Videographer Perth - What shaped me as a videographer and creative person - Retreating into Nature - Pt2

At the age of 27 I found myself back in New Zealand after spending most of my early 20s in Sydney studying cinematography and working in the film industry.

During my time in Sydney, I suffered from burnout due to overworking and unpredictable filming schedules. I also wasn’t looking after my nutrition and general health.

There came a point where I realised I needed to head home to New Zealand to rebalance and find myself again. From the moment of lying on bedroom floor of my flat in Sydney having that realisation, to packing up everything from my room and travelling home, was only about 2 days.

I spent that summer at my parents’ house, in a small town near the Southern Alps. I spent a lot of time getting out into the foothills and walking in the lush nature, enjoying the crisp, fresh mountain air.

I decided that summer to enrol in a postgrad natural history documentary filmmaking course in Dunedin.

I remember the feeling vividly of driving off, with my backpack, and all my belongings packed into my car. The sense of an unknown adventure looming, but open to embrace it, trusting in the process.

As soon as I arrived in Dunedin I knew this was the right choice for me. The small city was nestled into a wild peninsula. The ocean lapped one side, hills and open plains of the Otago region spread out forever on the other.

It was here I rebuilt myself, choosing to eat fresh, plant-based foods, starting my journey into meditation, spirituality and beginning to learn more about myself.

On weekends, to take a break from study, I would take my camera, a few jars of freshly made juice, and drive deep into the Otago plains, and explore. I don’t know if it was the otherworldly rock formations, or the soft-mud plains that I would walk barefoot on, there was a comforting, calm feeling of spending time in that nature.

It was here I practised time-lapse photography, experimenting with light painting, and chasing the southern lights that would manifest now and then.

I met wonderful people here too on the same journey of trying to live a quiet, meaningful and full life.

I spent a lot of time driving in nature. The peninsula was magical, filled with sea lions and giant birds. I spent countless moments walking along deserted beaches, with landscapes so large and vast you couldn’t help but feel renewed by your own humbleness.

Light painting long exposure photography by Sam Irwin - Dunedin 2012

This phase of my life was transformative in helping me to learn about documentary filmmaking and storytelling, as I was mentored at the University of Otago by some of the greatest storytellers in the world, in partnership with the Natural History Unit of New Zealand.

I had ample time for self-reflection in nature, which I believe was a gift in helping me as a videographer to develop a natural sense for storytelling, and realising the meaning of connection (spiritual, human and nature) as a fundamental truth and need - these insights became an invaluable skill to have in this current digital world, where everyone is searching for meaning more than ever.

Sam Dylan Irwin 2013 in Dunedin

This is part 2 of a series exploring what shaped me as a creative person, to share an insight into my world and how my perspectives were formed. The series covers my adventures into creativity, photography, videography, meditation, wellness and spiritually. Stay tuned for following installments. Return to the blog homepage