Photographer of the Month: Michael Ng

Michael Ng - the official photographer for Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2009 - has worked as a commercial photographer for over a decade, shooting for clients including Louis Vuitton, L'OREAL Paris, Vogue Australia and Air New Zealand.

His background in design and architecture influences his work with strong composition being a key component. He took some time out to answer a few questions:

How long have you been a photographer for?

About 12 years.

What attracted you to photography?

The ability to capture the feeling of a place or a building, international travel, visiting new homes, experiencing great design in person and the excitement of going to fashion shows around the world.

What is your speciality? How would you describe your style?

I have a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the University of Auckland so I have an interest in architecture and interiors as well as being the official photographer for New Zealand Fashion Week since 2004. My style is graphic and based on a strong composition viewpoint which comes from my design background.

What is or has been your greatest challenge as a photographer?

Balancing the amount of commercial work versus personal work to maintain your style, and educating clients as well as emerging photographers about how important it is to retain your copyright and license your images.

What do you find most gratifying about being a photographer?

Having a job which does not feel like work and experiencing diverse and interesting adventures around the world.

What tips do you have for budding photographers?

Retain your copyright and do not give files straight from the camera to a client, whether JPEG or RAW format. In the film days, this would be like handing the client the exposed E6 transparency and letting them go to the lab to make a decision on how much to pull or push the film; you just would not do it!

When taking photographs of people, find something to talk about to help them relax in front of the camera and have a back-up idea in case what you have planned does not work.

Michael's official website is www.ngfoto.com.