LARNIE NICOLSON, PHOTOGRAPHER

"I'M ATTRACHED TO GRITTY LANDSCAPES AND URBAN WASTELANDS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SAYS ABOUT ME!"

Larnie Nicholson is an Auckland commercial photographer who has degrees in both photography and graphic design. Her photographic work is an amalgamation of the two disciplines.The design element comes into play with the strong use of composition lines that recede, converge and form patterns within the photograph.The photographers eye is in the use of small symbolic details that tell the whole story. For example in a photo entitled "San Francisco". The image is of the shadows cast by the cables of the tourist attraction tram cars. To see Larnie's work view http://www.larnienicolson.com/

ME:TRAVELLING PROVIDED THE CATALYST TO GET YOU INTO PHOTOGRAPHY, HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF TRAVELLING AGAIN OR ARE YOU SETTLED IN NZ?

LARNIE NICOLSON:I don’t feel particularly settled in NZ actually. It’s in my nature to travel and want to see new places. This can be incredibly frustrating at times because it would probably be easier to want to settle down but I just don’t feel that at the moment. Travelling opens the mind and seeing new places for the first time is inspiring.

ME: HOW WAS IT WORKING AND LIVING IN NEW YORK?

LARNIE NICOLSON:I loved New York. I felt very fortunate to be able to live there especially as I lived in a great apartment in Soho. I worked in a busy photography agency while shooting nearly every day. I had an old Polish bike with a basket on the front so I’d pop my heavy Mamiya 645 camera in that and off I’d go exploring.

ME:WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PUBLICATIONS THAT YOUR WORK HAS APPEARED IN?

LARNIE NICOLSON:Urbis, Your Home and Garden, Black, Houses, Urbis Landscapes, Progressive Building, Mob Magazine (Telecom) and Buzz Magazine (Air NZ’s internal magazine)

ME:HAVE YOU EXHIBITED OR THOUGHT OF PRODUCING A BOOK OF YOUR WORK?

LARNIE NICOLSON:I was in the AIPA group exhibition in 2007 which was well received. I think I will probably exhibit again at some stage because I still shoot personal work but it’s not an immediate goal. I’m working on a book idea at the moment. It’s not a book about my work but I would be the photographer. It’s such a good idea but I can’t disclose just yet.

ME: THERE IS A STRONG LINEAR CONTENT IN YOUR WORK, WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR COMPOSITION-WISE WHEN YOU APPROACH A SUBJECT?

LARNIE NICOLSON:I studied Graphic Design before Photography and that influence comes through my work. I always look for strong lines when composing a shot. It’s a concept that is hard to explain as it just happens naturally.

ME:IN YOUR PORTRAIT WORK, THE PEOPLE LOOK POISED BUT RELAXED. HOW DO YOU BUILD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR SUBJECTS?

LARNIE NICOLSON:I get them drunk first. No - I know it can be intimidating having your photo taken so I’m friendly and really do try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. If I am photographing children I find it easy to get on to their level and have fun with them.

ME:WHAT'S THE TRICKIEST PHOTO YOU HAVE TAKEN?

LARNIE NICOLSON:All shoots have a tricky element to them whether it be technical or for some other reason (which is why you hire us!). Shooting Fashion Week is quite tricky because every show is lit so differently and it’s such long days. Architecture is quite technical and probably looks easier to photograph than it is.

ME:WHAT IS THE STRANGEST REQUEST YOU HAVE HAD, FOR A PHOTO?

LARNIE NICOLSON:A guy once called and asked me to take naked photos of him masturbating. Apparently there is an underground swingers club in Auckland and members need a ‘portfolio’. This was pre digital and besides the fact that I didn’t want to shoot him naked or masturbating, I suspected that he wouldn’t be able to get the film developed for legal reasons. I said No, but he really tried to talk me round. I still said No. And then he called me 4 months later to see if I had changed my mind and I said No again. He called me prudish but that’s OK.

ME:WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?

LARNIE NICOLSON:It sounds clichéd, but it’s meeting people. Architecture and Interiors always interest me. I like to see how people arrange their furniture.

ME:YOU ALSO PAINT. DOES YOUR PAINTING FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE IDEAS THAT YOU EXPLORE IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY. OR DO YOU TREAT PAINTING IN AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MANNER

LARNIE NICOLSON:I think they are quite different. My painting style is bright and quirky. In saying that, there is a dark element to my paintings and that also runs through my photography. I’m attracted to gritty landscapes and urban wastelands. I don’t know what that says about me!