Uxbridge- Joyce Campbell

Joyce Campbell

I really loved Joyce Campbell's work, it had a real ghostly feel to it. The ghostly feel did not just come from the way she printed the work with strange flares through it and Vignette edges from the camera lens, the fact that her work was based on Maori legends gives me the chills considering i grew up in a small town that has lots of spiritual connections with the Maori community. Joyce's photo series 'Te Taniwha' is based on a Maori Myth in Waikaremoana about the great Taniwha's (Long finned eels) that travelled through time creating the rivers and creeks that go out to sea in that region. These Taniwhas were believed to have shaped the landscape that people walk on today in Waikaremoana.

I really love her images because they are a piece of New Zealand history and its not all about the 'Beautiful Lanscapes' its about the Maori Culture, which I really like. Everything is so much more interesting when there is a story behind it and you notice the things you wouldn't have if you were just having a quick look.

Experimentation!

For my experimentation I wanted to give that spooky blurred effect that joyce has in her's, i want my viewers to feel like they should be scared. I don't know much of the Maori history behind Otara so i decided not to go down that path because i know that id be forever finding and researching. I chose to photograph the neighbours property as it does give me chills, its a very run down place and Im always hearing strange noises coming from it. Theres a little old shed at the end of the driveway that gives me the absolute creeps and id hate to know whats inside there so for now i chose to stay outside and photograph it from afar! I stuck to the B&W like Joyce because it makes the photos look older, I also edited the three photos on photoshop giving them each a funny blur just like Joyce has in her photographs, even though the blur in her images a created because she used a low F Stop. I was going to 'Free Lens' in these photos but it doesn't work as well on my 18-135 mml Lens compared to my 50mml lens that is now broken.