Untitled (page no. 6) by Timothy D. White

HHS! contender Timothy D. White hails from Auckland. He's spent four years in the far northernmost reaches of New Zealand working on the project he has submitted to us, True North. White set out on the project to "explore preconceptions of an area of NZ regarded as 'hopeless' due to its poor socioeconomic nature and geographic isolation." His images, and accompanying self-published book, strive to show the true nature of the region.

As he writes, "the journey became an exploration of the area's spiritual nature as well as... the 'social landscape', including local Maori, organic farmers, and a disappearing way of life (or what has been described as a 'vision of the future' in uncertain economic times)."

I can't help but think of 2008 First Edition Hot Shot Derek Henderson's achingly beautiful Terrible Boredom of Paradise, also taken taken in New Zealand, and of course, 2009 First Edition Hot Shot Kurt Tong and his series, Farewell in Labrador. It seems that in the far corners of the world, where people are struggling to find a balance between a certain quality of life and inevitable "progress", there are, thankfully, a handful of photographers around to document what may be, or is already, lost. For as slowly as we may think time passes, it can all happen quite quickly.