David Owen

David Owen, 84, is a self-taught photographer based in Masterton. He spent more than three decades photographing the outdoors in New Zealand, the South Island in particular. One highlight was walking the Milford Track in 1984 as a “freedom walker” with four kilograms of camera gear, then pitching a tent at the end of the runway at Milford and spending four days tramping in Fiordland. (He recalls the whole trip costing just $40.) David has never been a member of a camera club. He did apply to join the New Zealand Professional Photographers’ Association but was declined because he was “only a part-timer”.