purefocus

Kakapo

Hokonui - one of the 2009 Kakapo chicks being hand-reared on Codfish Island (Whenua hou)

Swan script

This is one of the few photos in my collection which I have manipulated. While in Switzerland I took numerous photos of a group of swans with the intention of creating somthing such as his. I stitched three photos together to create this swan collection

Dead Moth

While walking the tracks on Whenua Hou (Codfish Island), I would keep my eyes peeled for interesting things on the tracks. This moth was in a aparticularly muddy part of the track. I think that there had been low cloud covering the area in which I found the moth which may explain the water droplets. This is one of my shots which was taken on my old 2 mega pixel Canon powershot.

Elephant flipper

Taking photos of parts of animals is something I have done for a long time. It forces you to focus on parts of the animal often overlooked – such as this elephant seal flipper

Elephant seal face

This Elephant seal was in Capstan cove, Campbell Island, New Zealand. It had goose barnacles growing on it, and looked like it had fully experienced the southern ocean.

Sea Lion

In many ways this is “just another sea lion photo”, however I love it because the background is almost colourless and this really highlights this young females light colouring. The marks in the sand behind this girl are from males defending their harem.

Dead Albatross

Sometimes, in death, things which were once beautiful take on a new beauty - but it is really really different in appearance and can smell pretty aweful..... .

Two Elephant Seals

I love the ambiguity of this shot. It is 2 elephant seals on Campbell Island. One is sort of lying on the other and has its head turned towards me creaking these wonderful neck rolls. I showed this to an old friend and he immediately laughed and said..."I've got a neighbour that looks like that". I'm still not sure whether the neighbour is overweight of really hairy.

Albatross necks

Two Royal Albarosses are caught flirting in this mixture of shades of white .

Tuna Tale

The history of tuna fishing is a tragic tail. I like the somber mood of this photo and the position of the tails in the low evening light.

Camel face

A camel on the side of the road just out of Dubai UAE. I think the eyelashes are great.

Camel

Do you have those moments when you are driving and see something you "need" to photorgaph. Often it is most sensible not to scream to a halt on the side of the road for a photo, but in this case that is exaclty what we did. And this is the resulting shot.

Sharks

I went to the fish market in Mukallah, Yemen, where I was a little disturbed to find numerous small sharks for sale. More disturbing was the number of shark fins for which there were no corresponding sharks.

Hoki

Hoki, the Kakapo, appearing out of the darkness of the night.

Sirocco detail #1

I enjoyed this opportunity to capture kakapo in photographic form in ways no one has previously attempted. I love the finished product.

Sirocco detail #2

Kakariki feather

This Kakariki feather was found on the forest floor. The tanins from decomposing plant material have stained he feather. For me, te misplaced feather and the brown blotches add interest to this photo.

From when I bought my first SLR camera at the age of 12, until a 4 or 5 years ago, the main focus of my photography was to take "nice" wildlife shots. I looked at the work and read about the techniques of photographers shuch as Geoff Moon. I spent hours in a hide photographing hawks, pukekos, and oystercatchers. I got some great results and loved it.

I began to realise that while I had some great results I was trying to take shots I hoped people would like, rather than taking time to think about how I wanted to capture the subject. I spent a lot of time discussing images with the artist Allan Hope, and began experimenting with a new digital camera using some ideas from Freeman Patterson. I began to leave more and more out of my photos and got some of the results you can see here. While I still enjoy taking the more classic wildlife photos, my aim is to combine the style I have developed in this phase of my photography, with the techniques I learned years ago to create clean, simple, interesting photos of more difficult subjects. Enjoy.

I am currently selling greeting cards of some of my images on ETSY

Purefocus sells images taken by Malcolm Rutherford. Purefocus images have been used in various publications including news media, magazine articles, as refernce material for artists, and in advertising. Images have also been exhibited as fine-art works and this is an anvenue I greatly enjoy.

Purefocus images are avaliable through Glowing Skies clothing stores. A range of local images can be found in the Wanaka, Waiheke Island, and Stewart Island branches of Glowing Skies. These images are avaliable as postcards, greeting cards, small prints, and large prints.

I have many more images than are on show here and am always adding to my collection. If I have an image you wish to purchase or use, or you wish to discuss a commission, I'd be excited to hear from you.

The majority of photos here are taken on a Canon A700. This is a 6 mega pixel point and shoot with a 6x zoom. A few of the photos here are taken on a 2 mega pixel canon A65. The majority of my photos are taken while I am walking on beaches, in the bush, or down the street. In these situations it is often quite impractical to have my SLR kit at the ready, therfore I stick with the point and shoot. My most recent work has been taken on a Canon Powershot G9. It is a point and shoot but very grunty which makes it ideal for travel..