Challenging Photography During the Winter of 2025
With the change of season, and the days gradually getting longer and noticeably warmer, I find myself reflecting back on how different the winter was in 2025 compared to previous years. Over the last few years, the winters have been relatively mild, offering plenty of opportunities to go outdoors with my camera and capture the subtle beauty of the season. However, the last weekend of June 2025 brought a dramatic shift when a large storm hit the Marlborough region. I recorded 210mm of rain falling over a 14-hour period, which led to widespread flooding. The Wairau River’s flow peaked at a rate of approxiamately 3000 cubic metres per second, causing major disruptions including road closures and evacuations.
As the floodwaters slowly receded and roads began to reopen, the region was struck by two more significant rain events over the next two weeks. These repeated downpours ensured continued flooding, additional road closures, and a prolonged period of difficulty for local residents.
When events like this happen, social media pages immediately fill with posts as many people rush outdoors with their phones or cameras to document the unfolding drama. Unfortunately, some individuals even put their lives at risk by filming from precarious spots like river bridges with raging water below, all in pursuit of a few hundred likes and comments. Personally, I chose to stay inside, keeping my camera safe, dry, and warm during the stormy weather.
Taking advantage of this time indoors, I decided it was a perfect opportunity to focus on some online learning since it was challenging to venture out with my camera. Through my Adobe Creative Cloud account, I was able to access a three-month free trial of Upskill, an online education platform. After exploring the range of courses available, I felt confident that this would be a valuable resource to improve my photography skills during the less active winter days.
The four courses I have successfully completed so far were:-
A Diploma in Video Production and Editing
A Video Editing Course
A Diploma in Photoshop
A Diploma in Graphic Design
All four of the courses I completed were through The Shaw Academy and were specifically centred around the current Adobe programs that I regularly use in my work. I truly enjoyed the courses and found that I greatly benefited from the knowledge and skills they provided.
As the weather gradually cleared, it remained very cold, although not quite cold enough to produce any snow. One of the trips I had planned for this winter was to visit the Rainbow Ski Field. Unfortunately, the ski field has been unable to open this season due to the lack of sufficient snowfall. This means that the trip will have to be postponed until the winter of 2026.
At the end of July, I had the pleasure of hosting family who traveled from the North Island. I took the opportunity to show them around the beautiful Marlborough Region, including a memorable day trip down to Kaikoura. We also spent a delightful morning exploring the Omaka Aviation Museum. If you live in Blenheim or happen to be visiting the area, it is definitely worthwhile to spend some time viewing the extensive WW1 and WW2 exhibitions housed there.
You can read the detailed blog post about the Omaka Aviation Museum here for more insights.
Etrich Taube in the WW1 Exhibition
I’ve also been working on a new gallery for my website. Recently, I’ve been carefully going through a large collection of old images captured from the top of the South Island and the West Coast, mixing them with several newer photographs I took in the Nelson Region during mid-June of 2025. This combination offers a fresh perspective while showcasing the beauty of these remarkable areas.
