[#9 in a series of my favourite images, from my first 15 years as a professional photographer.]

It's always tough to choose a single image from a New Zealand International Arts Festival - after all, I photographed for 24 days straight, usually working 17h days; so there are a few to choose from!

And 2010 was a particularly good year, between visiting companies and New Zealand works; but somehow I come back to Red Leap Theatre's production of The Arrival often, when I'm thinking about that festival. It caught me by surprise, I think - in the same way Giselle did two years earlier, I came into rehearsal not knowing much about the show, and came out a fan of the company.

This is still a favourite image from that show (though there are many to choose from), and that year; there's something about the sense of depth you get from the snow falling close to & far from the camera that's rare in a production still - perhaps because I was close to the stage, possibly resting my camera on the lip of it, so the floor is level with the lens, there's a greater sense of scale. I like the delicacy of the light here, as well; there's a softness to it somehow, that you don't always see in stage lighting.

Next week, another year - 2011!