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CONTRIBUTORS

Behind the scenes

PAST: Justin became addicted to the process of creating something while looking through the lens of a 35mm camera during a surf trip to Indonesia, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that he picked up a digital camera. After making contacts in the music industry, he started capturing live concerts, and creating imagery for bands. During his career, he’s photographed the likes of Metallica, Coldplay, Santana, Fat Freddy’s Drop, and many more local and international artists. He also picked up a few weddings along the way to help fund equipment and lens purchases — all the time, learning as much as he could while studying for a computer networking degree. The tech degree was ditched halfway through for a full-time professional career in photography. “And I have never looked back.”

PRESENT: Justin lives in the Bay of Plenty with his wife and three children. He grew up in a small-town coastal village in South Africa, and he and his wife wanted a similar lifestyle for their kids, making the move from Auckland to Tauranga a few years ago. “I photograph many weddings each year, mostly in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato areas, but do find myself traveling around the country now and again. The rest of my time is made up with commercial and lifestyle work, including families and other portraiture.” He says his young family keeps him busy, but he is currently trying to find time to learn a bit more about video and content creation. (Justin took the portrait of Māori leader Donna Ngaronoa Gardiner for this issue, see page 66.)

FUTURE: “I’m okay with not making any solid plans. I’ve always had mega ideas and worked hard for things to happen, but I’m trying to be more present with my kids and just ride the wave now.” Talking of riding waves, he is currently enjoying surfing and being in the ocean. “It’s the perfect reset for me and allows me to escape reality (and the news). I’d imagine that in time, I’ll probably try to do fewer weddings and more portrait, commercial and video work.” justinaitken.com

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2022-07-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-07-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thisnzlife.pressreader.com/article/281702618379453

NZ Lifestyle Magazine Group