Photoion Photography Awards Book First Place Winner – Craig Brady

Why photography Craig? How did you fall in love with it?

I’m a bit of a gadget geek with an artistic flair, so photography (and cameras) appeal to both sides.
My passion for travel is what got me started, in particular my first trip to Kenya. Somewhere along the way I went from taking a camera on holiday to going on photography holidays with a camera bag weighing almost 20kg!

How long have you been learning for?

I got my first DSLR camera in 2009 but it was probably a year later before I really started learning how to use it!

Who’s your greatest inspiration in photography? (they don’t have to be famous)

Haha I would have to say Ion Paciu! His passion and enthusiasm for photography was the catalyst that really ignited my own passion for the art. Otherwise almost every ‘semi-pro’ wildlife photographer I’ve met has inspired me in some way.

Is there one picture in the world (taken by you or someone else) that truly makes you think- that’s why I’m doing this, that’s why I’m learning this?

I can’t narrow this down to just one – you could pretty much take any of the finalists in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (any year) or any number of the amazing images that make cover of National Geographic.

What type of camera and equipment do you use?

Currently I have a Nikon D600 with
Nikon 50mm f1.8
Nikon 24-120 f4
Sigma 105 macro
Sigma 120-300 f2.8
Sigma 1.4 and 2x teleconverters
And recently a Canon G16 with Ikelite dive housing

What’s your favourite type of photography?

Wildlife photography will always be my favourite.

How has the Photoion Photography helped you develop your skills in photography?

I initially tried to self-learn (not very well!) and picked up some bad habits. My first beginners/intermediate course with Ion corrected those and gave me direction on how to learn and some of the tools to do so. It was a year later when I did the advanced course that really pulled everything together for me in terms of being able to break down photographic challenges and really think about how to tackle them.

If you could photograph anyone in the world from the past or the present who would it be and how would you photograph them? (budget is limitless)

Wow that’s a really tough question – so many possibilities. If it happens in my lifetime I would love to be there to photograph the first person to set foot on Mars.

What does being in the Photoion Photography Award book mean to you?

I am absolutely chuffed! This will be the first time any of my images have been printed in a book (let alone 5 of them) and it’s even better that this is a book created by Photoion as that’s where I started. I think I will be buying a few extra copies!

What are your long term plans for your Photography?

I’ve recently started underwater photography, and being back in NZ I have a lot of projects planned around landscape photography, but my long term goal is to strive towards a ‘fine art’ style of wildlife photography.