Known for her breathtaking images, Waverley Klein Ovink did not start out aiming to become a photographer who captured beautiful images.

Her first photographs – taken more than two decades ago – were purely practical.

As co-owner of The Wrangler, a Whakatāne-based company that has been manufacturing award-winning farm and orchard equipment for over 30 years, Klein Ovink initially picked up a camera to photograph products for brochures, advertisements, and trade shows.

“My husband invented a few things while we were farming. We took them to Fieldays, and now we’re making them and sending them all over New Zealand – and exporting. But we needed photos, so I started with a pre-digital camera years ago,” she said.

Her technical journey also began with software rather than the camera itself.

“I got one of the earliest versions of Photoshop around 2003 – version five. I learnt Photoshop before I was really proficient with a camera.”

That changed after she attended a photography course led by Troy Baker. Expecting just a few tips, she came away with a new passion.

“I really got the bug for taking beautiful photos, rather than just useful ones.”

Another major motivator: her children.

“I wanted to capture all those moments while they were still cute and doing all those fun things.”

Among her many photographic passions, astrophotography holds a special place.

“I’ve always loved the stars, and I find astrophotography absolute magic,” she said. “The fact you can point a camera at the blackness, and it sees more than we ever could – it fascinates me.”

Klein Ovink was a guest speaker at the National New Zealand Astronomical Conference in Whakatāne earlier this year, where she shared her astrophotography expertise. She also serves on the Whakatāne Dark Skies Committee, working toward establishing a certified dark sky reserve.

Astrophotography, she explained, was highly technical. One method involves using a special tracker on her camera that matches the Earth’s rotation, allowing her to follow stars across the sky. In other shots, she captures the movement of stars to create magical, swirling star trails, pictured left..

Klein Ovink’s creativity does not end with the stars. Using Photoshop, she also crafts whimsical composite fantasy images, combining photography with digital art. “You can let your imagination go a bit wild. I love mixing the technical with the magical.”

Her body of work is impressively varied: rodeo photography, landscapes, bird photography, steampunk portraiture, family photos, commercial photography and floral compositions.

“I can’t stick to one genre.”

Her dedication has earned her multiple photography awards from competitions run by the Photographic Society of New Zealand, including the prestigious Licentiateship of the PSNZ, as well as from other organisations.

Klein Ovink’s camera of choice is the Canon 5D, paired with “big and wide lenses” that help her achieve the dramatic compositions she loves.

She is also president of the Whakatāne Camera Club, which has around 40 active members.

“It’s a really fun group,” she said.

They go out together, share knowledge, and enter monthly PSNZ competitions.

“The people in the club are just so clever and interesting.”

See more images on Klein Ovink’s website: www.waverleyphotography.com