t materialise.

After the May Otago Masterclass, Edin and I took a small group down through the Catlins to Rakiura/Stewart Island. This was my first visit to Rakiura/Stewart Island so was a real highlight that I haven’t yet written about.

Suffice it to say it was everything and more than I expected, with my first opportunities to photograph Mohua/Yellowhead, Tokoeka/Southern Brown kiwi and Tīeke/South Island saddleback.

With the Masterclasses prioritising photography of others I have used them to trial limited gear options for travel. In May I travelled with the Nikkor Z 400mm f4.5 VR S and in October the Nikkor Z 180-600m f5.6-6.3 VR. Both offer very sharp and versatile single lens solutions for wildlife travel. In terms of value the zoom is hard to beat with a small weight penalty to pay. Photography is always a juggle of compromises – lighter lens or lighter wallet!

June saw the BirdsNZ Conference in New Plymouth and we had a slow trip home through Taranaki, exploring Rotokare and Bushy Park with a stop for Turangi Whio on the way home.

August was a quick trip up to Northland with some time at Pūkorokoro/Miranda, Shakespear and and Tawharanui.

This gave some excellent photography opportunities including seasonally unexpected Tara iti/Fairy Tern at Waipu.

This was the catalyst for planning an extended November return to Waipu. This was the first spell of untruncated leave from work I have been able to take since COVID so was a real lungful of fresh air. Being totally able to immerse myself in photography with the company and support of my precious wife was a delight like no other. Some blog posts on this trip will follow.

Returning to work was hard after such a good break but something we have been working toward for some years is coming together and I am feeling more optimistic on that front than I have for long time. Here’s to a a great 2024.