‘Died doing what he loved most’
A Nelson photographer who was deeply passionate about the natural world died in one of the country’s most beautiful places, doing what he loved, his wife says.
Brett Fleming’s body was found partway down a cliff on May 23, at Cape Farewell in Golden Bay.
The 52-year-old fine arts photographer had been exploring the dramatic landscapes in the area.
His wife, Ayelet Fleming, said on his last day alive she believed her husband had a great day.
‘‘He was in his element, taking photos of the beautiful Golden Bay,’’ she said.
‘‘I can only guess that at a spare moment, he decided to go and take photos of the dramatic cliffs on his way to Wharariki beach.’’
Brett was not afraid of heights and trusted his balance, she said.
‘‘He died in one of New Zealand’s most beautiful spots doing what he loved doing the most.’’
Fleming described her husband as the kindest man ‘‘with a big heart of gold’’. Smart, funny and with nothing but good intentions, her husband was ‘‘creative, talented and a wonderful cook’’.
‘‘He was truly one of a kind and put a lot of effort into everything he did. He could literally paint a picture with his words and his writing skills’’, she said.
Fleming said people might recognise his face as the friendly, extremely helpful and talkative guy who worked for many years at the now-closed Hanafins Camera shop on Nelson’s Trafalgar St.
She said her husband ‘‘really cared’’ about the people he worked with and served at the shop.
When walking around town, he would often be stopped by people to talk about cameras, photography, training at the gym, travelling, or the classic metallic blue Ford Capri he drove.
Over his long photography career, Brett developed a unique way of looking at his subject matter, Fleming said.
What started as taking photos of vast landscapes and panoramas, later developed into the art of zooming right into a flower and discovering ‘‘a whole new world’’.
‘‘If you dropped by you could find him taking photos in the garden for hours on end,’’ she said.
‘‘He could take in a single afternoon
‘‘He was in his element, taking photos of the beautiful Golden Bay.’’ Ayelet Fleming
more photos than most people would take in an entire year. He was fascinated by how the flower moved towards the light, opened its petals, and closed them at the end of the day.’’
Fleming said her husband’s passion and love for photography and the natural world was evident in his writing.
In his own words, Brett wrote a few years ago: ‘‘I want to challenge and expand one’s perception and imagination . . . to isolate the intimate details of the natural world and polarise their beauty.
‘‘All of a sudden, a plant pod takes on the guise of an edgy alien spaceship . . . an unfurling fern, a giant other-worldly flesh-eating predator . . . a simple plant sheath, a blue whale’s silent dive into the shifting murk of the deep.’’
Brett wrote that he had ‘‘literally fallen in love with this diminutive world’’.
‘‘One so tiny and often commonplace that it falls beneath the disconcerting radar of most as they stride out in search for the next sunlit vista. But for me, in the humble width of one of those strides, I find endless inspiration through the most intricate design and colour on a level like never before.’’
Brett was born in Wellington and left New Zealand to travel around Europe in 2000, where he met Ayelet, who is originally from Israel.
They fell in love and continued to travel together for a few years, before Brett brought her back to New Zealand to meet his family and show her ‘‘his beautiful country’’.
They settled down in Nelson, where they married. Fleming said they chose to live in the region for its location, weather and the mix of people who lived here.
They continued to travel as much as they could, throughout Europe and Asia, but always came home.
Her husband loved mother nature and the sound of the wind whispering through the trees.
‘‘Big waves and the stormy sea, swimming in cold water, dramatic clouds, rain, thunder,’’ she said.
‘‘He loved taking photos of light beams coming from the clouds and the ever-changing light hitting the landscape.’’
Brett would take the same photo over and over as the light changed, she said. ‘‘In his mind, that had changed everything. He loved feeling those elements and to be with them. This is where he felt alive.’’