PhotoForum

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PhotoForum Inc. is a non-profit New Zealand photography organisation founded 12 December 1973 in Wellington "dedicated to the promotion of photography as a means of communication and expression," and is also the title of its magazine, first published in February 1974. [1]

Contents

The magazine issues were discontinued after 1984, but the organisation continues to publish a series of books on New Zealand photography and photographers with the same ISSN. One of these, number 83, is a 273 page, large format history of PhotoForum Inc. published with Rim Books and edited by art historian Nina Seja. [2] [3]

History

Background

Desmond Kelly and John B. Turner [4] screened documentary films, and held discussions, on photography in Wellington [5] over 1969/70. [6] [7] They and their audience noted the prevalent lack of attention to, or analysis of, [8] photography in New Zealand other than as a commercial profession or an amateur activity. [9] Photography publications existed but were mostly books presenting the country's landscape often with an eye to tourism, [10] [11] and hobby, trade, technical and photographic society journals; New Zealand Studio, the journal of the New Zealand Professional Photographers’ Association 1952–1975; New Zealand Camera, journal of the Photographic Society of New Zealand, launched in 1954; and Photographics New Zealand magazine 1961–1963.

Publication

Kelly and Turner met Bruce Weatherall who subsequently in 1970 published the newsletter Photographic Art & History, which was the precursor to Photo-Forum magazine. Its first issue covered conservation of photographs, appreciation of fine art photography, collecting photographic equipment, and the history of photography, and called for expressions of interest in contributing to further newsletters. Kelly and Turner became co-editors of the magazine with Weatherall from issue 2. [4]

They turned attention to New Zealand photographers Tudor Collins, Mac Miller, John Daley, and the current Maori in Focus exhibition, and in issue 3 covered Ans Westra, Mac Miller, and Hill & Adamson in New Zealand. After issue 4, featuring reviews of the 19th Century New Zealand Photography exhibition; Photography, A Visual Dialect, Gernsheim’s History of Photography; Hardwicke Knight’s First Century of Photography exhibition; and an article on the photographer J.N. Crombie, the journal was renamed New Zealand Photography.[ citation needed ]

Under the new title New Zealand Photography and from 1971 the content was more internationally focused and included Keri McCleary's reviews of New Zealand exhibitions of Brassaï and Photography 1971 exhibitions, and articles on the American Bruce Davidson and the French photojournalist Cartier-Bresson, with others on New Zealanders James Chapman-Taylor and others.[ citation needed ]

Through 1972/73 more attention was given to New Zealand photographers and exhibitions, with articles on, and photographs by, Alan Leatherby; Richard Collins; [12] Roger Leach; James McDonald; Lloyd Homer; Keri McCleary; Max Oettli; D.L. Mundy; Simon Buis; John Fields; [12] Walter Logeman; Mike Hammersley; Allan McDonald; Don Roy; Clive Stone; John Milnes; Jim Payne; Harry Foster; Ans Westra; Barry Lett Galleries; Bryan James; Historical New Zealand photographs in Australia; Bryan James; Ken Foster; Corynne Bootten; Graham Mitchell; Grant Douglas; the Elam Workshop; John Daley; Victorian photographs of Wellington; Michael Hawkins; the Photographic Communication Symposium; Barry Myers; Barry Hesson; Paul Cooper; Gary Baigent; [12] Paul Gilbert; Rev. John Kinder; Christchurch photographers at Victoria Market Gallery; Leith F. Jennings.

After Weatherall departed for a position as Lecturer in Journalism at the University of Canterbury in 1974, Turner took over New Zealand Photography magazine and re-launched it as Photo-Forum magazine in February 1974, [13] the title inspired by the American Artforum. [4] As well as its magazine, the organisation also produced posters, postcard sets, diaries, calendars, newsletters and books. [14]

PhotoForum ceased publication as a magazine in 1984, replaced by the irregular issue of book-format titles which continued the magazine numbering and its ISSN. Subscribed members received MoMento, published from January 2008. [15]

PhotoForum started an online presence in 1996 and then relaunched PhotoForum Online in 2018 to publish reviews, essays and news. [16]

Organisation

On 12 December 1973, founders Ken Browning, Paul Fudakowski, Bob Jones, Peter Maughan, Max Oettli, Peter Robson, Larence N. Shustak, and John B. Turner contributed $1000 each to register PhotoForum as an Incorporated Society. Max Oettli became first President of the Society, [17] [18] Treasurer was Wendy Turner; Secretary, Janet Mayo; Photo-Forum (originally hyphenated thus) Editor was John Turner, and Associate Editors Laurence Shustak and Do Van Toan. [19]

In 1989 a restructure, which replaced the position of President with a Director, Sally Symes was appointed to the role, which she retained until her resignation and replacement by John B. Turner in 1993. He resigned in July 2012, precipitated by his relocation to Beijing, though he retained his role as co-Managing Editor beside Haruhiko Sameshima. Geoffrey Short, who featured in the 2012 MoMento 10, and who had been employed as gallery Manager in 1987, replaced Turner as Director.

