I went along to the World Press Photo Exhibition in Auckland today and as expected it is an excellent collection of moving and emotive photojournalism from around the world. The exhibition has been well promoted and is in a great location, hence there was a sizeable crowd there which was great to see also.

There are some extremely hard-hitting images that really effect you through the raw reality they show. There are also many images that move you because of the deep emotion or humanity on display. Then there are those that work because you as the viewer are presented with something that you just didn't quite expect - the above image of a man carrying a shark through the streets of Mogadishu in Somalia falls into this category for me. This is why I love World Press Photo.

I have an immense amount of respect for the press photographers who in many cases literally put their lives on the line to bring us the images of the varied and often dangerous events happening in our world. World Press Photo is an amazing organisation and you can find out more about them HERE

The exhibition in Auckland runs until October 9 and you can find out more about it HERE

Photo: Omar Feisal / World Press Photo

I visited Lopdell House Gallery yesterday and was delighted to catch a very moving exhibition by photographer Kathrin Simon just before it finishes.

As per the brochure "Close up Te Waka Huia gives a unique insight into the world of today's Kapa Haka. It is a beautiful and moving portrayal of the dedication, passion and vitality of Aotearoa's most successful and four-times National Champions, Te Waka Huia, as they prepare for the 2009 championship'

I have to agree - this is a very personal and moving collection of fine photography.

More information on Kathrin Simon can be found at her website HERE

Image: He Whatu Kura, He Mareikura, Kathrin Simon 

I have waited years to get the oportunity to see a Brian Brake exhibition so was thrilled to go to the Auckland Art Gallery the other day to see 'Brian Brake: Lens on the world'.

It is a phenomenal exhibition and I absolutely recommend going along - it runs at the Auckland Art Gallery till 14 August and then tours to a further eight New Zealand galleries.

Brian Brake was a pioneer and true legend of photography. Coming from New Zealand he spent most of his career working on assignment all around the world for Magnum Photo Agency. The images that he captured graced the pages of many leading publications of the day including National Geographic and LIFE.

I enjoyed many of the images on display and especially the rich insight into the photographic essays he produced including Monsoon, but also incredible work of the Roman Empire, Ancient Egypt and Asia.

I will definately be going back to the exhibition several more times while it is on. Information on the exhibition can be found HERE and a good overview of Brian Brakes life and work can be found HERE.

All images: Brian Brake

World Press Photo have chosen a picture by South African photographer Jodi Bieber as their World Press Photo of the Year 2010.

It is extremely hard hitting but very worthy - it is also worthwhile reading the story behind the photograph and other details to do with the photographer and the competition etc which can be found HERE.

World Press Photo is quite an amazing organisation and a look around their website is definately recommended for all fans of quality photojournalism. I was very pleased to see the World Press Photo exhibition when it visited Auckland a few months ago.

I made a fleeting visit to the opening of the Stone Fields exhibition by Max Thomson at the Letham Gallery, and was glad i did.

I was interested in Max's transition from photographer several years ago to becoming a painter/artist and admit to only coming across his work very recently.

I will need to go back and have another look to do his work justice but from the quick glimpse I did have I would definitely recommend checking the exhibition out yourself if you are in Auckland over the next two weeks.

The exhibition runs till February 14 and details can be found at Letham Gallery site which is HERE

I recently went to the World Press Photo exhibition when it visited Auckland. It is of fantastic quality as you would expect and leaves you with not only an overwhelming portrayal of the world around us but also huge respect for the photographers who bring us such images often by putting themselves in harms way.

I had not seen a WPP exhibition for almost a decade and it was great to catch up with it again. WPP has an excellent website where you can get all information on what they do etc. It is HERE

 If you are in Slovenia, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey or Austria between now and January 16 2011 then you can catch up with the current exhibition also.

Details of the cities and dates are HERE: