Judges
RACHEL GILLESPIE
Founder & CEO
Rachel has been in business for herself most of her working life and trained in business and life coaching, business marketing, been a travel magazine editor, worked in website development, graphics, guided tours and cruise ships tours and run and managed several of her own businesses for 20 years. She is a full-time Astro and Landscape Photographer and Guide in the Mackenzie Country and South Island
Her passion is the night sky and astrophotography is her love along with landscapes. Adventuring in the Aoraki Mount Cook Dark Sky Reserve and the extended South Island is where you will find her when she is not being a busy mum of 3. She also has a busy print and canvas business and teaches printing workshops all the do's and don'ts that come with fine art production and photography mentoring for a full 12 month program.
She is inspired to teach both adults and youth how to get their cameras off auto, and master manual settings, find their confidence in the outdoors alongside her clients and capture her beautiful country is her life's work. She will take you to her special spots and locations.
"I have a holistic approach to business and photography, for me it's about the adventure, the challenge and the ability to push my limits to keep educating myself that has been my personal inspiration. I love helping people which took me into guiding in the tourism industry for many years also, now I would love to spend my time working one on one in private mentoring with just a few people a year helping you to master your gear, find your area of skill and grow that to become one of New Zealand's top photographers"
John Foster
Master Photographer
John is a Christchurch based photographer/educator who enjoys traveling extensively throughout NZ enjoying what we have to offer. Opening a new central city studio in the mid 90’s specializing on people photography. However, more recently concentrating on commercial, wildlife, travel and landscape.
Tutoring has also featured throughout the last 30 years and enjoys passing on knowledge and skills in many facets of photography. John has experience in judging and critiquing images and likes to inspire others to learn and continually improve their craft.
William Patino
Professional landscape photographer
Originally from Australia, Will Patino is an award-winning full-time landscape photographer who fell in love with Fiordland and now lives in Te Anau with his wife and two young children. Will has worked with companies like Apple, BBC and Sony but spends the majority of his year teaching through his photography workshops and online tutorials. His passion is for capturing evocative, rugged scenery and being amidst the elements.
Peter Rees
Professional landscape photographer
Peter is a professional fine art and commercial painter and photographer based on the beautiful Waiheke Island, in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.
After many years of running his own gallery and teaching fine art painting and photography he now concentrates on producing and exhibiting his own work.
From 1987 to 2007 he worked as a professional artist and photographer based in the United Kingdom. In 2007 he moved to New Zealand with his wife, Elaine, and for three years lived aboard their sail boat, Albacore.
Finally they moved to Waiheke Island in 2010 where they now live with their young daughter Eva.
Throughout his entire career Pete has been actively involved in art and photography. From leading departments within the educational environment to running international photography courses, and supplying artwork to prestigious galleries. Peter has spoken at conventions and photographic workshops about his lifelong passion for picture-making across the the various disciplines of drawing, painting, printmaking and , of course, photography.
“The selection procedure that informs and enables photography underpins every aspect of my interest in the visual language of picture-making. The influence and understanding of this language is more relevant now than in any point in history.”
