Katie Morton

“I had the opportunity to capture someone I’ve known for a very long time (family friend Mike Brown) doing something that is very important and special to him. He’s been bone carving for a long time and I wanted to show how special each of his pieces are, and how something so simple can be turned into a work of art and hold so much meaning. One of the Taonga I photographed is called “The sands of time". Mike lives at Tongaporutu on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island and the design of this piece was inspired by the wind weathered sandstone cliffs and their swirling patterns. Mike's bone carvings show the art of making something beautiful out of something that has died, life carrying on after death. Tongaporutu is a very special place to me. It's a place I have been coming to since before I was even born. Many of my ancestors are buried here and it holds a very strong connection to me and my family. Since being interested in photography I have loved capturing the art of craftsmanship and being able to tell a story through photos."