16 A world winning shot

A world winning SHOT

Nelson-born Aimee Jan has made it into the ranks of the world’s top ocean photographers with her chance shot of a Ningaloo Reef turtle, which appears to have popped out of its cave to pose especially for her. Tracy Neal spoke with Aimee from her home in Exmouth, Western Australia, about how it all happened.

The moment Aimee Jan fell in love with the ocean is not entirely clear. It’s possible it has simply coursed through her since the day she was born.

Or perhaps it was the childhood influence of growing up on the Nelson waterfront, the swimming clubs she was part of, or her summer holidays in Golden Bay with best friend Amy Jamieson. “I think I was maybe six or seven years-old when I began to be fascinated by the ocean and whales. Mum is still not really sure where that came from but possibly the documentaries we watched growing up.” The 36-year-old is still reeling from just having won a globally prestigious ocean photography competition, judged by a panel of the world’s leading ocean photographers. “When I got the news I had won the award I couldn’t actually believe it. I was gobsmacked, really, and very, very honoured.” The competition is staged by London-based Oceanographic Magazine and judged by International Photography Hall of Fame inductee Paul Nicklen, founder of the International League of Conservation Photographers, Cristina Mittermeier, and Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Shawn Heinrichs. The awards showcase images by photographers from around the world and reflect themes of conservation, exploration and adventure. Aimee’s striking photo of an endangered turtle among glass fish not only won this year’s Ocean Photographer of the Year Award, but it also got her nominated as a finalist in the competition’s new category, the Female Fifty Fathoms Award which celebrates inspirational women in ocean photography. “I’ve looked up to photographers like Paul and Christina for the longest time, so having them see my photograph and having it stand out to them, is just…huge, huge, huge for me. “It’s a massive kick up the butt for me to do more.”

An endangered turtle among glass fish was Aimee’s photo which won this year’s Ocean Photographer of the Year Award.

AIMEE JAN

Aimee works as an undersea photographer for tour company, Whale Shark Dive in Western Australia, where she started as a guide 10 years ago. Australia beckoned her from Nelson as a 20-year-old, firstly to the Gold Coast where Aimee started surfing and scuba diving, and then further west. The year she had originally planned to be away has turned into 16 years. “My friends were travelling around Western Australia and they came across the Ningaloo Reef. One my friends, who knew me really well, told me I needed to be there because there were whale sharks and whales, and the reef was amazing.” It was enough to convince her to visit, and soon decide to make it home.

Aimee first picked up a camera as a youngster, and then did photography as a student at Nelson College for Girls. She took up underwater photography while on the Gold Coast, then bought her first proper set-up, a Canon G12 once in WA. Aimee says underwater photography takes a lot of practise. “The cameras are slightly different, a lot of other elements come into play, such as water clarity – and it can be quite dark, there are particles and if you’re dealing with wildlife then it’s moving.” She says getting paid to take photographs under the sea is a dream job, “100 per cent”, especially within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ningaloo Marine Park. It was during a back-of-reef snorkel that a friend called her over to say there were heaps of glass fish in a cave, and a turtle among them. “I looked and it was just amazing. The glassfish just opened up around the turtle and framed it perfectly, just in enough time for me to take a photo before I needed to come up for air.” Aimee agrees it appears as if the turtle is trying to talk to her, which is why it stood out. “Photographers like myself are always just trying to capture a connection between an animal and ourselves, and it is hard to capture, so when it happens and you nail the photo, it’s a winning combo.”

Aimee Jan

Aimee says the turtle had been resting, and seemed amused by her camera and its housing, almost as if he was “checking himself out”.

“I came to the surface and yelled ‘I think I just got the best photo I’ve ever taken!’” It turns out, she was right. Oceanographic Magazine editor, Will Harrison, described it as simply sensational – a standout among the thousands of entries and the extraordinarily strong final three. “It’s a gorgeous shot, the turtle almost looks like it’s posing. It looks like a portrait, the baitfish in the background also look like they’ve posed. It’s a sensational photo,” he said on a social media video feed to announce the winners.

“Aimee should be enormously proud, given the enormous array of top quality images we had this year.” Wildlife biologist Lizzie Daly, who assisted with the announcement, called it a powerful shot. “I don’t even know where to start with this, it’s so powerful.” Aimee says she is waiting for global borders to re-open before making any decision on what next. She was committed to her job, which was about to wrap up for the season, and she hoped to be able to make it back to Nelson to see family, especially her parents Mary and Peter Jan. “It’s been tough not having seen Mum and Dad in so long. I usually come home each year.” Aimee’s ultimate goal is to keep photographing wildlife. “If this [award] helps me in any way then that’s amazing, but I really want to raise awareness of the ocean and conservation. “If you look out to the ocean, yeah, it looks beautiful, but you have no idea what’s underneath.”

Aimee’s photo is currently part of an exhibition of photographs from the competition on display near Tower Bridge, central London.

Swift – a good fit.

Sarah Goodfellow would describe her life as ‘busy’. The BNZ business partner, and mum of two, says often her second job is as a taxi driver for her young children.

Sarah spends a lot of time in the car between school and kindergarten pick-ups, running around to sports matches, playdates, all while juggling paid employment. When she picked up her brand-new 2021 Suzuki Swift Sport, she had a pre-conceived idea that it would be sluggish, slow and tight on space. She was a little worried that the Swift may not keep up with her busy lifestyle and running around after the kids. But by the time she had driven home from Dayman’s, those thoughts had completely disappeared. “It was so much better than our expectations. We had both the car seats in the back, and we were off, it literally blew us away.” She describes the new model of Swift as a real “pocket rocket”. In fact, her favourite thing about the car was its getup and go. “It really surprised both me and my husband, there was a lot of power when you put your foot down.” Lockdown put a stop on a lot of the day-to-day running around but the family of four made the most of their new vehicle and took it for a spin at any opportunity. She noticed people would ask about the car, where it came from, and how it handled. “One couple came up to us and said they had bought the same car and were just raving about it; it was really cool.” The Swift was a far cry from the two large SUVs which normally fill the driveway, but a welcome change as it was so much easier to park. The reversing camera only adds to the great visibility from the driver’s seat. 17-inch alloy wheels, aerodynamic skirts, honeycomb grille, twin exhausts, rear diffuser and rear spoiler combine to make this car visually impressive to look at. Sarah says this is only amplified when you get inside. Her favourite feature was the 7-inch multimedia display which her phone easily connected with to play through the six-speaker audio system. “All the dials are easy to see, and it has all the bells and whistles you would expect in a modern car. It was such a cool car. It was really fun, the kids loved it too.” She encourages anyone who has preconceptions of the Swift to get in the driver’s seat. “They need to go and drive one. It was a bit sad to give it back.”