Through the Viewfinder: Insightful Stories from New Zealand’s Defence Force Photographers

Get ready for an awesome presentation featuring two incredibly talented photographers from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). These two photographers have some serious skills behind the camera, and they’re here to give us a sneak peek into their world. We’re talking about capturing jaw-dropping action shots, heartfelt moments, and everything in between. From training exercises to real-life missions, they’ve been right there in the thick of it all.

So, buckle up and prepare to be blown away as they share their stories, show off their incredible images, and give us a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be an NZDF photographer. It’s going to be an epic ride, folks!

Rachel
Corporal Rachel Pugh first heard about the role of a military photographer when she was at high school and immediately discarded the idea as being way too unrealistic. Instead, she studied a Bachelors of Fine Arts majoring in photography, and it wasn’t until her final year of study that she began to seriously consider applying for the role anyway.

Now she has been in service for four years and deployed to multiple countries across the Pacific following NZDF units from exercise to operation. Her work has been featured in national and international publications, as well as occasionally going viral on Reddit. In 2022 she took home third place in the Asia Pacific Photography Awards in Advertising and Editorial and was a shortlist in the 2021 Voyager Media Awards for best cover image of a magazine.

Based in Ohakea, her particular passion is air-to-air photography, working in and around the helicopter squadrons and trying not to fall out the side of the aircraft.

Naomi
Corporal Naomi James is a New Zealand Defence Force photographer working out of Base Ohakea in the mighty Manawatu. Having been in service for just over 6 ½ years, Naomi has been behind the lens throughout her entire military career. Brought up in the United Kingdom, her passion for photography was sparked in college which led her to study a Bachelor of Arts in Photography before moving to NZ at the end of 2015 as a creative post-graduate.

As a photographer, Naomi enjoys the variety of photographic skills and challenges that comes with visually documenting military exercises and operations. She has participated in activities with numerous units and services; from capturing commemorative ceremonial events in Europe, to sailing the seas in the Pacific, and disaster relief in Australia. Her work has been published in digital and hard print domestically and abroad.

A highlight of her career was capturing the Anzac Day flypast image of Biggin Hill’s Historic Aircraft Centre’s Spitfire. This particular image was featured in the NZ Herald as photo of the week as well as achieving a finalist spot in the Asia Pacific Photography Awards in 2022.