Dennis lives in the stunning seaside village of Kaikoura on the South Island's north-east coast, famed for its abundant marine wildlife and pelagic birdlife. No guesses as to what he spends his time photographing! Dennis has always had a love for the outdoors. 

Born in Cheviot, North Canterbury in 1953, exposure to the outdoors was a normal part of every day life from a young age. In 1958 Dennis' family moved to Oaro, 20 kilometres south of Kaikoura and from the age of 5 his father introduced him to hunting. The foothills around Oaro and Kaikoura became the realm for endless hours spent in the pursuit of game over the next 15 years. The skills developed in this sport, were to stand him in good stead for a future career in photography.

Dennis went to Christchurch Teachers College and trained as a primary school teacher, doing one years teaching in Kaikoura before taking a break. The break however turned out to become rather extensive. In 1978 he took up commercial rock lobster fishing and developed a successful business in this vocation over the next 14 years. In 1991, Dennis and his wife Lynette joined his brother Rik and business partner Ian Bradshaw, in their fledgling tourist operation which involved swimming and watching the dusky dolphins. Kaikoura was in the early days of a burgeoning tourist development and today Dolphin Encounter is one of the main attractions.

The necessity of obtaining good images for promotional purposes provided Dennis with the reason to put the skills developed on the land at a young age to good use in a different field, the ocean. Hours spent at sea and many, many rolls of film passing through the camera slowly saw the beginnings of a stunning marine mammal portfolio.

To Dennis, dedication, patience, knowing your subject and above all, learning continually and putting this knowledge to good use, are the main keys to successful photography.

View Dennis' Bird Photos                                       View Dennis' Marine Photos                                           View ALL Dennis' Photos