#Laurence Aberhart

[de-salva]

From the cycle: Last Light (Taranaki, Wanganui, 1991)

© Laurence Aberhart (NZ, b. 1949)

[joeinct]

Selma, Alabama, Photo by Laurence Aberhart, 1988

[musical-suicide]

Includes background story of event.

Rare David Bowie photo taken by Laurence Aberhart in New Zealand (1978)

[maeo-png]

The Life and Times of Peter Lukas.

The Magnus Archives Episode 159 “The Last” // Bay Road, smoke haze/Bay Road foggy morning circa 1932 by Clarice Beckett // “The Last” // ‘a figure carrying a skeleton’ by euan macleod // “The Last” // The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future by Los Campesinos! // “The Last” // Last Light, St Andrews, South Canterbury by Laurence Aberhart // “An Idea is a Greater Monument than a Cathedral” by Empire! Empire! I was a lonely estate. // k.c cramm //

[claudestar2017]

David Bowie - 1978 - by Laurence Aberhart.

[vwk7121]

ARDN631 Saskia Norman Week 1

For the photos up until DSC_1300 I was listening to and thinking of the song Dance The Night by Dua Lipa, and I feel that the bright lighting helps to brighten the mood and express how pop the song is. I am not usually very expressive on camera so it was challenging for me to show the mood in these photos, but in comparison to the next set they look a lot lighter and clearer.

For the the photos DSC_1329 onwards I was listening to and thinking of the song 80s Mercedes Maren Morris, and while this song doesn't have a dark mood it was definitely not as bright and pop as the other song. This song has a slower and more country sound, so I tried to express that through the more yellow lighting and with a different mirror. These ones were really challenging to shoot because the mirror was old and had a lot of scratches and other marks that kept messing with the camera's focus, so some of them are a bit blurry and even are solely focused on those marks.

I did try using the self timer to take some self portraits but I didn't have a way to set the camera up in front of a mirror so I wasn't able to take any photos hands free, but I figured out how to do it so I could if I needed to.

Fiona Pardington

I chose this photo because I hadn't been seeing many side profile portraits while researching so I found it interesting. The lighting in this one is really striking to me because of the way such specific areas are highlighted so brightly, which add more depth and detail to the head. The dark shadows are very strong which means that they are visible against the dark grey sculpture, and creates a nice contrast with the lighter parts.

The composition of the sculpture shows off the fine detail of the side profile that may not be appreciated from a front view. The close up framing means that the sculpture is directly in the center of the image, and means that it catches attention much more than the plain white background.

Edith Amituanai

This photo has interesting composition and setting, and the lighting really completes the mood overall. The lighting is very dull, seemingly all natural light coming from a window on the right, but it gives off the look of artificial lighting from how much it seems to be coming from behind the camera. This warm-toned lighting creates a homely feeling, which fits with the homely and family life mood and setting of the image.

The composition is very zoomed out, showing the subject's fully body, and he is centered with the fireplace, which draws in a lot of focus to him. He is slightly diagonally-facing which creates some slight shadows along the left side, since the light seems to be hitting from the right to the middle. All of this gives the photo a very nostalgic feeling to it, since the background shows that it really was just taken in a home. Edith Amituanai is described as “a village photographer.” because of this exact mood and feeling she is able to create with her work.

Dunn, M. (2019). Edith Amituanai - essay. Photo Forum Online. https://www.photoforum-nz.org/blog/2019/7/5/edith-amituanai-essay

Laurence Aberhart

Since this image is in black and white and is taken outside with a lot of soft natural lighting, there is hardly any dynamic range with everything very defused and dulled. The darkest parts of the image are the hair and clothing, which isn't affected by the lighting, so the image doesn't have a very intense mood which seems for fitting for a photo of children.

The composition of the image is very centered and zoomed out, capturing their full bodies and even having them truely centered by sitting so their feet aren't touching the bottom edge. The children are positioned with the shortest in the middle so the heights are symmetrical on each side, and the window/door indent area they are sitting in makes for a more interesting background while seeming more silly and child-like. Since he uses a large format camera his photos and compositions are "more considered in a formal sense." (Museum of Contemporary Art Ltd., 2013).

Museum of Contemporary Art Ltd. (2013). South of no North. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54728164e4b081a2addc014d/t/54b5f17be4b05e2e7fb60546/1421209979414/South+of+no+North.pdf

[nickgiles]

CASE STUDY: Laurence Aberhart

He is a famous New Zealand photographer who worked in the 1990s. Taking photos of buildings from around the world.

