16 days ago, me and fourteen other photographers held our opening night at Te Karanga Gallery.

It was a success, with over a hundred attendees and several pictures sold.

This exhibition has been quite a project. The idea of attending the Auckland Festival of Photography was born several months ago. The planning began pretty much when I arrived to New Zealand. And I just want to say... I've been so fortunate to meet this group of photographers. These people who share the same passion as myself, and who have the same drive to grow.

And we've been very fortunate to have found a gallery with such a great mood to it. Te Karanga Gallery is not only an art gallery--but also a tattoo studio, a tea shop, a photo studio, and a radio station. Jeez! This makes the whole place way more interesting than regular galleries. With a great management as well, this whole experience has been such a great thing being part of.

But hey, it's not over yet! It's open every day between 12-6pm until Sunday 24, so there's still a whole week to experience carefully selected art from Auckland's "most promising up and coming talents". 208 K' Rd is the address. Be there or be square.

: )

Now, some pictures from the gallery that I took today.

A picture of me at the opening night, with some of my work.

And don't forget to check the time lapse video from the opening night. 1509 shots taken every five seconds. All credits to Blackshah Photography.

A month or so back, I got an email from a man who needed my help. He had some fitness products he wanted pictures of, and wondered if I could help him out. I had never tried product photography before, so... Naturally I accepted the challenge. I gave him a heads up, and offered him to take the first round of products for free if he decided that the quality wasn't good enough.

And just the night before he would come with the first shipment, the photography meet-up group I'm part of had a -- you guessed it -- a product photography meet-up.

Couldn't have come at a better time. I took the bus to the meet-up twenty minutes away, and met up with other enthusiastic photographers. I came with a fresh mind, although I did get a slight shock when I listened to the lecturer and looked at all the set-ups... They were using soft-boxes, multiple flashes, umbrellas, tripods, you name it. And out of those, I have--mm, let's count... none.

I felt pretty screwed. My reaction for the rest of that evening was: "I have to cancel this. Who was I to think I could take proper pictures without a flash? It's not even worth a try."

But then the next day came, I didn't cancel, and the man came over with the products. At this point I was back on track after a good nights sleep, and thought that everything is worth an attempt. "If you've never failed, you've never lived", right? So I gave it a shot. Multiple shots even. And you know what?

They turned out great. The guy who sold the products LOVED the pictures, and I've been taking more and more pictures for him ever since.

So for the photographers out there who feel held-back by your amount of gear; who think you have to get the latest of everything to be able to take good pictures... Think again. It's not the gear that makes you a photographer; it's the way you work with what you've got. It's your mind. Your determination. Your creativity.

It's you.

Photomania Exhibition

Product Photography