Ever wondered what it’s like to travel the world photographing some of the most beautiful, stunning landscapes on offer?
Meet Talman Madsen – a 25-year-old landscape photographer who grew up in Pakuranga and has a job doing exactly that.
Most days he never knows what’s around the corner.
“I’ll get an email one day [from a client], and I’ll be on a plane the next. It’s a hectic ride.”
He’s most recently been in the spotlight for reaching the top five in a competition to give one lucky photographer the chance to be an intern with the Asia Pacific branch of Discovery Channel and earn a free 39 day overseas holiday, visiting eight idyllic tourist locations.
His submission for the final stages of the competition highlighted the best of an early morning hike to the Tasman Glacier Lake at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park.
“Climbing the last few steps off the moraine (glacial debris) wall I was overcome with a sense of wonder and beauty… I looked around and couldn’t believe I had this all to myself,” Talman said in his submission entry.
It was a tight race that was eventually won by Auckland’s Ben Mikha.
As for Talman, it’s onwards and upwards to wherever his next adventure may lead.
The talented photographer, who was named New Zealand Geographic’s Young Photographer of the Year in 2016, earns most of his income being contracted for landscape photography projects.
This includes the likes of Lonely Planet, Tourism New Zealand, Snapchat, various tourism boards and adventure tourism businesses, as well as the occasional wedding.
It’s a career he never would have considered growing up said Talman, who completed a Business degree at Massey University and also worked as a mortgage broker.
It was work trip to Australia two years ago and a detour along the Great Ocean Road that changed his mind, and he started to upload photos to his Instagram account, now followed by more than 26,000 Instagram users.
Even he doesn’t know where to next, but if there’s one thing for sure, he’ll be sticking around New Zealand for a while.
“I describe myself as a true Kiwi. I couldn’t just up and leave.
“At the moment I’m really focused on New Zealand and capturing this country… I’m just surfing the wave. I love it.”