His work is often geometrical, letting the shape of the building define his photos. He lets the object of the photo speak for itself and lets it tell its own story.

What attracted me to his work is how simplistic yet effective his work can be. He often takes photos of buildings face-on from the front entrance.

Additionally, when looking at his work, your eye doesn't have to do a lot in terms of looking at the painting. Nothing is done of purpose, and his photos are never busy or overwhelming.

I want to take this idea forward and play with abstract photos.

[ardn5162023fernbellbowers]

***ARTIST MODELS***

Paul Strand

Paul Strand was an American photographer who hugely impacted photography in the 20th century. He played with abstraction, street portraiture and city photography just to name a few. I like his sharp imagery he captures and his use of contrast. I love his use of light and shadow in the top right, I like that the image is abstract and we are unable to really make out what it is- apart from the bold lines and curve. I like his use of depth of field in his photographs- the bottom photos show how he used say the fence to be very sharp and bright while the houses in the back blend into the photograph more. I have found his work super inspiring and I like his style and I think some of my photographs are similar vibes (definitely not as good!!!!) https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pstd/hd_pstd.htm

Lucia Moholy

Lucia Moholy was an Austrian photographer who focused on architecture, her most famous work being photographs of Bauhaus (a German art school). The thing I enjoy most about her work is the way she composes her photographs with the lines of the architecture. I like how she takes her photos from different perspectives and angles, not just straight on. I find the different lines very satisfying and it is something I also seem to be attracted to when photographing. I will definitely consider looking through different perspectives when continuing to take photos. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/lucia-moholy-13004

Jim Goldburg

This is some of the coolest work I have come across so far I am actually obsessed with it. Jim Goldberg is an American artist and photographer who tells the stories of those who are neglected, homeless, poor and ignored while also telling the story of class/power/happiness. I found this work so incredibly powerful and I love his style. I like how he composes photographs of people just in their element or minding their own business. I love the use of written text over his photographs, even the different handwriting helps to tell the stories. I love the personality his photographs evoke and the almost child-like look to them. https://www.instagram.com/goldbergjim/?hl=en

Laurence Aberhart

Laurence Aberhart is a New Zealand photographer that focuses on buildings, in particular war memorials, churches and houses. He has taken photos all over New Zealand and the world and has made a huge impact on NZ contemporary photography history. I love how he focuses on buildings which have nothing around them but landscape. His use of leading lines and framing makes these photographs so beautiful. I love the light and shadows he captures- the use of sunlight/timing that is so powerful and something which I need to practise. https://www.gowlangsfordgallery.co.nz/artists/laurence-aberhart

Glenn Busch

Glenn Busch is a New Zealand photographer based in Lyttelton. His portrait photography looks at social realism and the working class in New Zealand. https://placeintime.org/features/interview-glenn-busch-by-tim-veling - very cool interview all about how Glenn got into photography. I love this portrait/documentary style of photography. I love the framing of the men and the square format. I like how he has used natural light to light their faces/bodies but there is not much shadow. Like Jim Goldburg's work, the storytelling is so powerful, in this case without words. I love that these men have just been pulled straight from their workplace, no smiles, accessories in hand.

[lebeishen604]

ARTIST 4: Laurence Aberhart

Laurence Aberhart’s iconic photography is steeped in history—not only in his chosen subject matter but through his use of an antique Korona View Camera. Now in his seventies, he continues to create contemporary photographs through a historical lens, balancing compositional precision with an intense atmospheric quality. 

"Aberhart's images are bathed in the light of photographic history, as well as that of the world around. In his exquisite prints, photography reclaims a magic often lost in the digital age" Curator Gregory O'Brien Gow Langsford Gallery has represented Laurence Aberhart since 2014.

[gacougnol]

Laurence Aberhart Last Light From Bells Point platform Near Metung, Victoria 2008

[yama-bato]

Taranaki, Wanganui, 1986                

        1986        

Artist Laurence Aberhart

New Zealand

1949 -

[de-salva]

Taranaki (Wanganui, 1986)

© Laurence Aberhart (NZ, b. 1949)

[joeinct]

Caravan, Cromwell, Photo by Laurence Aberhart, 1981

[lescuriositesdelafoire]

Laurence Aberhart

The Book of the Dead, 1994 - 2004

[rakovic]

Anglican Church, Pawarenga Peninsula, Whangape Harbour, Northland

LAURENCE ABERHART  

[claudestar2017]

David Bowie, Christchurch, New Zealand, 1978, © Laurence Aberhart.