Join Us
Photography Teacher
Plan and deliver nature photography workshops and programs inspired by an appreciation of the local environment
Volunteers
Help with workshops, be a photography mentor, share your creative skills, help with fundraising and relationship development.
Direct your passion for nature to do good
IMAgEN8 is a registered charity established in 2018, whose purpose is to foster sustainable connections with New Zealand's natural environment in our diverse communities through education, photography and technology. The goal of our work with children and young adults is to nurture their love for nature. The strength of this love and deepening of connections to our physical world improves their mental wellbeing, fosters increased awareness for the environment, builds compassion, and manifests as kaitiakitanga.
We conduct nature photography workshops on school grounds and nature reserves that connect students with nature, enhance their wellbeing, build skills and foster environmental stewardship through creative expression. Students' work is published in books and our magazine, Compassionate Nature. Our borrow-a-camera 'be an Environmentalist' and 'be an Artist' programs enable students to capture compelling stories about nature through workshops, webinars and assignments so they can create images to inspire love and connection with nature. We are an accredited activity for the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award. We offer Wellbeing workshops and create educational content for tamariki to learn and be inspired.
Since June 2018, we have run 100+ workshops with 600+ students, published 7 books and 13 editions of our photography magazine, held 4 exhibitions, and 13 students have participated in our ‘Borrow a camera’ programs. We have had an exciting 5 years and are looking forward to giving more students in more locations the opportunity to benefit from our programs. Join us to help make this happen!
Photography Teacher
IMAgEN8 nature photography teachers plan and deliver nature photography workshops and programs inspired by an appreciation of the local environment. They conduct workshops with students, download, curate and process photographs, print pictures, conduct webinars, set and grade assignments and contribute to digital publications. If you love nature photography, and would like to pass your skills and knowledge on to the next generation, please get in touch with us. We are looking for photographers in Auckland.
Commitment required
75-150 hours/year
Each workshop involves roughly 5-6 hrs of work including planning, travel, workshop, post-processing and printing. We usually do 7 workshops per school and 5-10 in nature reserves every year. Our ‘Borrow a camera’ programs run for 6 months and require 4-6 hrs/month.
Interest, skills and competencies sought
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A passion for connecting children from our multicultural diverse communities with nature through photography
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Digital SLR nature photography experience
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Digital photo processing experience (Adobe Lightroom or similar)
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Patience, energy and enthusiasm for teaching children
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Environmental education experience desired
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Clear communication skills when interacting or emailing participants/parents, teachers etc.
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Ability to run projects (e.g. school programs, nature reserve workshops, borrow a camera programs) independently desired
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Organised. Able to keep on top of tasks for self and others
Term
8-week trial period, then 1-year contract
A police clearance and appropriate background checks will be required before you can start working with students. Our educators adhere to our safety and youth protection policies.
Compensation
$25-35/hour.
Volunteer Opportunities
There are many other ways to get involved with our work.
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Photography mentors - Participate in workshops and webinars, give feedback on assignments, guide students with their projects, help with camera or Lightroom questions
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Social media coordinator
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Magazine content writing and editing
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Videographer - Capture videos of our nature workshops and put together films and reels
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Workshop volunteers - Photography coaching during workshops, point out interesting things to photograph, capture videos
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Creative - Design flyers and marketing materials, produce videos
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Exhibition setup and rostering to engage with visitors
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Book and magazine sales
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Fundraising and relationship development - Fundraise for our programs, build relationships with new schools, partners and funders to grow our programs
You can volunteer with us for the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Award.
Please connect with us to discuss what may suit you based on your interests and skills. We are always open to new ideas!