Bill Hodges - Biography

I first became interested in Photography when my father showed me how to develop and print Black & white back in the 50's. I joined my first photographic club the  Southland Photographic Society) in Invercargill New Zealand  in 1957. Then in 1959 at the age of 16  I joined the Royal New Zealand Navy and 32 years later I retired from the service with  the rank of Chief  Master at Arms..
During my service time I kept taking photo-graphs and because of my keenest for photography I was made ships photographer on several ships that I served on. Our navy dosen’t have full time photographers.  Early seventies I  was  transferred into the Naval police. A Small branch of only 20 personnel. The last 5 years of my service I was moved into the Navy’s Training and Development  department where I was tasked to set up a Audio visual unit. Using VHS  video equip-ment. The Navy sent me to work for 10 weeks with the Australian Navy in their  audio visual department to see how  they managed theirs. On my return I set about making training and PR videos, but my love was always the still photograph, having set up a darkroom in my home and as my wife said playing in my off hours.
I’m married and have two married children a son and daughter. My Wife and I were mar-ried in Singapore where we met. She was serving in the British army and I was on a NZ Ship based out of Singapore.
On my retirement from the Navy  my wife & I moved from Auckland to Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty. This was so we could be close to  my two  my Children and our grand-children.
On Arrival to our new City I started up my own photography business working from my home. My work mainly was weddings, Com-mercial, sport, and I supplied two photo stock libraries. Having several images appear on calendars and post cards. 
  I am a member of the Photographic Society  of NZ and a member of two clubs North Shore in Auckland & the Tauranga photo  society  severing at times on their committees. I obtained my associateship from the PSNZ in  1999. For the past 6 years I have been coordinator for the running of  a bi-monthly PSNZ/Canon online competition. I am asked to judge quite often by clubs around NZ and also been on panels of judges at  some large National exhibitions
  I have won several awards in local, National & International Competitions. I been awarded the honour of Excellence of the International Federation of Photographic Art (EFIAP) for my international successes in 2006 .