NEW ZEALAND ISSUE 420 Jul 2013

The rapport that Spid establishes with the talent is reflected in his engaging, character-driven portraits. This, he believes, is the most important aspect of his job, allowing him to elicit moments of spontaneity that bring a sense of freedom into his often-humorous, quirky images.

Brought up on a farm in Ngatea, at the age of seven he got tired of seeing family photos with the heads missing and took it upon himself to sort it out - the start of his driving passion. After leaving school he worked as an electrician, saving to buy his first camera at 17. He then embarked on several years of experimentation before attending art school in London.

Back in New Zealand he studied graphic design before working as an assistant in fashion and still life. Since then, his main focus has been portraiture, often in a “street” style. In his personal work Spid is always seeking something different he can bring into his commercial work, and interesting characters. He’s fascinated by the subtleties of people’s faces, the reflection of their inner selves. That’s part of the challenge - digging into a subject’s soul to draw out those nuances in expression that each tell a different story.