Summer reissue: Photographs of tūpuna Māori are fetching top prices at auction houses, with their descendants often forking out to ‘bring them home’. First published 29 November, 2020 On September 20, 2001, an auction of 300 rare photographic prints and plates was blocked due to protests by Māori activists. The collection, potentially worth at least … Read more
Photographs of tūpuna Māori are fetching top prices at auction houses, with their descendants often forking out to ‘bring them home’. On September 20, 2001, an auction of 300 rare photographic prints and plates was blocked due to protests by Māori activists. The collection, potentially worth at least $150,000, included photographic prints and plates of … Read more
James Borrowdale learns the stories behind the images nominated for the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year. The room is crowded, cramped with the memories and resonances of a life. “A simple life lived, and a hard life lived,” photographer Nathan Secker said of his entry, a finalist in the Lumix Society category of … Read more
The legendary photographer’s new book Nature – Stilled showcases museum specimens the public rarely sees. Books editor Catherine Woulfe writes: People say “stunning” lightly but that’s really what it felt like, the first time I opened Nature – Stilled. There is no flicking through. You sit and you look properly and it is a pleasure, … Read more
You know who probably takes photos? Green voters. On Newstalk ZB’s Leader’s Breakfast yesterday, famous Christian Judith Collins was asked about NCEA and secondary education. She said, “There are too many photography classes, too much media studies, too much woke stuff”. Obviously this got all the Leftie liberal woke leftists worked up but was it … Read more
How do the youngest members of our team of five million feel about the Covid-19 resurgence? When photographer Sonya Nagels had to explain to her kids that they were back in lockdown, she was struck by how much they understood. Lockdown, social distancing, masks, outbreaks, viruses – they knew all the jargon. Sonya asked a … Read more
The inspiration for an upcoming Taika Waititi movie, Hemi Pomara was forcefully taken from the Chatham Islands to Sydney, and then to London, where he sat for a French portrait photographer in 1846. That photo was recently discovered in Australia’s national library by two researchers, who write here about their remarkable find. It is little … Read more
For years, people have been sending David Farrier photos of his stock model doppelgänger – a man who appears in every advert under the sun, from gynecological practices to 3-for-1 pizza deals. So Farrier decided to track him down. Every week I get a message from at least one person: “David, is this you in … Read more
In the age of the selfie and mundane domestic photography recontextualised for social media, Auckland artist Meg Porteous’s work speaks strongly to the politics of representation. Art editor Mark Amery shares words and images with Porteous across bubbles, via screens, in advance of her show at the Auckland Virtual Art Fair from this Thursday. I … Read more
An extract from West Coast photographer Julia Johnston’s upcoming book Coast Roaders with an introduction by her for Spinoff readers. Johnston speaks as part of the biennial Photobook NZ festival in Wellington on Sunday 8 March. I grew up in a place where mountains meet the sea. In the middle of it all is a road, … Read more
Richard Brimer’s photography exhibition Harvest is a little bit Humans of New York. Except it’s in Hastings, has zero pretension, and captures the diverse population of seasonal labourers who work the local vineyards and farms. Richard Brimer was born and raised in Hawke’s Bay. At 19 he worked his first vintage at Vidal’s winery in … Read more
Posting your art online is a no-brainer: it’s a gallery and marketing all in one. It’s also a cesspit of digital thieves. Josie Adams spoke to three artists about theft online. Ardie Savea has just changed his Twitter profile picture to a drawing by Toby Morris. Morris is stoked the rugby player likes his work, … Read more
In the third instalment of Things I Learned At Art School, Megan Dunn talks to Yvonne Todd, the 2019 Arts Foundation Laureate who has received the Theresa Gattung Award for Female Arts Practitioners. Todd discusses fashion, Madonna’s aging process and what photography students never need to photograph again. What did you learn in art school? … Read more
Things I Learned at Art School is a new series featuring artists discussing how they do what they do and know what they know. In our first instalment, Megan Dunn talks to photographer Edith Amituanai about Mean Girls and getting an MNZM for services to photography and community. Edith Amituanai is an Auckland-born first generation … Read more
