Born in Latvia in 1943, Andris Apse spent the first five years of his life in a refugee camp in Germany. On emigrating to New Zealand, he and his mother eventually settled in Paihia, Bay of Islands. His decision to become a landscape photographer was stirred at the age of 18, after his first journeys into New Zealand’s natural wilderness with the New Zealand Forest Service. He became a professional photographer in 1969 and purchased a commercial studio, combining landscape photography with wedding, portrait and industrial work. By the 1980’s he was exclusively photographing landscapes and as his reputation grew, he started being commissioned to illustrate magazines, books, tourism promotional material and corporate profiles both in New Zealand and around the world. Andris has published more than twenty books and won numerous prestigious awards for his work.

Tony Hewitt has exhibited either solo or jointly in over 30 exhibitions. With a passion for people, places & travel, and an instinctive sense of the moment, he expresses a unique combination of award winning photographic vision, and simple creativity & design. His photographic journey has seen him explore the genres of Fine Art, Landscape, Industrial, Portrait, Wedding and Aerial Photography, and he has been consistently invited to critique & judge both nationally and internationally since 1995. He is widely sought after as a presenter and for his mentoring and coaching, including group programs which focus on personal development and creativity skills. Tony is a Grand Master of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP), a Fellow and Honorary Fellow of the AIPP & a Fellow of the NZIPP.