Some of the members of the Gisborne Camera Club at the PSNZ Convention in Nelson last weekend. Front row (from left): Peter Quax, Jan Shanhun, Kate Snow, Miriam Pauling.
Second row: Maggie Asplet, Dr Carol Chan, Julia Rae.
Top row: Leah McAneney , Sandy Jones, Wendy Campbell.
Some of the members of the Gisborne Camera Club at the PSNZ Convention in Nelson last weekend. Front row (from left): Peter Quax, Jan Shanhun, Kate Snow, Miriam Pauling.
Second row: Maggie Asplet, Dr Carol Chan, Julia Rae.
Top row: Leah McAneney , Sandy Jones, Wendy Campbell.
Gisborne photographer Julia Rae received a Fellowship from the Photographic Society of New Zealand.
Rae’s portfolio, inspired by renowned children’s book Alice in Wonderland, took three years to complete.
Two other club members, Maggie Asplet and Hannah Jairam, received their Licentiate distinctions.
Gisborne photographer Julia Rae has received a Fellowship from the Photographic Society of New Zealand, the highest level of distinction possible.
Rae, who is also president of the Gisborne Camera Club, travelled to Nelson last weekend with nine fellow members to attend the Photographic Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) national convention and receive the honour. She is now one of only two people in Gisborne to hold the Fellowship, the other being Gisborne District Council chief scientist Murray Cave.
Two other club members, Maggie Asplet and Hannah Jairam, were also recognised at the convention, each receiving their Licentiate – the first level of distinction within PSNZ.
To earn her Fellowship, Rae submitted a portfolio of 18 images, taking a thesis-like approach to demonstrate mastery of photographic art.
Two of the images from the Wonderland series that was part of Julia Rae's portfolio for the Fellowship awarded by the Photographic Society of New Zealand.
“It has taken me three years to photograph and assemble the set along the lines of Alice in Wonderland,” Rae says.
“All 18 images are composites (all original photographs) that show my journey through my ‘Wonderland’.”
Rae is known for her whimsical, ethereal style and uses Photoshop to create her fine art images. Her artist’s statement described her inspiration:
“Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland has intrigued me since childhood, the adventure seeming impossibly possible,” she wrote in the artist’s statement that accompanied her portfolio.
“My process required decisions: essential story, creatures I’d meet, clothing, manoeuvring myself into scenes, elements and props all using a chosen colour palette.”
“Alice’s quote, ‘the only way to achieve the impossible, is to believe that it is possible’, led me to embark on creating my world, ‘Wonderland’, not far from Alice’s, where almost everything is nonsense,” she said.
The concept took shape during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when Rae began experimenting with incorporating herself into her images and manipulating them digitally. The Wonderland idea evolved during lunchtime walks through Gisborne’s second-hand stores, where she began collecting teapots and cups that became key props in her series.
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One of the 18 images in the Wonderland series created by Gisborne artist Julia Rae as part of a portfolio of work submitted to the PSNZ.
With a long career in social work, Rae – who is also the team leader for Victim Support at Gisborne Police Station – describes photography as a form of therapy. It is a creative outlet and space for her to use her imagination to create fine art images.
Every month the Gisborne Camera Club submits photographs to be judged by the PSNZ, with the judges then giving a grade and a report to the individual photographers.
“This is a crucial part of our growth and development,” Rae says.
They also submit images to be part of the annual PSNZ book that is published each year.
With around 800 photographs submitted, a panel of judges will select about 150 for the book.
Being part of the Gisborne Camera Club means members can participate in “salons”, which are competitions divided into genres, such as nature or portraiture.
