About
My name is John Benn. I’m a photographer based in Canterbury, New Zealand. I’m a member of the Christchurch Photographic Society (CPS) and the Photographic Society of New Zealand (PSNZ), being award Licentiate Honours by PSNZ (LPSNZ).
I first discovered and became interested in photography when I was a young lad, probably when I was about eight years old and was fortunate enough to be given my first camera. Of course, this was a film camera (Kodak 110) with the option to attach the cube flash. This simple camera really reinforced my love of photography and an appreciation of taking the time to observe the scene, consider the composition and value each press of the shutter.
After a selection of different point and shoot cameras, my first SLR camera came along over 30 years ago, a RICOH KR-10M with a 35-70mm zoom lens and a Speedlite 303P flash unit, all of which I still have today, although to be honest I don’t use them. Perhaps I should buy some film and give it another go. My RICOH served me well for many years, but the feeling of making every shot count, knowing that I’d be paying for the development of ‘wasted’ shots continued to help develop my desire to capture images that mean something to me or capture a precious moment.
These days, with my Nikon Z7II, I shoot a diverse range of subjects but continue to try and take time to find the scene that ‘speaks to me’ in some way. With this in mind my principal aim is to produce images that create a sense of peace and calm. That said, I will try different things and try out new techniques, including all that post processing has to offer.