Welcome to the Edge of the World
Kando is an adventure. Kando is a journey. Kando is a community-building experience created by Sony for creatives.
I wanted to write about this invite-only experience as a way to capture my memories, and also share the vibe as inspiration for anyone else who wonders 'What is Kando?' and how can I be a part of it?!
I've been a Sony Digital Imaging Advocate for nearly a year now - a role that I feel really honoured to have - bringing Sony supported events to my region of Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, New Zealand. I'm not contracted by Sony. I'm literally a fan who uses the gear professionally (and isn't shy to tell people).
Since coming on board as an Advocate I've run coffee meetups, photo walks and photo challenges, I've run portrait workshops and co-hosted speciality workshops on Astro and macro photography. This has expanded my own photography community and given me inspiration in unexpected ways. It's also brought me into the Sony family.
Kando is the chance for sony to bring the family together
They create incredible experiences and networking opportunities for community-building. Oh and we get to play with all the gear!
Kando is a Japanese word and core company philosophy that translates to an emotional sense of awe and connection from experiencing something beautiful.
Hobart, Tasmania
Sony run Kando events around the world and the Sony AUSNZ Hobart edition was my first time attending. They flew us in, put us up at incredible accommodation (MACQ01), and filled three days with a mix of awe-inducing shooting experiences for photo and video, networking, hospitality and relaxation. They also bring together Sony technical staff and creators so that the tech teams can understand how we use the gear, things we'd like to see in the future or frustrations we might have encountered. They love to hear directly from creators about how we are using the gear so that improvements can be made with each new release.
The MACQ01 Hotel on the waterfront in Hobart. Five stars from me.
meet the team
One of the absolute highlights of the trip for me was being invited into a focus group with Sony staff from Tokyo HQ. The discussion centred around how we use the gear for portrait photography. I was pinching myself *the entire time* as I am such a fan of their work!
(I did have one ask: the ability to do multiple exposure in-camera. Yes... it's something you can do in post but creatively I want that option to play with when I'm shooting).
SO What happened at Kando
The shooting experiences were world-class, and every day featured something completely different and designed with photography and videography in mind. 'A curated world of creative freedom, collaborative artistry, and artistic discovery'.
On the first day we arrived at Hobart's State Opera House (the oldest theatre in Australia) for 'The Vaudeville of Love'.
DAY ONE: The Vaudeville of Love
Vaudeville of Love invites you into a world where whimsy meets legacy. For the first capture moment of Kando Trip ANZ 2025, you’ll explore the iconic Theatre Royal - Australia’s oldest continually operating theatre, steeped in drama, mystery, and flair since 1834. From backstage intrigue to the centre-stage spectacle, every corner reveals a story, and every moment is yours to capture.
The experience has three Acts each separately performed on stage, with breaks in between and opportunities to have portrait studio sessions with the actors in the foyer spaces.
ACT ONE: Lust at First Sight, featuring Velma Voulour a nationally awarded burlesque artist
ACT TWO: On Cloud Nine, featuring Shannah Johnson, a gravity-defying circus artist
ACT THREE: The Burning Glow, featuring Jacqueline Furey, an incredible sword swallower, fire breather and striptease artist
DAY TWO: 'Fight Club' AKA The Last Round, and cascade brewery
Across the second day we had a choice of activities to attend. I was thrilled to be allocated my first picks for activities which involved photographing a 'fight club', capturing portraits in the gardens, and taking time out for some breathwork.
IN THE MORNING
Behind rusted doors and brick walls, a hidden fight club comes to life in a former 1800s cool store. Faces blur, shadows stir, a piano plays. Ladies and Gentlemen, place your bets.
IN THE AFTERNOON
At Cascade Brewery, Australia's oldest operating brewery: Breathwork with Kurt Tropiano, and Echoes of the Widows: Haunting heritage garden shoot.
DAY THREE: PennIcott journey + vineyard lunch
Tasman Drift was an early start departure from the hotel, rugged up and packing a range of camera gear for a wild water excursion. I had loaned the 200-600mm for this adventure but struggled with the motion sickness on the boat and stuck with my 70-200mm setup on my A1.
Head out on a journey around the Tasman Peninsula, a landscape carved by wind, water, and time. From the Totem Pole to Cape Pillar’s cliffs, be ready to capture dolerite towers, seal colonies, and, with some luck, the majestic humpback whales as they migrate north for warmer waters. Across two boats, guests will chase light and movement, revealing the wild, untamed spirit of Tasmania.
We then travelled to Bangor Vineyard for lunch. We met and heard from guest speaker Gina Chick, the first ever winner of Alone Australia. She was incredible to listen to. Inspiring, quirky, honest and vulnerable. I really appreciated that Sony has invited a strong female speaker for our final day at Kando. And that vineyard? Gorgeous. To be welcomed off the bus with a steaming mug of mulled wine was absolutely the best thing after a very fresh morning out on the boat!
Packed for a morning on the boat and hoping for humpback whales!
CONNECTIONS
The connections made and networking opportunities were everything you hoped for. And you're shooting alongside world-class photographers whom you might have followed for a long time (Pat Kay, Jason Morris...). I even had the pleasure of lunching alongside Pieter de Vries, award-winning cinematographer who works with James Cameron on deep sea dives!
The best part was getting to know my fellow New Zealand Advocates and Ambassadors even better; Rambo Estrada, Meghan Maloney, Rachel Hadfield, Scott Howes, Stefan Haworth, Michael Kouk, Kirsty Halliday, Kirsten Hough, Tom Ang as well as Sony friends Victoria Baldwin, and Jonathan Suckling. That's an impressive gang of good sorts and I loved my time getting to know everyone better.
Team New Zealand on the final night. The theme was 'Iconic Adventurers'
The Loan Station
The loan station was a gear dream come true. My first loan was the A9m3, and the brand new 50-150mm f2.0 GM. I spent all of day two with the 50-150mm putting it through it's paces with different portrait and event style shooting situations. I also had the opportunity to try out the 200-600mm beast of a zoom for our day three boat excursion.
CAPTURING THE VIBE OF KANDO
Sony's media content team for this trip was RedScope. They were like a SWAT team of content creating experts who blended in seamlessly into the entire adventure enabling them to bring phenomenal coverage of Kando. They would edit and deliver daily coverage often released within hours of us wrapping for the day. Here's a snapshot on YouTube of what they saw at Kando this year.
Thank you Sony
This experience was awesome, inspiring, exhausting. It was a serious level-up from the other photography adventures I've been on to date. I came away inspired for my own community, for the events that might be possible here in New Zealand, and that making an effort is worth it. Coming together, creating, and inspiring each other really does bring out the best. I can't wait for the next one.
