https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/entertainment/20210923/a-life-behind-the-lens/
Photography has been in Julia Rae's life since childhood. At 12 years old, just down the road from her family home, Rae looked down the lens through her father's box Brownie camera and took her first photo of a horse standing in a paddock.
Several years later, after winning the Photographic Society of New Zealand's portrait trophy earlier this year, Rae's exhibition, Worlds of Wonder, is currently on display at Tairawhiti Museum.
The art in the exhibition was her way of coping with the uncertainty of lockdowns.
“It's about escaping and looking at the world a little bit differently,” Rae says.
She got into photography, partly because she had a wannabe photographer dad who could never quite stick to it.
“He thought he'd like to get into it. He's done it a couple of times, bought cameras, but then never really done anything with them.”
At 15, Rae headed off to Adelaide in South Australia for a school exchange and lived with a family where the father worked for a film imaging company, Agfa.
“The father gave me a camera, and of course it was film back then, so I could have as many rolls of film as I liked because he worked for Agfa, so I guess that got me enthused.”
After returning to New Zealand, Rae studied art and film at high school in Whangarei before travelling around the world with a camera by her side.
“Then I thought, ‘What am I going to do with all my photos when I come back from overseas?' ”
When she came back to New Zealand she moved to Tauranga and joined the local camera club in 2001 before she moved to Gisborne and joined the Gisborne branch in 2008.
Although she had a life of experience behind the camera, Rae says something was missing.
“I did lots of photography but could never really find my genre until lockdown last year,” Rae says.
Stuck inside, she started to play around on her computer using editing software on her images.
“I got into creating in Photoshop because I had the time — I couldn't leave the house. I did a couple of online courses to up my skills.
“I had never really used it to its full capacity, and I don't think I ever will because there's so much to it . . . But I've got a bit of a better hand on the layering and masking. I've had more time to look at the intricacies.”
Now, instead of taking photos of the world, Rae dreams the image and photographs it after.
“I normally sketch out an idea or the concept, and I'll go and collect items to build that image.
“I get a prompt, sometimes when I'm going for a walk, and I think of an idea. Or I see a prop and think, ‘how can I use this?' ”
At other times the images come from thoughts or feelings.
Her image, Caged in Covid, was one of the earlier pieces Rae created when she was feeling hemmed in by the lockdown. She wanted to express that feeling of claustrophobia visually.
Once she comes up with a concept, finding the props to create the image can prove tricky.
“I might get halfway through an image and think, ‘Ah, I need a crown for a frog'. And then the image has to go on hold while I find something to fit a frog.”
Her exhibition at Tairawhiti Museum is called Worlds of Wonder, which alludes to the wandering in her head, outside of reality, while the real world is messy.
“It's a little bit of my escapism. The art follows that sort of theme. I wanted to travel and go to a photography festival, but it got cancelled so I decided I would have to read more and travel in my mind.”
During the Alert Level 4 lockdown, the only way she could get out of the house was to go to the supermarket, so in her kitchen, looking at her broom, she wanted to fly away like a witch.
For those wanting to develop their photography skills, Rae recommends joining a camera club.
“That's where you really learn with enthusiastic, like-minded people — that's what kept me going.
“You're getting your images evaluated by someone who is outside of the area who has no idea who you are. You're getting honest, clear, constructive criticism, which is invaluable.
“Otherwise you mostly only get feedback from your clients . . . and they love them because they are in them.”
Worlds of Wonder, Tairawhiti Museum until November 21. Artist Julia Rae's self-portrait morphs into a character of dreams creating imagined worlds and illustrating ideas through photographic images.
https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/local-news/20210414/portrait-of-post-workout-pose-a-winner/
Portrait of post-workout pose a Winner
Published April 14, 2021
GISBORNE HERALD
A black and white picture of a bare-chested young man, pumped after a workout, has won Gisborne photographer Julia Rae the Photographic Society of New Zealand Inc's (PSNZ) portrait trophy.
The award was for the “best projected image” portrait, titled Keanu, which Rae had entered in the 2021 Sony National Exhibition, hosted by PSNZ.
“My son Keanu had just done a workout in his room and came out looking very muscular and pumped and he was feeling good, so I seized the opportunity and without too much cajoling he agreed to model for me,” says Rae.
The photographic artist found a blank wall in the house, used a ring light and took a few pictures until Keanu settled into a pose.
“I worked quickly as I wanted his muscles to keep under tension and knew he would probably tire and lose interest so all up it took about 15 minutes of his time.
“It was shot in manual to control light and I did a little in Photoshop to desaturate it to mono.”
Because she does not consider herself a portrait photographer Rae was “surprised but absolutely thrilled” to win the award and describes it as “definitely a confidence booster.”
