“But some things take a little time — like making a good cheese or a good wine. There have been massive jumps in technology from manual cameras, film cameras to the most sophisticated digital cameras.”
You won't see Stephen pulling out a phone to take a photo.
“Cellphone cameras are the bane of my life.
“Firstly, people don't clean their lenses so the photos are often blurry.
“Secondly, people expect miracles when they want photos enlarged.
“And thirdly, people are not printing them — so they are losing them.
“We are losing photos”.
And what does he think about selfies?
Stephen closes his eyes, and lowers his head for awhile. Then he looks up.
“Selfies are fine. But it's the quantity people take of themselves. My wife used to complain about our travel photos that there were never enough of us in them. Now I am using the self-timer a bit more.”
Stephen has always been adaptable like that. You have to be as a photographer — anything can happen and the weather plays a part.
If it rained for a shoot, Stephen would use an umbrella in the shots, or a veranda or tree cover.
He was once helicoptered in to a woolshed wedding in Whatatutu. It had flooded the day before so the roads were closed. After capturing the wedding in photos, he spent the night on a sheepskin rug on the floor until the roads opened the next day.
Sometimes it wasn't the weather that put a spanner in the works.
There was a job up the coast when Stephen's car blew up on the return home. His only thought was, “not to worry, the wedding has been done”.
Another time, the bridal car broke down. So Stephen and his van stepped in. The father of the bride drove, the bride had the front seat, Stephen clambered in the back, and they all arrived at the wedding together.
He has seen brides and grooms collapse, and a bridesmaid who became ill and left the ceremony.
Stephen remembers one bride came straight from the maternity home to her wedding after having her baby.
Highlights of his career include when Prince Charles and Diana visited Gisborne in 1983.
He had total access to the royal visit. His knowledge of Maori protocol meant he knew where to go when Prince Charles was about to accept the wero (challenge). So he got to the right spot and had it to himself.
International media twigged and went to join him. Stephen ended up with camera lenses on his shoulder, and over his head, as members of the foreign press jostled for the photo.
Someone accidentally stumbled and the whole group of them went down like dominoes. Stephen wasn't worried.
“I'd already got my shots”.
He covered three royal visits over his career — including two visits by Queen Elizabeth II.
Another highlight was being flown over to photograph a wedding at Sydney Harbour.
He gave up weddings because he wanted his Saturdays back. They became more and more important to him and his family.
Stephen and his wife Kath married in 1986. They raised two children, and there are now five grandchildren. Kath is “Nonna”, and Stephen is “Poppa”. They are Italian endearments that come from their deep love of Italy and the many times they have spent there.
“From here I don't want to work 40 hours a week, and we would like to travel more and spend more time with the grandkids.”
Stephen and Kath also want to start doing more volunteer work — in particular reading with primary-aged children in their classes to increase literacy skills.
They got the idea when they saw it in action many years ago, plus Kath works in the education industry already.
Stephen will continue to do school photos, as well as his lighting work with the theatre groups around town.
He started getting into theatre about the same time as photography. While at Boys' High School — and under the directorship of Norman Mclean — Stephen would help with lighting his shows, and acting and lighting a variety show by John Drummond.
“It was a lot of fun.”
The youngest of three, Stephen was raised in Waimata Valley by his Dad and two older sisters, after losing his mum at seven.
Stephen's first camera was a Box Brownie he inherited from his mum.
At 13 he left home, and boarded at the rectory for his high school years.
His long-time friend, and fellow photographer, Barry Teutenberg was in his class. Between the two of them they did most of the school photography, and went to camera club.
After school, Stephen took up a trade apprenticeship because he could not get a photography job from Hastings to Hamilton, he said.
But in 1978 he got the opportunity when Graham Kinge, one of the owners of photographers Dunstan and Kinge, offered him a full-time position.
He had been freelancing at weddings and 21sts but now he had full-time work. In 1982, when Graham sold his business — to Barry Teutenberg as it happened — Stephen took the chance to go out on his own.
Funnily enough, his first office in 1982 was upstairs from where his last office was in 2020. He calls it a complete circle.
In 1989 he had the photo lab at the Treble Court pharmacy run by David Moore, then moved to other Treble Court shops before he moved next door to Verve in 2002. Then five years ago, he moved his business down the road to where he shut up shop on Thursday.
As he downsizes his workload, semi-retires and looks forward to spending more time with family, Stephen reflects on what he loves most about photography.
“I suppose it was creating memories, and the other side I enjoyed was the creative photography, and more recently travel photography. I can't go on an overseas tour for a month without taking 2000 photos.”
He and his wife now have a deal — there is photo day or tourist day.
“My wife knows.”
