After studying architecture at college and then learning the trade of photography as an assistant, I succumbed to the pull of a “career”. Abandoning my passion for image-making, I endured the climb up the corporate ladder and did pretty well for myself, earning accolades and a good salary, but the long commutes, crazy hours and last-minute meetings (called at six and ending in a restaurant at nine or 10) left me feeling wrung out by Fridays. My wife and young children were beginning to wonder who I was. Weekends were spent in a haze of exhaustion.

I had a kind of “aha” moment one beautiful summer’s day. I’d managed to escape the London office early and find a train running on time. As the scenery passed me by, it occurred to me that my life was pretty much doing the same. 
I realised I had to do something to make 
it stop. I got home to find my wife and boys (then aged three and five) having 
a picnic in the garden – something I rarely witnessed, as they were usually tucked 
up in bed on my return.

I plonked myself on the garden bench and blurted, “Can’t do this any more… going to have a nervous breakdown…” 
My wife looked shocked but quickly said we’d make a plan, make changes. We had talked about moving, starting a new life, and now we had to do more than talk.

An exit strategy evolved over the next few years until the day arrived when we had done the farewell parties and weekends and were finally standing outside Heathrow airport with three heavily laden trolleys, saying our goodbyes to family.

The reaction from friends was mixed, from “You are so brave” and “We are so jealous,” to those who secretly thought us mad and very probably irresponsible. We’d packed up our lives to live in New Zealand, a country we’d only ever holidayed in, on the other side of the world and with a population the size of many UK cities! We had one contact: my wife’s brother and his wife, who had settled a few years earlier.

I didn’t have a clear idea about what 
I wanted to do. Don’t get me wrong, 
I wasn’t short of ideas. In fact, I had so many that the really tricky bit was trying to figure out which one of them was 
going to fulfil me and give my family 
a secure life.

The other problem was realising that arriving in a new country with a completely different approach to business from my own experiences in the corporate world meant I had to slow down and take the time to get to know the country, the people and the work ethic. I had no network so I had to start from scratch.

Finding that “business” took me 
a while. In the end I decided to give myself permission to fulfil my lifelong dream. 
I love people and I love taking pictures, with a passion. I’ve been doing it since 
I was six years old. So I took the chance and went and did it. Achieving two photography industry gold awards in the first two years of trading, my dream is now certainly my reality. It was a steep learning curve but I’m finally getting there and it’s been worth every bit of hand wringing.

richardleonardphotography.com