Richard Brookes is a New Zealand born commercial photographer. He began shooting photos at the age of ten on family holidays to Ruapehu National Park in the central north island.

"It was always a passion of mine but it never occurred to me I could actually do it for a living - I picked it up professionally at twenty four when a friend let me use an Olympus OM10 camera and I absolutely loved it, I just couldn't put it down!"

Richard is now a professional fashion, travel, corporate and wedding photographer and has worked for fifteen years with clients such as Air New Zealand, Vodafone, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, James Hardie, NZ House & Garden Magazine and The New Zealand Herald.

"My work is diverse - one day I'm shooting the executive team at Air New Zealand, the next I'm shooting fashion models on the beach, then off to a resort in the Fiji Islands for travel and wedding photography. A few days later I can be shooting a celebrity in the studio...

...pretty sure I have the best job in the world!"