Craig Potton MNZM is a noted New Zealand photographer and conservationist. Born in Nelson, he gained degrees in Eastern Religion and English, then, after a brief teaching career, began working full-time for the conservation movement. He remains actively involved in conservation work more than 30 years later. As Ambassador and Executive Member of the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, he frequently presents talks on his photography and its link with conservation efforts. He also served for 12 years as an appointed member of the New Zealand Conservation Authority, advising the Minister and the Director General of Conservation on conservation planning and policy development. He features in the 2009 New Zealand documentary Earth Whisperers as an environmental visionary. Craig also conceived, screen wrote and presented two New Zealand television documentary series, Rivers (2010) and Wild Coasts (2011). At the 2011 New Zealand Scriptwriters Awards he won Best Documentary series for his episode ‘Rangitata’.
During the 1980s, Craig wrote and produced a number of national park handbooks and established himself as one of New Zealand’s leading photographers of wilderness landscapes. In pursuit of his photography he has traveled, tramped and climbed extensively in New Zealand, its sub-Antarctic Islands, the Dry Valley and Ross Sea areas of Antarctica, Iceland, Sabah, the Pacific Islands, the Nepal Himalaya, the ancient forests of Poland and the deserts and mountains of Mongolia.
Craig has had numerous exhibitions of his photographic prints over the last decade, both in New Zealand, USA, Australia, Poland, Israel and Latvia. His recent work has also included film and television, working as stills photographer on Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Peter Pan and King Kong.
Craig is most widely regarded for his book publications and as one of New Zealand’s foremost landscape photographers. Craig is the founder and co-owner of publishing company Potton & Burton, based in Nelson where he lives and is former Chairman of The Suter Art Gallery.
Craig will be bringing some books along to his workshop, and these may be purchased during the Convention. Craig also invites attendees to visit the Craig Potton Gallery and Store located at 255 Hardy Street, Nelson