Maimai, Lake Ngaroto, New Zealand.
“What is not seen is for all practical purposes non-existent”. Solomon J Solomon
The need to conceal is at the core of Purdom’s photographic project From certainty to doubt, which looks at the multifaceted ways in which camouflage, mimicry and ambiguity play as much a part in the lives of humans as they do the animal kingdom.
Maimai, Lake Ngaroto, New Zealand, is an example of an on-going project into covert strategies used by hunters. The Maimai or camouflaged hunting blind is the hunter’s method of concealment during the duck-shooting season between May and August each year. Currently 30,000 New Zealanders hold game bird hunting licences. “When duck hunting there are two crucial things – stay out of sight and encourage the ducks to think that your place is safe”. Game and Fishing, New Zealand, 2015.