Going home is the best. I’m in the middle of a frantic year of postgraduate study, and most of my time is spent fearing deadlines and not generally getting a lot of sleep. As a lot of you know, I’m doing a Post-graduate Diploma in Biosecurity and Conservation – which also counts at the first year of a two-year Master’s qualification from the University of Auckland.

It’s a lot of fun!

Which sounds a little incongruous with my previous statement…. but one of the main reasons I didn’t enjoy my undergraduate years that much was because it felt like we were just glossing over topics, so many topics, in so little detail. I’m interested in everything, so it was never boring – but we never had to delve very deep into the hows and whys of what we covered (which for me was a combination of biological sciences and psychology). The papers in my final year were my absolute favourites because they specialised more – and post-graduate papers are even better! I feel like I’ve learned more in the past six months than I did in my four years of undergraduate (although my first year was spent at art school, so let’s not count that!). It’s a lot more work. I read and write more than I ever have before every day, and sitting inside staring at a screen really begins to grate at me after a while. 

So going home is fantastic. The food is fantastic, being with my family is fantastic, and spending time out at Lake Okareka is fantastic. Even though winter evenings are early and short, the clarity in the air makes the golden hour before sunset something special. I love sitting in the reeds in full camo, completely unseen by the evening joggers on the boardwalk, just spending time with the birds (and Dad, of course).

I’m a lot more selective with my photographs than I used to be – both when I’m taking photos, and when I process them later on. I really want to improve my photography,  not get stuck in a rut of doing the same-old same-old. In the cold and golden evenings under ice-blue skies, I feel like I have space to think. To be more creative. To step away from the impulse to photograph everything, and focus on telling stories, creating art, making photographs that I’m truly proud of.

This year has been full-on so far, and overwhelming at times. I have half of a clear goal in my head – doing the research for my Master’s degree next year. I’m looking forward to it. Where photography fits in is something I’m still trying to figure out. I enjoyed teaching a photography workshop with Dad for the Kaipatiki Project Environment Centre, and there are a few more planned for the near future – check them out here!

But where is my photography going? I’m not quite sure.

I’ll just keep on going, and see what happens.