Today, longtime Time photographer Callie Shell releases a book of intimate images taken over more than a decade she spent photographing the Obamas. Hope, Never Fear is not a love-fest, she insists: “it is, instead, my personal portrait of a journey that changed us all for the better.” Here is the book’s introduction, abridged. I … Read more
In a new exhibition, photographer Michelle Hyslop explores kauri dieback through the personal stories of the people close to the trees and their fight to save – and protect – the giants of the forest. In December 2017 Te Kawerau ā Maki placed a rāhui on the Waitākere Ranges in an attempt to prevent the spread of … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Sean Aickin whose Wellington photo store Splendid is hoping to revive film photography in today’s digital world. ONE: How did Splendid start and what was the inspiration behind it? I initially tried to purchase … Read more
John Rykenberg ran a studio of Auckland photographers from the late ’50s through until the late 1970s. Last year, 900 boxes from his studio were donated to Auckland Libraries. One of the researchers investigating this massive collection of images was Gareth Shute, who shares some of his favourites. My interest in the Rykenberg collection came … Read more
The Kings Arms, legendary Auckland music venue, closed forever on Wednesday night. Joel Thomas was there with his camera. The Spinoff’s music content is brought to you by our friends at Spark. Listen to all the music you love on Spotify Premium, it’s free on all Spark’s Pay Monthly Mobile plans. Sign up and start listening today.
Mary Macpherson talks to a brilliant Texan photographer who makes portraits of men and the land in the disappearing American West. In the bulging shelves of our photobook collection, there’s a select area reserved for the most significant and deeply loved works. One of these books is a tall slim volume with a metal spine … Read more
A selection of images taken at night by Wellington photographer Grant Sheehan in his new book The Night Watchers. Feature image: An Aurora Australis to the South throws a red and yellow tone across the rising Milky Way near Tekapo. Nikon DF, 14-24mm lens at 14mm, F2.8, 3200 iso, 40 sec; Mangungu Mission House overlooks … Read more
Shoot, print, steal: it’s a motto which has taken renegade photo exhibition Paper Pirates across the globe. Ahead of their first New Zealand show in four years, Don Rowe speaks to co-founder Tim Lambourne. Ever felt such a connection to a piece of art, saw some essential truth in a body of work, loved a … Read more
Comedy co-editor Natasha Hoyland talks to Andi Crown about how she creates some of the most loved marketing images of the festival. You may have flicked through the Comedy Festival programme and spotted an array of beautiful faces and stunning imagery. You may have even spotted some posters starting to pop up around town and … Read more
In January National Geographic, the venerable publication of geography, history and culture, achieved a milestone: the Gender Revolution special issue marked the first time a transgender person had featured on its cover. Adrian Hatwell talks to the photographer behind the cover, New Zealander Robin Hammond. When National Geographic‘s January 2017 issue went on sale late … Read more
To mark the death of Marti Friedlander we’re republishing a profile of the legendary photographer, first published in the November 2011 issue of New Zealand Geographic. Travelling through the Eglinton Valley, en route to Milford Sound, Marti Friedlander suddenly asked her husband to pull over. Stepping out into the road, she raised her camera, focused, … Read more
Just over two years ago, the Azraq refugee camp was opened in Jordan to house Syrians fleeing their war-ravaged home. Today around 35,000 refugees live there. World Vision’s Simon Day recently returned from Azraq. Here he shares some of what he saw 1 Shimmering on the horizon are the white boxes of the Azraq refugee … Read more
A lavish new book of photographs by artist Fiona Pardington. “Taking a photograph is like tilting at windmills. It’s taking on the universe,” says Fiona Pardington. Yes, that sounds like a load of pretentious and boring old tosh to us, too, but she’s a pretty amazing artist and her exquisitely produced new book Fiona Pardington: A Beautiful Hesitation … Read more
Following the All Blacks’ tense victory over the Springboks early on Sunday morning, the New Zealand prime minister did what he does, and, let’s be honest, what many of us would do were we the New Zealand prime minister: he sauntered into the team’s dressing room and chewed on a beer with The Boys. Photographer … Read more