About ESTHER
Listen in and hear about Esther’s creative story on Creative Matters Podcast, 2024.
Award-winning photographer Esther Bunning has a style that is both instantly recognisable and difficult to pin down. Drawn to quiet beauty and resplendent light, she weaves elements in a dreamy pastiche that tends to provide the viewer with a glimpse of the subject. Her creative vision, coupled with a gleeful willingness to play with idiosyncratic gear has evolved to include the intricacies, depth, and layers of details both photographing people, and landscapes - details otherwise perhaps unseen.
Esther produces images that transcend photography, beautifully capturing emotion, story and aroha with a depth that is seldom seen in photography. She is recognised as one of New Zealand’s finest portrait photographers. She is a Nikon Ambassador for New Zealand, an Asukabook Ambassador for Australasia, and a Lensbaby Ambassador.
Esther is a double Grand Master and an Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP).
Wherever possible, she loves the challenge of create her photographic magic ‘in-camera’, and crafting in the moment - using creative lens’, multiple exposures and an array of interesting tools to shoot through.
Some recent awards and accolades…
WINNER: Highly Commended Award | Sotherby’s International Realty | Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History | Art Review 2023
FINALIST: Waikato Museum National Contemporary Art Award 2023
FINALIST: Parkin Drawing Prize 2022 and 2021
HONOURABLE MENTION and ‘TOP 5’ Jurors choice at the IPA International Photography Awards 2021
WINNER: NZIPP Creative Photographer of the Year 2023, 2021, 2020
WINNER: NZ PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
NZ Pacific Studio 2020/2021 ANZAC Bridge Fellow
FINALIST: NZIPP Illustrative Photographer of the Year 2022
WINNER: Highest Scoring print award 2021 with 100/100 for The Secret Keeper book
HONOURABLE MENTION and ‘TOP 5’ Jurors choice at the IPA International Photography Awards
WINNER: NZIPP Portrait Open Photographer of the Year 2020
FINALIST: HeadOn International Portrait Award May 2020
