Craig McAllister, Photographer, Boats in Water

Late last year, and before international borders closed, our very own Marinas became the place of inspiration for an internationally recognised photographer.

Craig McAllister, an American photographer hailing from San Francisco, has made waves internationally with his photos which he describes as, “bordering on the unconventional, reflecting my love for colours and reflections”.

Craig takes his photos to look more like paintings than photographs. He says he enjoys “prowling around marinas” looking for “magical combinations of colour, line, shape and reflection”. It was at Waikawa that Craig found some of his favourite boats to shoot in Marlborough, with his Nikon d7000 and d3000.

“Three of my favourite marinas happen to be in New Zealand, the Westhaven Marina, Nelson Marina and Waikawa Marina. In general, the water and the boats in NZ are the cleanest of any I have seen in the world, with only Split, Croatia falling into that same category. There are several marinas in the San Francisco area that are also among my favourites, though the water is nowhere near as clean as in New Zealand”.

He credits some of his best New Zealand shots to the colourful boats in Waikawa Marina and he was impressed by the large percentage of clean and colourful boats in the marinas. Time of day, weather conditions and access to hulls at the right angle all play a role in finding and developing his unusual images.

Craig can be found on Instagram and Facebook (Craig McAllister @boatsinwater)