The West Coast shaped the way Dean sees light: wild weather, hard-working people, dark skies, rugged landscapes and community groups that keep showing up for each other. TNR Protography is not West Coast exclusive, but the Coast is the backbone of the work - and giving back to that community matters.
Community support comes in two forms: a free 30-minute shoot, or discounted rates from any of our existing packages. Dean has supported groups including Blackball Community, Their Voice, Cobden Community Group, Marist Rugby Club and St John Greymouth. Sometimes a group needs polished imagery more than it needs another invoice.
For several years Dean has helped Lake Brunner Coastguard with photography and videography, spent years behind the camera for Greymouth Squash Club, and has been shooting annual team photos for Marist Rugby Club.
Spot The Aurora grew from local aurora chasing into a world-class forecasting app designed to help people understand when the sky is worth chasing.
Community work is often less glamorous than a perfect sunset or a dramatic aurora, but it is the kind of work that becomes part of a place. It is the club photos, event coverage, awareness campaigns, volunteer groups, local launches and people putting their hands up because something matters.
That is where TNR Protography fits best: using professional photos, video, editing and design to help local groups tell their story properly.
Nicole is my partner. At 16 she had her first seizure behind the wheel. By 17 she had a brain tumour diagnosis and her first brain surgery. She was told it would not come back. It came back. Four brain surgeries, years of chemotherapy, a six and a half week radiation programme. In late 2024 she was told the tumour had changed, it was aggressive, and it would likely end her life. In 2026, she was declared in remission. Her tumour is a PLNTY, a Polymorphous Low-grade Neuro-epithelial Tumour of the Young. There are only a couple of documented cases in the world of one undergoing malignant transformation. Nicole's case is exceptional by any clinical measure. Through all of it she graduated as a registered nurse, ran the Queenstown Marathon on chemo, and went back to work on her off-weeks when the treatment left her unable to eat. I said to her early on, if you ever want to do a big campaign, I am here for it. I will be the social media guy, taking photos, recording videos. We will make this big. And we did. Why Not Me? raises money for Brain Tumour Support NZ, the charity Nicole leaned on through every surgery, every scan, every waiting room. But it is also about something else. People dance around cancer. They soften the language, change the subject, wait for someone else to say the hard thing. Nicole wants the opposite. Have the conversation. Say the word. Skip the small talk. Do something that lightens the load for someone else. In the first month of the campaign we secured over a thousand dollars in sponsorships, over a thousand in donations, 130,000 views on social media, 10,000 views on the documentary, and media coverage from The Press and RNZ, with more lined up around the marathon.
The documentary, A Little Bit of Vengeance, is Nicole's story told in full by the people who were there. Over six hours of footage. Five hours of interviews. Trimmed into 25 minutes of pure emotion. Over 30 hours of editing. It was overwhelming to sit through. I knew Nicole's story, but the stories behind the main story were very moving. She is an incredibly moving person. I want someone to watch this and do something. Run 5km. Have a hard conversation. Do something good for someone else. That is the point.
Released May 22, 2026. Nicole is training for the Queenstown Marathon in November 2026. She has already run a half marathon on chemo and raised $4,500 for Brain Tumour Support NZ. This time is different. This time she is in remission.
A selection of recent community work across the West Coast — grouped by project. Tap any photo to view it larger.