Vaughan Scott – ‘Light is music to my sight.’

Nelson is filled with interesting people if you dare to ask. Vaughan is one of those exceptional creatives who has been drawn to the region and had an exciting career as a cameraman/photojournalist. I would have to say I was instantly impressed by the warmth of his personality and how he spoke.
When you have travelled the world capturing history-defining moments, it leaves you with a powerful perspective and stories galore.

Vaughan began his career when he was 18 years old with the NZBC and filmed the popular Town and Around TV show that was huge in the ’70s covering many stories here in the Nelson/Tasman region. He was a cameraman for top NZ media personality, Paul Holmes, for ten years and travelled nationally and overseas. “Paul was not everyone’s cup of tea, but a hardworking person who was as comfortable interviewing royalty as he was talking to a local in-between filming session. He was quite the character and an extraordinary person indeed,” laughs Vaughan.

We started talking about other experiences that have stood out for him while on assignments for 60 Minutes, and this is where it gets a little funky. “I went to ground zero in New York on the first flight in from London four days after the 911 disaster took place. I have been lucky enough to have filmed some Hollywood stars, including Keanu Reeves, Madonna, and musician B.B King to name a few. “One person who made a memorable impression on me was the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu. It was the way he held himself and spoke that was nothing short of inspirational and generated instant respect. While driving home from work, I heard the news on the radio about the sudden death of Princess Diana. I was on a plane within three hours and recorded the thousands of people mourning her outside Kensington Palace. It was an enormously powerful moment that I will never forget. But my most exciting assignments were in the war zones of Mogadishu, Iraq, Gaza, Israel and East Timor.”

His wife Karen is sitting nearby, and you can tell she is his number one fan and loyal supporter. They moved to Nelson from Auckland to be closer to the grandkids, of which they have 14 in total. They love the region and feature the landscapes and local iconic art and sculptures that adorn the area on Vaughan’s Facebook page. He is a man of faith and says he could not have done what he’s done without this. So this needs a mention. “My hobby is my job, and I take my camera everywhere. You can’t rewind life to recapture a moment. It is constantly unfolding, and if you look, you see the magic everywhere. There is a lot more to taking a good photo than owning a fancy camera and reading the manual carefully. You have to look where no one else looks. I think about how the light is lying on the subject and aim to capture something unique and original that will help tell the story. It’s a spiritual experience, and I am so thankful for the ability to do this for a job.” Vaughan is a master craftsman. He loves wine photography, so look forward to what the region will present for work. He has a passion for photographing architecture, and you cannot deny his images are powerful and capture design and landscapes in a way that is unique and soulful. If you want an expert photographer to capture your products, event, or showcase your building, please reach out to Vaughan. It is not every day you get access to creatives of this calibre.