Blue Mountains local recognised as NZ Geographic Young Photographer of the Year

The winner of the Sport category of Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers 2017 and Blue Mountains local photographer, twenty-year-old Ben Sanford has been recognised as New Zealand Geographic Young Photographer of the Year. Beating a field of 3,800 entries from around the globe, Sanford was initially selected as one of the 65 finalists for his image of a man scaling Sebastopol Ridge in Aoraki-Mt Cook National Park, captured during a month long climbing trip to the NZ Alps in 2016.

To capture the image of climber Brad Cameron at dawn, Sanford perched anchorless on a step cut into the ice, as part of a complex balancing act. “In scenarios with high risk sports, I choose to work around my subjects, rather than asking them to do particular actions,” Sanford said. “I find this method safer and more effective to capture authentic shots."

NZ Geographic publisher James Frankham said Sanford’s portfolio of images caught the eye of the judges for his clarity of intent, the careful framing of each shot, and the light and drama in each image. “Ben Sanford is not from around here. He's from across the ditch — remarkable for its flatness and brownness and hotness. So, when Sanford travels to New Zealand he does so with purpose,” he said. “Specifically, he's after steepness, whiteness and coldness. Climbing gives him access to locations and perspectives few of his neighbours have witnessed — and few New Zealanders, too,” he said.

Sanford’s work has been featured in high profile publications including National Geographic Adventure, Rock and Ice Magazine, Vertical Life, The Climber, ROCK, and The Cable Magazine, amongst others.