Life through another lens

For MAS Member Dr Robyn Hay, escaping to Stewart Island’s remote and rugged Mason Bay is a boost for the soul as well as an exercise in logistics. “The usual access is by boat and a 4-hour walk, but because we need to take so much photography gear, we hire a plane and land on the beach.” 

Apart from its unspoiled beauty and abundance of birdlife, the hidden spot has another magical quality. “There’s no cellphone coverage, so people can’t get hold of you. We’re so busy in medicine these days that, even when you’re not on call, you’re still constantly being intruded upon. It’s nice to get completely away from it sometimes.” 

Robyn’s favourite photographic subjects are birds and other wildlife.“I really love what others do with street photography, but personally, I’d struggle to invade a person’s privacy. With the animals, I always focus on getting a great shot of their eyes, which I think captures their true essence.” 

One of her all-time favourite images, captured in a fleeting moment, is of a rhinoceros at Canterbury’s Orana Park. 

Robyn’s interest in photography grew out of an earlier hobby – breeding and showing pedigree dogs. “The dogs needed professional photos taken for shows. I got tired of paying people who would just set their camera on auto and I thought I can learn to do this myself.” 

Enrolling in community education classes at the local Papanui High School was the start of her photography journey – but also a personal one. It’s where she met her partner of 10 years, professional photographer John Foster. These days, in addition to running a busy practice at Papanui Medical in Christchurch, Robyn helps organise John’s regular group photography tours.

“There’s one doctor who comes on the trips, but we never talk medicine. It’s all about the photography and just losing yourself in the environment you’re in.” 

Robyn loves the technical challenges of photography, and when combined with her creative eye, it’s earned her several awards. In 2020, out of thousands of entries, she won the $5,000 first prize in the Trustpower Photography Awards.  

The theme was ‘home’, and judges loved the image of Robyn’s 77-year-old mum kicking back on her Canterbury porch. 

The high-profile exhibition in Tauranga showcases the finalists’ photos on giant billboards lining the street. While Robyn was a little embarrassed by the publicity, her mother was “absolutely stoked”. 

Robyn’s photography has also been recognised in the prestigious Asia-Pacific Photo Awards. “Those ones mean a lot to me, because you’re being judged against the top echelon of New Zealand photographers.” And just as dog showing led to a new interest, photography has sparked a passion for adventure running. 

“I don’t want my images to be the same as everyone else’s. I mean, how many images of the Wānaka tree have you seen? I wanted to get really fit so I could run up mountains and get to places that others don’t get to see.” 

Having recently finished Race Tekapo, a 32 km run with 2 ascents of Mt John, Robyn’s now in training for the Queenstown marathon. Her weekly training regime includes 3 runs, a pool swim and 2 gym sessions for strength. As well as giving her photography the edge, keeping fit has its obvious benefits. 

“If I can’t spend 45 minutes in the gym looking after my own health, I’m probably not a very good example to my patients.”