Laurence Aberhart
Laurence Geoffrey Aberhart | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949 Nelson, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Known for | Architectural photography, portraits |
Laurence Geoffrey Aberhart (born 1949) is a photographer from New Zealand.
Biography
Born in Nelson in 1949, Aberhart is one of four children and attended Nelson College between 1963 and 1966. In the late 1960s, he relocated to Lyttelton before eventually establishing his residence and studio in Russell, where he remains based. Aberhart has traveled extensively, creating numerous photographic series across the globe. Although his portfolio includes diverse subjects, he is primarily recognized for his images of architecture worldwide, featuring structures such as Masonic lodges, war memorials, residential buildings, and occasional natural scenes. To broaden his artistic scope beyond architectural photography, he also produced a collection of portraits focusing on people.[1][2]
Originally trained as a primary school teacher, Aberhart's passion for photography grew through exposure to photographic literature and hands-on darkroom work with a friend. After obtaining his teaching credentials, he was assigned to a post in Northland before choosing to pursue photography as his main profession.[3] He has three children who were subjects in one of his photographic projects during the 1980s; Aberhart has never married.[2]
Photographic style and works
Aberhart is acknowledged as a trailblazer in modern New Zealand photography. Since 1978, his photographs have been shown extensively in galleries and museums across Australia, the United States, and France.[4] His roles have included Artist In Residence at the Tylee Cottage Residency in Wanganui (1986) and at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery during the late 1990s.[2][3]
Beginning with an antiquated camera in the late 1960s, Aberhart encountered difficulties when photographic paper for printing negatives became unavailable.[2] He frequently utilizes platinum print and silver gelatin print techniques—both demanding more than eight hours per print in his darkroom.[1][2] Remarkably, he sometimes postpones developing his photographs for several years; for example, one image captured in 1978 was not processed until the early 2000s.[2][3]
His photographic interests encompass Māori carvings, architectural subjects, museology, and memorials. To avoid being typecast solely as an architectural photographer, he created a series featuring his own children during the 1980s. Among his most notable works is the "Prisoner's Dream" series focused on Mount Taranaki. This particular photograph involved a long exposure exceeding five hours and was taken unintentionally during a moonlit nap; initially nearly discarded, it later became one of his highest valued prints.[1][2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedMain & Turner - ↑ A partial list appears on the page about him Archived 2007-06-24 at the Wayback Machine at the Sue Crockford Gallery page.
External links
- 1949 births
- Living people
- 20th-century New Zealand artists
- New Zealand male photographers
- People educated at Nelson College
- People from Russell, New Zealand
- 21st-century New Zealand artists
- 20th-century New Zealand male artists
- 21st-century New Zealand male artists
- 20th-century New Zealand photographers
- 21st-century New Zealand photographers