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Shelley Ball, LPSNZ, LNPSNZ
My main photographic interests are in nature, landscapes and outdoor recreation - interests that developed very early in my childhood in Ontario, Canada. My career as a biologist has taken me to many interesting places, including the frozen sub-arctic of Canada and the lush rainforests of Central America. But most of my photography has been documentary – recording the plants, animals, fungi and history (both human and geologic) of a region. In 2001, I decided to pursue yet another dream – doing photography as art rather than simply a means of documenting my adventures. So I bought a new film SLR and got busy. I had a lot to learn. And still do! When I moved to New Zealand in 2003, I decided to get serious about improving my photography and joined CPS and the Nature Photography Society. The competitions at CPS have taught me a lot and the talent of NPS members continues to inspire me.
I use a Nikon F65 film camera and Sensia 100 film. My favourite lenses are a 100mm macro and a 100-300 mm zoom. I love macro photography, capturing images of insects and plants and particularly, patterns in nature. Lately, I’ve enjoyed shooting ultra close-ups using a shallow depth of field to obtain more abstract images. I also enjoy shooting landscapes with my 100-300 mm lens to isolate a piece of the landscape. I haven’t ‘gone digital’ yet, but will soon, mostly because I want to experiment and work outside my comfort zone, something that’s a bit expensive to do with film. I also like the idea of the ‘digital darkroom’.
My more recent photographic adventures include doors and windows of historic French villages, photojournalism, and experimenting with B&W again. I’m also trying my hand at photo-essay publishing.
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