Latest news with #AucklandFestivalofPhotography
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
My Secret Auckland: World Press judge Julia Durkin shares her favourite spots in the city
Dim sum at Dragon Boat at Elliot St, in the city, perfect for just the right quick fix of shumai, soy and chilli oil. Favourite restaurant for dinner with friends? It's got to be Tok Tok in Takapuna, can't go wrong with the vegan green curry, but of course, with a group of friends, you can surf through the whole menu, which is always delicious. Favourite place to take a visitor to? My fave go-to with our festival guests is the Mezze Bar on Durham St East. The food is always good. It's a nice hang-out space after those pressure-cooker festival days. Favourite spot to finish a night out? My lounge, usually! Am not a late-night partier anymore, I can't afford the cab home. Favourite place to get coffee? My regular coffee-on-the-go place is at Commercial Bay retail area Kōkako, on level 1 near the airbridge, a boost for a day in the office. Favourite fish-and-chip shop? Toby's Seafood in Glen Eden, great value, perfect battered fish. Favourite trail for a hike? My Fitbit keeps me on my toes for the daily step target, so I take a 'hike' everywhere I go! Favourite venue for a gig? So probably my favourite gigs have been at the Spark Arena, BC – Before Covid: Elton, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Lionel Ritchie, Bob Dylan. Great fun nights! Taylor who? Favourite place to find a bargain? Daiso Japan on Queen St. Best place for those on a budget for soy dishes, small plates and bowls for those missing a touch of Japan on their dining table. Julia Durkin, MNZM, is CEO of Auckland Festival of Photography. This year, she became the first New Zealand jury member for the World Press Photo Contest. See the World Press Photo Exhibition at 131 Queen St until August 24.
NZ Herald
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Grandmother wins top prize in Auckland photography competition
Sarah Macmillan's photo After Rugby Practice claimed top prize in the Auckland Festival of Photography's annual 24-hour, day in the life of Auckland - Tāmaki Makaurau competition. A grandmother wielding her trusty smartphone has captured the top prize in an annual Auckland Festival of Photography competition. The 24-hour, day in the life of Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau competition took place over 24 hours from Friday June 6 to Saturday June 7. The hundreds of entries submitted have added to
Scoop
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
2025 Auckland Photo Day – North Shore Grandmother's Capture Beats The Odds
Press Release – Auckland Festival of Photography Auckland Festival of Photography's annual 24-hour day in the life of Auckland – TāmakiMakaurau competition took place over 24 hours Friday 6th to Saturday 7th June, with the hundreds of entries submitted adding to an archive of more than 15,000 unique images of Auckland – TāmakiMakaurau taken since the competition began. Sarah, a grandmother and avid photography enthusiast, says 'Can't believe it, it was such a fluke that I was there, as my daughter was stuck in traffic Friday afternoon and asked me to go and pick up my grandson, who is 11 years old after his rugby practice at Silverdale Rugby Club, so I wasn't expecting to be there and I didn't use my DSLR as I didn't have it with, this was taken on my phone!' Our judge's comment: 'A everyday scene of a child after a sporting event in Auckland's North Shore, the photographer capturing a fleeting image of this kid's journey. The composition is excellent: lots of angles and geometries, shades of green and the child's posture, as if burdened by the expectations of what the day might hold. The sign on the nearby container saying, 'You Can Do Anything', while a cherry picker and a sewer sit on the upper frame add a touch of humour and depth.' Judges for the 2025 Auckland Photo Day were Alex Burton, Photojournalist, Janette Dalley, Director Visuals, Freelance and Federico Monsalve, former editor D Photo Magazine. Jiongxin said 'This photo was taken at Hobsonville Point, on Saturday morning after the market in the morning, this was a family moment being shared with a 'selfie' of the group. I like the group scene and it's a photography moment, so it's really good to win this prize' Judge's comment: 'Candid and relaxed, this image demonstrates a good command of technical skills. It stands out as an excellent example of street photography, capturing a moment that invites the viewer to ask questions — about the scene, the people, and the unfolding story. The judges appreciated how it reflects the rich multicultural character of the City of Sails.' Nathan said 'I run this event, Motor Sport Club from University of Auckland at Smales Farm, Takapuna, it's a car fan meet up where everyone enjoys looking at these classic motors, I was documenting the event, and this one was a spur of the moment shot of this awesome car'. Judge's comment: 'Shows strong lines and clever use of framing and colour to incorporate both people and car' Congratulations to the winners and those selected in our annual Top 30 collection for Auckland Photo Day. We hope you enjoy the judge's picks. If you want to be the judge you can vote in our People's Choice prize for your favourite photo from the judges long list, they selected these from all entries and so it's your turn to pick your favourites. The announcement of 2025's Auckland Photo Day winners marks the end of 2025's successful festival, which included more than 85+ online, in venue and outdoor exhibitions across the region, including many exploring the 'Sustain' theme. Some exhibitions continue this weekend Festival events and activities can be found on our calendar.
