PhotoForum 74: Wellingtonia - Photographs by Julian Ward

Published by Espial, Wellington and PhotoForum, 2006.

ISBN 0 473 11051 2

200 x 210mm 58 pages, 55 B&W illustrations, duotone and over gloss, softcover.

“Julian Ward’s photographs of Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, uncover surprise after surprise, those off moments from the theatre of life when the actors are caught off guard. He notices things that we could see if we were there, but seldom do. A light mixture of banality and surreal absurdity.” John B. Turner.

“Julian Ward has been photographing people and landscapes for over 30 years. His previous books, Face Value (1993) and Just a Word (1996) roamed around the country. Looking at these early images now, Ward can trace the sensitivities of a younger self, experimenting with visual answers. This new collection builds on the additional years, and is all the more precious for it as he distils what he sees into its essence.

Wellingtonia came about after Ward went to ground and sorted through years’ worth of negatives. It’s a gem of a book that brings together images spanning more than 20 years, and although the focus is Wellington, its intent is universal”. Katy Corner

Full review by Katy Corner