Meet the People - 29

Stephen Goodenough - Self-Portraits Supplied.

Another in the Series Meet the People – Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders Doing Interesting Things – Christchurch professional photographer, Stephen Goodenough doesn’t have any personal preferences when it comes to digital over film or colour over black and white. As far as he’s concerned they’re all valid. It’s fulfilling the client’s brief as creatively as possible that he cares about. “There’s been a lot of bad rap for digital but that’s been part of the development of the technology; and it’s a whole new learning curve for many photographers. Now they have to process their own files and a lot haven’t learnt how to do that properly yet,” he says. He does however, have a personal preference when it comes to subject matter – “architectural photography wins hands-down.” His work covers commercial, corporate, magazine, food and fashion photography but it’s his architectural work that inspires him most. “I’m always looking to deliver something different and unexpected. I like the challenge of that and I think my background training as a graphic designer (along with 25 years in the photographic industry) means I’m heavily influenced by form, shape, structure and planes.” That passion has spilled over into his current personal project – the documenting of New Zealand architects, which he’s now well into. “I could see a project like this had historical merit and it’s also been interesting for me to work creatively outside my usual commercial brief. I’m thoroughly enjoying it.” Stephen’s multiple national photography awards endorse his unique sense of creativity and you can check out some of his stunning images at www.stephengoodenough.com