Photography: Rachel Wybrow.
While travelling the world on a superyacht for almost a decade, Emma Willetts-Smith started capturing her surroundings. “We visited so many incredible countries, I just wanted to document what I was seeing.” Essentially self-taught, though she did attend workshops in New York and California, Emma dabbled in portrait and wedding photography ahead of turning her camera to Mother Nature.
Today, Emma’s photographic prints of braided rivers and block-coloured salt lakes are fan favourites. Her landscapes capture nature from a perspective we rarely get to see, often snapped from the open door of a helicopter or aeroplane.
We caught up with Emma to hear about the magic behind her works.
What is your process behind the camera? What draws you to a particular location to photograph?
Everything I do is about finding interesting subject matter and beautiful light – light is everything in landscape photography. My approach is possibly a little different to other landscape photographers in that I always attempt to find something unique to shoot, or photograph the landscape in a way that’s never been seen before. I’m particularly drawn to locations with a point of difference, and of course, New Zealand is full of them.
Your shots capture the movement of nature, particularly water, so well. What draws you to this subject matter?
I’ve always loved the water and spent a great deal of my life working and living on the ocean. I guess it’s always made me feel a sense of peace. I’m fascinated with braided rivers and their beauty – every time I fly, I see them differently, depending on the time of the year, and the way the light reflects their unique colours.
In 2017, I was commissioned to photograph some local mountain ranges and had to fly over the braided Waitaki River. I’d never seen it from the air and it was love at first sight. An instant connection and ongoing obsession!
Your aerial shots are particularly captivating, capturing moments we rarely get to see. How did you fall into this area of photography? And what are the challenges of shooting from the air?
Shooting from a helicopter or Cessna (small, piston aircraft) has plenty of challenges. When flying with a pilot, your communication has to be spot on, always letting them know exactly what you want. There’s always a lot of vibration in a helicopter, so from a technical standpoint, you need to be adaptable. I always fly with the door off so I can have an entire scene in front of me, with no barrier or light reflection from the windows, which always provides a quintessential landscape image.
A Cessna is really quite different. With only a small window to open, I’m less in the landscape as I am with a helicopter, but the plane can bank easily, allowing me to the exact position I want to be in.
Do you have a favourite part of the world to photograph?
I absolutely love photographing the salt lakes on Australia’s west coast. With extraordinary colours and textures, the aerial shots translate as quite abstract landscapes that keep people questioning what they’re looking at. There are still many places in Australia I would love to photograph, but my dream is to shoot the braided rivers of Iceland. We hope to get there for our honeymoon in 2025!
What advice would you give someone just starting in landscape photography?
The thousand-hour rule – practice, practice, practice. Keep playing and experimenting with different lighting and focal lengths and move the subject matter around until you find something you love. Trust your instincts and don’t let other people dictate how to shoot a certain subject.
My approach isn’t for everyone, but I love that. It resonates with me and I know the right people will be drawn to my work.
And finally, how can people support your mahi?
Come visit my website! You may like what you see and purchase a piece for yourself.
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