West Wind, Wind Farm. Wellington, New Zealand.

OUT OF OFFICE BY DAN ROBERTS

PHOTOGRAPHER: Dan Roberts

My whole life is spent “Going Places”. Most of my year is spent in the fashion capitals of the world, like New York, London, Milan and Paris. Endless hours on planes, a new view from just another hotel window, or listening to traffic and the hustle and bustle of city life. But for me, the idea of “Going Places” really relates to having time with my friends and family, and exploring together. I’ve always been quite an outdoorsy person, having grown up in New Zealand. So when I do get some down time, I’m usually looking for an escape to the wilderness. I’m always drawn to the ocean and mountains.

My dad framed in the train window. Arthur's Pass, New Zealand.

For me there’s nothing like throwing the surfboards in the car and heading down the coast from my home in Melbourne. Meeting good mates in Japan and clambering up mountains in the northern area of Hokkaido, or exploring art and architecture on the island of Naoshima, in the Seto Inland Sea. Or quite simply, going home to New Zealand to see family, catching trains that wind through mountain passes from one coast to the other.

I often find myself taking photos of things that are far removed from my day to day life as a “fashion photographer”. At the moment a lot of my personal work is landscapes. With either nobody in them, or only glimpses of people. I like the challenge of making images that are wildly different from my day to day, but images that also work within the context or mood and feeling of my larger body of work. I guess to me I struggle with the concept of separating professional and personal work. They are all photos that mean things to me, and therefore are cohesive as a body of work together. – DR