Scoop
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
2025 Auckland Photo Day – North Shore Grandmother's Capture Beats The Odds
Auckland Festival of Photography's annual 24-hour day in the life of Auckland - TāmakiMakaurau competition took place over 24 hours Friday 6th to Saturday 7th June, with the hundreds of entries submitted adding to an archive of more than 15,000 unique images of Auckland - TāmakiMakaurau taken since the competition began. Sarah, a grandmother and avid photography enthusiast, says "Can't believe it, it was such a fluke that I was there, as my daughter was stuck in traffic Friday afternoon and asked me to go and pick up my grandson, who is 11 years old after his rugby practice at Silverdale Rugby Club, so I wasn't expecting to be there and I didn't use my DSLR as I didn't have it with, this was taken on my phone!" Our judge's comment: 'A everyday scene of a child after a sporting event in Auckland's North Shore, the photographer capturing a fleeting image of this kid's journey. The composition is excellent: lots of angles and geometries, shades of green and the child's posture, as if burdened by the expectations of what the day might hold. The sign on the nearby container saying, 'You Can Do Anything', while a cherry picker and a sewer sit on the upper frame add a touch of humour and depth.' Judges for the 2025 Auckland Photo Day were Alex Burton, Photojournalist, Janette Dalley, Director Visuals, Freelance and Federico Monsalve, former editor D Photo Magazine. Jiongxin said "This photo was taken at Hobsonville Point, on Saturday morning after the market in the morning, this was a family moment being shared with a 'selfie' of the group. I like the group scene and it's a photography moment, so it's really good to win this prize" Judge's comment: "Candid and relaxed, this image demonstrates a good command of technical skills. It stands out as an excellent example of street photography, capturing a moment that invites the viewer to ask questions — about the scene, the people, and the unfolding story. The judges appreciated how it reflects the rich multicultural character of the City of Sails." Nathan said "I run this event, Motor Sport Club from University of Auckland at Smales Farm, Takapuna, it's a car fan meet up where everyone enjoys looking at these classic motors, I was documenting the event, and this one was a spur of the moment shot of this awesome car". Judge's comment: "Shows strong lines and clever use of framing and colour to incorporate both people and car" Congratulations to the winners and those selected in our annual Top 30 collection for Auckland Photo Day. We hope you enjoy the judge's picks. If you want to be the judge you can vote in our People's Choice prize for your favourite photo from the judges long list, they selected these from all entries and so it's your turn to pick your favourites. The announcement of 2025's Auckland Photo Day winners marks the end of 2025's successful festival, which included more than 85+ online, in venue and outdoor exhibitions across the region, including many exploring the 'Sustain' theme. Some exhibitions continue this weekend Festival events and activities can be found on our calendar.
