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Turning a passion into a business - Michael Dawson '10
Monday, 11 September 2017
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Since leaving Auckland Grammar three years ago, Michael Dawson' 10 has not stopped running. Known for his prowess at athletics and distance running, it probably came as no surprise to his friends to see him combine his two passions - sports and photography - into a niche sports event business, Temposhot, while in his final year of a Commerce degree, majoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Auckland. Michael started running at the age of five and continued through intermediate and to Grammar, where he was part of the athletics team and the distance squad. He served as a role model to younger athletes, when he was captain of athletics, the National Under 18 800m champion and received Colours for athletics in both 2013 and 2014. "Athletics has defined my life and I have gained so much from it, including a great work ethic. I'm hugely privileged to have met a range of talented and awesome people, who I'm still in touch with today." Winning his first 800m Schools National title as a junior was a real highlight for Michael and was the moment he realised that running was more than just exercise. "My teammates were cheering me on down the home straight, which meant so much to me. The race was a huge breakthrough and really kick-started my path in running, but it was the support and congratulations I received from the Grammar community that was the real highlight."  Michael Dawson '10 (number 36) with his teammates cheering him on, on his way to winning his first 800m national title. While he didn't receive any formal photography training at school - "It was essentially a hobby I started that grew into what it is today" - Michael combined his passion for running with his love for taking photos and started Temposhot with business partner Alisha Lovrich, herself a photographer and graphic designer. The two photographers saw a gap in the market and combined their talents to create compelling sports imagery. "Alisha and I started shooting track and field events, but what we found was an unmet need in the space for high quality event photographs at an affordable price and we grew from there." "We have gone from shooting occasionally at local events to travelling around New Zealand and the world at events such as the World Masters Games, and Alisha has recently returned as an official photographer of the World Track and Field Championships in London." Michael still manages to train every day, as he loves the heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping feeling he gets from running, and continues to race in the 800m. His proudest moment on the track since leaving Grammar came during the Senior Men's 800m National final in March, when he won the silver medal. "2017 was my first year out of the age group races and into the open grade, so being able to medal was huge for me. I had a really truncated build up as well, with nationals being held in March I had only gotten back into some training in January after an injury kept me off my feet the later stages of 2016." Despite studying and working full-time, Michael is still involved with photography at Grammar and can usually be seen on the sidelines of the weekly 1st XV fixtures and other sporting events such as the annual Athletics Day, held at Mt Smart Stadium. "The process of turning a concept you have in your head into a physical photography is very rewarding."  One of the brilliant photos taken by Michael at the 2017 traditional 1st XV fixture between Grammar and Hamilton Boys' High School  Michael (wearing number 22) wins the 800m |