The annual Sony National Exhibition called for entries from members of the Society throughout New Zealand and overseas earlier in the year. Three panels of selectors viewed over 1000 images entered, of which almost 350 were selected to comprise the exhibition.
Three other images Rae submitted were accepted for the annual Sony National Exhibition which will be held at St Margaret's College in Christchurch, April 16-17.
Rae will be presented with the PSNZ portrait trophy at an awards ceremony on Friday.
https://issuu.com/photographicsocietyofnewzealand/docs/ct_february_2021
Camera Talk
PSNZ Canon Online 2020
by Paul Willyams
APSNZ AFIAP MNZIPP PSNZ Canon Online Coordinator
https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/frontpage-featured/20210120/world-of-wonder/
World of Wonder
Win for Gisborne photographic artist, Julia De Cleene.
by Mark Peters
Published January 20, 2021
GISBORNE HERALD
A composite photographic image in which a woman climbs a staircase of books towards a book-like portal at the top could be self-fulfilling prophecy for Gisborne photographic artist Julia De Cleene.
Having submitted work to the Photographic Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) Canon Online Photographer of the Year competition since about 2005, De Cleene has been announced overall winner of the competition.
“It’s hard to get into the top 10,” she said. “I’ve entered work for the past 15 years. Every now and then I’ve got one or two into the top 10.”
And now, she has reached the top.
The competition is based on six rounds of submissions a year. From each round, the top 10 images are each awarded points from one to 10. Every entry gains one point.
The top photographers are decided by points aggregate.
De Cleene’s lyrical, dream-like work, Ascent of Imagination, in which origami birds made from pages of books accompany the woman as she climbs the book staircase, featured among the Gisborne photographic artist’s four top ten placings.
“Over the six rounds I had the highest aggregate. I placed in four of the six rounds.”
De Cleene describes her work as conceptually based.
“You think of an idea, then you put it together as a composite work.”
She photographs subjects such as clouds, birds and objects which become part of a trove of images to draw on.
“If I see a landscape I’ll think about it because I can use the landscape for something else.” says De Cleene.
“I’m purposely looking at things or textures like a concrete wall or corrugated iron.”
Citing Belgian artist Rene Magritte as an influence since studying his work at school, De Cleene says she aims for a surreal character in her work.
“I look for unexpected things in unexpected places. There is one image of me on the beach with my bedroom door and me looking through the door. It’s like it becomes an ‘are you inside or are you outside’ enigma.
“I’m reading all these books,” says De Cleene of the figure in Ascent of Imagination.
“It’s letting reading take you into another world. The more we read, the more the mind is opened.”
Asked where she is going next with her work, the photographic artist says she has just submitted a portfolio of work for associateship with PSNZ.
Associateship is the second level of involvement with PSNZ. Licentiate is the first tier. Fellowship is at the top.
She calls the portfolio of 12 images Wonder Worlds.
“It’s all about wonder.”
On the cover Wrapped in my Bubble by Julia De Cleene LPSNZ - Category winner and Supreme winner of the 2020 Creative Focus Competition.
See page 58 for a report on the salon.
https://issuu.com/photographicsocietyofnewzealand/docs/cameratalk_october_2020
Pukekohe-Franklin Creative Focus Competition 2020
By Bev McIntyre
THIS YEAR SAW a record number of entries into the Creative Focus competition. There were 984 images submitted by 106 entrants: 355 in Creative Focus, 249 in Blooming Beautiful, 245 in The Blues and 135 in All Jazzed Up. All Jazzed Up saw a wide variety of interpretations. Even though the numbers were fewer, everyone put a lot of thought into their entries.
All up, 469 images were accepted, just under 50%. The effect of COVID-19 was threefold. Firstly, it seemed that photographers unleashed their creativity while they were in lockdown and submitted more images. But it created greater logistical difficulties when trying to organise the competition whilst not being able to meet. And we had to cancel our prizegiving which was very disappointing for all concerned. The judges were awesome to work with and all said they felt honoured to be part of the competition. They were super-impressed with the quality of the entries and the incredible creativity of the entrants. They found the images inspirational and thought it fantastic that there is a competition offered for New Zealanders to showcase their photographic creativity.
The competition is not only for New Zealanders though; it is open to anyone in the world who wishes to enter.
Category winners: Creative Focus Soaring Wide by Barbara Lee APSNZ
The Blues Wrapped In My Bubble by Julia De Cleene LPSNZ
Blooming Beautiful A Swirl Of Drops by Ann Bastion FPSNZ EFIAP MFIAP
All Jazzed Up Bath Time by Gail Stent FPSNZ
Congratulations to the Supreme winner!
Wrapped In My Bubble by Julia De Cleene LPSNZ