The magazine contents 1974-1984

1974

1975

1976

1977

Photo-Forum 41 was the last A4 size Photo-Forum (designed by Karen Sarno-Woodroffe). [2]

1978

With issue 42 the magazine format is reduced and centres more on images. Photo-Forum Supplement, launched at the end of 1977, is in tabloid newsprint format to provide space for more discourse and news.

1979

1980

1981

From issue 48 the hyphen in the title was dropped. [2]

1982

1983

1984

From 1986 PhotoForum Newsletter was renamed PhotoForum ReView and changed to A5 format under new editors Janet Bayly and Athol McCredie. [2]

1987

References

  1. ↑ Photo-forum, Photo-Forum, 1974, ISSN   0111-0411
  2. 1 2 3 4 Seja, Nina (2014), PhotoForum at 40 : counterculture, clusters, and debate in New Zealand (1st ed.), Rim Books, ISBN   978-0-473-28325-4
  3. ↑ "PhotoForum at 40-PHOTOINTER". www.photoint.net. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Turner, John B. (1 January 2014). "PhotoForum : a personal reminiscence / by John B. Turner". PhotoForum, 2014; n.83:p.37-48; issn. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  5. ↑ McCredie, Athol (1 January 2014). "PhotoForum/Wellington : working independently / by Athol McCredie". PhotoForum, 2014; n.83:p.49-57; issn. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  6. ↑ McCredie, Athol, 1953- (2019). The new photography : New Zealand's first generation contemporary photographers. Wellington, New Zealand. ISBN   978-0-9951031-9-1. OCLC   1099567522.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "Rear Vision: A History of PhotoForum Wellington to 1988 17 August to 24 October 1988". City Gallery Wellington. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Oettli, M. (2016). They say you want a revolution. Landfall, (231), 191.
  9. ↑ "Vision & voice : the beginning". PhotoForum, 2014; n.83:p.17-35; issn. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  10. ↑ Goldthorpe, E. (2013). A Changing Topography: Culture and Nature in New Zealand Landscape Photography. Doctoral dissertation, University of Otago.
  11. ↑ Hickman, Rosina (17 November 2017). "Et in Arcadia Ego: New Zealand's Rural Landscape in Visual Culture and Early Amateur Film". Medianz: Media Studies Journal of Aotearoa New Zealand. 17 (2). doi: 10.11157/medianz-vol17iss2id191 . ISSN   2382-218X.
  12. 1 2 3 Baigent, Gary; Turner, John B.; Fields, John; Collins, Richard; Gallery, Auckland City Art (1973). Three New Zealand photographers : Photographs by Gary Baigent, Richard Collins and John Fields. Auckland.
  13. ↑ Photographs, museums, collections : between art and information. Edwards, Elizabeth, 1952-, Morton, Christopher A. London, UK. 14 July 2015. ISBN   978-1-4725-2492-8. OCLC   891610391.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. ↑ "Publications : tell and show". PhotoForum, 2014; n.83:p.125-145; issn. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  15. ↑ PhotoForum Inc. (2007). MoMento. Photo-Forum Inc. OCLC   271575572.
  16. ↑ "PhotoForum". PhotoForum. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  17. ↑ Wolf, Erika (1 January 2014). "An interview with the president : Max Oettli in conversation with Erika Wolf". PhotoForum, 2014; n.83:p.206-211; issn. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Browne, Turner. (1983). Macmillan biographical encyclopedia of photographic artists & innovators. Partnow, Elaine. New York: Macmillan. ISBN   0-02-517500-9. OCLC   8552746.
  19. ↑ Seja, Nina; Short, Geoffrey H. "Chronology of PhotoForum" (PDF).
  20. ↑ Cleveland, L. (Les); Strongman, Lara, 1968-; McDonald, Lawrence; Victoria University of Wellington; City Gallery Wellington (1998), Les Cleveland : six decades : message from the interior, City Gallery, Wellington : Victoria University Press, ISBN   978-0-9583554-9-0 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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