NZ Herald
09-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Auckland Festival of Photography: Deborah Kelland's ‘sacred journey' following the monarch butterfly migration to Mexico
Every morning for nine days, Kelland rose early to meet them. Setting out from Macheros, a tiny village in the foothills, she made the two-hour trek up the mountain on foot, carrying her camera gear. Flights of migrating butterflies were still arriving from Canada, forming pulsating clouds so dense they almost obscured the sky. 'When I got up there, I was on my own, so it was an incredibly spiritual experience,' she says. 'You're just overwhelmed, standing in this paddock at the top of the mountain with the enormity of the butterflies coming towards you. It's like being in a snowstorm.' The Arrival. Migrating monarch butterflies were still flocking in from Canada when photographer Deborah Kelland climbed to their feeding ground at the Cerro Peon Sanctuary in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountain range. Photo / Deborah Kelland The monarch butterfly has a typical lifespan of only four to six weeks. However, once a year a 'super generation' is produced that lives for up to nine months and can survive this epic migration. In 2022, the species was officially listed as endangered, reflecting its devastating decline. In Mexico, the population has fallen by 70% over the past 30 years, largely due to illegal logging that threatens their roosting spots and an increase in severe weather events caused by climate change. Kelland, who describes her art photography as inspired by the 'life force and vibrant energy of nature', was immediately fascinated when she read about the migration of the monarchs and their vulnerable existence. Specialising in backlit photography, she wanted to photograph the butterflies against a black background – an effect she achieved by lying on the ground and shooting into the mountain. The results are striking, setting the glowing orange butterflies against a backdrop of velvety midnight black as sunlight streaks the grass. 'It was incredibly challenging, defying all the principles of photography, really,' she says. 'But I didn't want blue sky, which is what everyone associates with butterflies.' The sanctuary is protected by guardians who ride up the mountain on horseback. Silhouetted in several of Kelland's images, they appear as an almost ghostly presence: the rump of a horse emerging from the shadows; a dog's bushy tail that looks for all the world as if it belongs to a wolf. The Wolf. A dog belonging to the guardians of the butterfly sanctuary looks remarkably wolf-like as it's captured passing through the frame. Photo / Deborah Kelland Attuned to some cosmic clock, the first wave of migrating butterflies arrives each year on the Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos), which is celebrated in Mexico on November 1 and 2. 'They say the butterflies are the souls of their loved ones returning,' Kelland says. 'And I can believe it.' More than five years after the images were taken, her collection is about to be shown publicly for the first time at the Auckland Festival of Photography. A region-wide series of free exhibitions and events, the global programme includes work by NZ Herald photographers that will be displayed outdoors, along the fence at Queens Wharf. Waka ceremony at Waitangi, by Dean Purcell, from an exhibition by NZ Herald photographers at the Auckland Festival of Photography, which features work from around the world. Provision 8, by Clara Watt, from her exhibition The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values. A work from Sarah Cusack's series, Conflict Portraits. A real-estate hotshot in the 90s, Kelland was the first agent at Bayleys Real Estate to receive the $100 Million Award for settled sales and later founded her own boutique agency. In 2009, she walked away from the industry on the day her partner, Sue Nelson, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The couple married in 2013 after 27 years together in one of the first same-sex weddings celebrated in New Zealand after a law change the previous year. By then, they were living on Waiheke, where Kelland began exploring art photography alongside her charity and philanthropy work. In 2011, a T-shirt she designed in the days after the Christchurch earthquake raised thousands of dollars, with orders peaking at 700 a day. Her first photography exhibition, the Light of the Soul series, was dedicated to her late mother. Shot at the Parnell Rose Garden, it featured large-scale backlit images mounted on to light boxes to mimic the rays of the sun. Deborah Kelland at her home on Waiheke Island, with her dog, Toby, and sitting at her late wife Sue Nelson's piano. Nelson kept her cancer at bay for more than a decade before her health began to deteriorate. She died in 2020 on their seventh wedding anniversary, only five months after Kelland returned from Mexico. Devastated, Kelland set her butterfly photographs aside until late last year, when art collector Dame Jenny Gibbs convinced her to mount them in the foyer of the Wynyard Quarter apartment building where the two women are neighbours. 'For a long time, it was far too raw,' says Kelland. 'Jenny encouraged me to release the butterflies, literally. It was a very emotional moment.' Healthy Poison, by Karl Mancini, from a portrait series of factory workers in Samut Sonkhram, Thailand. Melt 4, by Wairarapa-based photographer Wendy Brandon. Her exhibition MELT: A Strangely Beautiful Interior, explores Antarctica "from a starting point of us needing to sustain a symbiotic relationship with the wild places on our planet". This theme of this year's Auckland Festival of Photography, Sustain/Tautīnei, resonated deeply with Kelland, who was moved to tears by both the resilience of the monarch butterfly and a fragility that mirrors our own. 'I love to immerse people in the joy of nature and all its magnificent creatures, but we also need to be so much more conscious of the devastating damage to our environment,' she says. 'For a while there, I couldn't even look at the devastation, because I like to have hope. To me, producing these images gives people hope, because the beauty is still there.' The Sacred Journey: A Flight for Life is on at Little Rosie in Parnell from May 15 to June 15 as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography. For the full programme, go to Joanna Wane is an award-winning senior lifestyle writer with a special interest in social issues and the arts.
