ZOOM MAGAZINE FEATURE by Sara Namias
“I live in a small, rural community north of Auckland in New Zealand. I work outside in the landscape or environment using natural light, in the place my subjects live.
I began taking pictures as a child, the first was with my grandfather’s camera at a beach on the West Coast, but later on I begged for a camera of my own and began photographing my neighborhood trees and homes, animals at the zoo, livestock at my Aunt’s farm, and birds, including pheasant chicks I found and raised.
My subject matter has remained pretty constant since the beginning really although there was a big gap in the middle for commercial work photographing people.
In the ‘Poultry’, ‘Epitaph’ and ‘Domestic Birds’ series, I wanted to restore dignity to these animals which are often only seen as a dish to be eaten or never taken into consideration and forgotten. Much of the art we produce in New Zealand celebrates the native birds, trees and environment as though this is abundant, however the true story is quite different. Due to the introduction of exotic species, out native species have suffered. This has led us to think poorly of anything exotic, but I feel that there is still a story to tell and a history that shows the ‘introduced’ helped us to survive. My ideas have really grown up from that.
Photographing birds and animals is difficult, the images need to convey so much more than just a nice portrait and by nature most of my subjects are in constant fear of my presence so capturing just the right look in the right light, close enough to get a head-shot can be quite a challenge. Cows and sheep are easier to photograph, cows are naturally curious and run to the fence as soon as they see someone, while the character of sheep is exactly the opposite, and they tend to run away.”
I began taking pictures as a child, the first was with my grandfather’s camera at a beach on the West Coast, but later on I begged for a camera of my own and began photographing my neighborhood trees and homes, animals at the zoo, livestock at my Aunt’s farm, and birds, including pheasant chicks I found and raised.
My subject matter has remained pretty constant since the beginning really although there was a big gap in the middle for commercial work photographing people.
In the ‘Poultry’, ‘Epitaph’ and ‘Domestic Birds’ series, I wanted to restore dignity to these animals which are often only seen as a dish to be eaten or never taken into consideration and forgotten. Much of the art we produce in New Zealand celebrates the native birds, trees and environment as though this is abundant, however the true story is quite different. Due to the introduction of exotic species, out native species have suffered. This has led us to think poorly of anything exotic, but I feel that there is still a story to tell and a history that shows the ‘introduced’ helped us to survive. My ideas have really grown up from that.
Photographing birds and animals is difficult, the images need to convey so much more than just a nice portrait and by nature most of my subjects are in constant fear of my presence so capturing just the right look in the right light, close enough to get a head-shot can be quite a challenge. Cows and sheep are easier to photograph, cows are naturally curious and run to the fence as soon as they see someone, while the character of sheep is exactly the opposite, and they tend to run away.”
Cally Whitham’s work is strongly influenced by early portrait painters, “One of my first rooster portraits reminded me of a portrait by Piero della Francesca’s of Frederico da Montefletro with his wife. The side profile and red hat and the sense of dignity lead me to the idea of conveying livestock, birds and animals in a manner that leant them a new value or perception and conveyed the feel of a historical portrait that would not look out of place alongside our forefathers. Rembrandt is another painter I was inspired by. I love the dark, moody backgrounds and warm yellow light that give his work its strength and warmth.”
Her subjects are those animals that work for man, make money for him and nourish him, but whose true value, in exchange, is not appreciated, nor are they given the consideration they deserve. Cally depicts the pride of the rooster, the friendliness of the cow, the timidity of the pig and the beauty of each of them, in terms of their colors, expressions and special characteristics.
Her subjects are those animals that work for man, make money for him and nourish him, but whose true value, in exchange, is not appreciated, nor are they given the consideration they deserve. Cally depicts the pride of the rooster, the friendliness of the cow, the timidity of the pig and the beauty of each of them, in terms of their colors, expressions and special characteristics.
