Derek Henderson

Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming a photographer

I started taking photos on a holiday in Tahiti and never looked back. I just thought I could express myself through taking photographs. For me, they’re a bit like poetry — they don’t need a lot of explaining and are open to interpretation by the viewer. I’m inquisitive by nature and always wonder what’s going on and how other people think about things — what makes them tick; the human condition.

How does growing up in New Zealand influence your work?

There’s a lot of nature in Aotearoa, so that has had an influence on what I do. I always love coming back to Aotearoa to take photographs and to just hang out. It’s a strange place at the bottom of the world — that’s part of the attraction. Most people around the world who don’t live here think it’s a paradise, but like anywhere, once you start to scratch the surface, things aren’t quite what you thought they were.

In late October 2017, you travelled the East Cape of New Zealand to create a raw, un–art-directed photo essay for ACTIVIST. What resonated with you about working with ACTIVIST on this project?

The raw approach to what they wanted to do with the product and imagery was something I could relate to.

Your images capture the essence of New Zealand so beautifully. What do you think is captured in those images that is so distinctly New Zealand?

I feel at home in Aotearoa and have a certain familiarity with the landscape. I just enjoy wandering around and being there in the moment. For the most part, my images are everyday things that you might miss if you didn’t take a closer look.

How do you balance the technical side of photography with the instinctual and emotional side?

After a while, you forget the technical side of photography; it becomes second nature, and you start to think more about what you want to say with the images you take. I’m not really interested in the camera I use — again, it’s just a tool to capture how I feel about something I’ve come across. It could be taken on my iPhone or my 4 × 5 field camera.

How does the relationship you build with your subject (whether a person or a place) shape the way the final image comes to life?

The connection with the subject is important, whether it’s a person or a place. Sometimes a picture comes together very quickly; other times, I spend more time observing something or someone before taking the photo. Each subject is treated individually.

Outside of photography, what influences you most?

Enjoying where you are and taking it all in with people you love.