Did you read our blog on how Matariki is a huge opportunity to photograph this historic first national holiday celebrating mātauranga Māori? We’ve caught your attention, but now you want to know what to do next. In this blog we’ll spark your imagination for what to capture and how - when it comes to stock photography.
Here are three guiding principles to help us understand the true spirit of Matariki:
- Remembrance – Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki
- Celebrating the present – Gathering together to give thanks for what we have
- Looking to the future – Looking forward to the promise of a new year.
Gosh, that’s broad you say. How do I even begin?
That’s easy, just bring it back even further, to what you see and feel. Those moments which cause you to stop, think and plan over the weekend. Think of Matariki as starting a new year, but without the fireworks, parties and excesses of 1 January. If something sparks your emotions this will shine through in your photographs and it will resonate with the image users, because they will likely have similar feelings.
If your weekend revolves around gathering with your family, remembering loved ones, catching a cultural experience, eating from a winter harvest or getting out into the great outdoors, each of these can easily become stock photos of Matariki for Aotearoa.
The first rule, always, is to include something of New Zealand in the photo. Include an element: a star, a New Zealand book, clothing such as a Swanndri ® shirt, a bush camp fire or hut, a plant or other unique items from your home and surrounds. Change your depth of field to emphasise the main subject, but have a subtle secondary element that reinforces the New Zealand feel.
Second is to think about how someone would use the image for a website, blog or on socials. For Matariki it is going to be a positive message, it is going to have warm colours to ward off any winter chills and it is likely to capture an emotional connection between the viewer and the image. We talked about capturing Cosy in our first blog on ‘Stretching your talents’ here. These photographic cues will also relate to Matariki.
Mostly make sure you are present in your activity and enjoying your holiday weekend. Because when you enjoy the atmosphere, you will express it in your photography and it is these photos that stand out.
Each of us can load a few Matariki images to the Excio Image Library, and we’ll make waves in the stock photography industry.
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