RICHARD WOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

24/05/2026

MODEL CALL. Im on the hunt for a male and female model for an upcoming cinematic poster photograph. Please send me a message if you're interested. We would shoot when your available this coming week in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

26/04/2026

Happy to have picked up the bronze medal for my Fish and Chip Guy in the WORLD PHOTOGRAPHIC CUP held in Iceland this year. Each year countries from around the world choose top images to represent their teams and enter. Over the past year or so my work has largely focused on everything New Zealand. Am pretty happy that a team of international judges picked up enough for it to do this well. Thanks to Damian Smith for stepping in for this.

03/01/2026

Looking for more than just company headshots?

These portraits were created for Cardrona Distillery, and they’re a great example of how staff photography can do more than show who works in a business. They also tell their story.

This series follows the people behind the whisky.
From grain to barrel, each portrait places a staff member inside the process itself. Warm light, real environments, to reflect the magic, craft, and human side of Cardrona’s gallery and whisky making.

The result?… Images that:
• Still work as professional portraits
• Tell a clear story about the brand
• Feel authentic, crafted, and alive
• Connect people to process, not just job titles

If your business has a story, a craft, or a culture worth showing your staff photography can do far more than line up faces on a website.

Headshots are fine. But storytelling portraits are memorable.

If you’re keen to show the real character of your team and what makes your business unique, let’s talk.

19/12/2025

Happy to discover that yesterday it was announced that I’m a finalist in the WORLD PHOTOGRAPHIC CUP in the illustrative category for this portrait. It was quite NZ orientated so happy that the world judges also appreciated it. Judges here called him the ‘Patron saint of fish and chips’. For this portrait I created a wooden resting harness and round collar to form a coffee table like structure around the neck, which was then covered in fish and chip paper.

17/12/2025

Proud to see this image on the cover of 4x4 Journal for M2 Overland. This entire image was built with light.

Every panel of the vehicle was lit individually, the background was lit separately, and each component was shaped deliberately to create depth, form, and tension. The final image is a composite, but not a manipulated one, it’s the result of precise studio lighting, patience, and control, rather than heavy effects or shortcuts.

For me, this kind of work is about respecting the object and the craft behind it. Letting materials, engineering, and design speak through light alone.

Huge thanks to M2 Overland and 4X4 Journal for trusting the process and giving the space to do it properly

30/08/2025

NEW to the NZ Nostalgia Store. 'ANIMORPHOLOGY' - From the iconic to the obscure, 'Animorphology' is a visual tribute to New Zealand’s fishing flies. This artwork spirals with life, showcasing the ingenious imitations that anglers use to tempt trout—flies that echo the form of creatures from smelt to cicadas, from wasps to crayfish, from grasshoppers to spiders, frogs, and even mice. Each fly is more than a tool—it is a miniature work of art, crafted to look alive.
Brought together, they form a hypnotic circle, swimming in endless motion, a celebration of design inspired by nature.

Printed on premium Ilford fine art paper, Animorphology is available in 24x24 inch and 44x44 inch sizes. Every print is signed by the artist and produced as an open edition. A unique piece for anglers, nature lovers, and collectors of fine art—this is a print that connects you to the beauty, ingenuity, and spirit of trout fishing in New Zealand.

A striking tribute art piece to New Zealand’s fishing heritage—crafted for anglers, collectors, and statement spaces. Made from fishing flies from in and around Lake Taupo.

27/08/2025

NZ NOSTALGIA! The Ultimate Kiwiana Photo Print.
My gallery pieces normally sell upwards to $10k, however this KIWI GEM I’m keeping as open edition and affordable starting at $95 on launch sale.
You can find it here at www.thekiwianaprint.co.nz

18/08/2025

I was awarded NZIPP NEW ZEALAND COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR last week. I decided to enter some of my client work into the commercial category and managed to come out tops against some very talented competition in the finals. The majority of this body of work was for Cardrona Distillery who is one of my favourite clients. They're lways pushing the boundaries with their visuals and the imagery I've created for them can be seen on full page campaigns in magazines such as BRITISH VOGUE, CUISINE MAGAZINE and Air New Zealand's inflight read KIA ORA Magazine.

The brooding character shots are my kind of creative 'headshots'. A magical take on the staff working in the distillery creating their internationally acclaimed whiskeys. The underwater image was for the distillery's Reid Vodka, where we spent 5 hours in scuba gear with one of New Zealand's best synchronised swimmers.

12/08/2025

An ‘IN CAMERA’ capture from my Illustrative portfolio for the NZIPP IRIS awards this year. And a small behind the scenes video.

The scene was created using paper mache, flour, baking soda, a mirror, smoke and a toy whale for something a little surreal and peculiar.

Captured using the Canon R5 Mark II. Nanlite Pavotubes, the Smoke Ninja, Cheetah Light stands and the Godox UL150 silent constant light and the Godox Optical snoot with 85mm projection unit.

27/10/2024

Some behind the scenes from an incredible underwater shoot this year with and . Five hours of underwater action with . Makeup by . Special thanks to for your amazing facility! .nz .