Chasing The Southern Light: The Photographs Of Matheson Beaumont

Description

Chasing the Southern Light is a breath-stopping photographic tour of Southern New Zealand.Matheson Beaumont is to photography what Grahame Sydney is to painting: an artist who sculpts with light.As Reg Graham writes in his introduction,The lakes, the mountains, the riverbeds are his subjects, shown in all seasons, all lights, and always with an exact eye for composition and palette.For while Matheson Beaumont also captures the busy traffic of working lives ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂàrailway yards, coastal suburbs, fishermanÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs wharves ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂàthe wide, open country of the south lures his gaze again and again. His gift is to show us not just the change from season to season, but also the number of moods of any one season. Sun, wind, rain, frost, snow, mist, fog, sun again: with each of the SouthÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs rapid shifts in weather, another dimension of the landÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs character emerges. From beachfront to rolling pasture, from autumn in the bush to the scene of a lakeside hoarfrost: every image is exquisitely framed. As with all the best travelogues, BeaumontÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs images almost transport us into the land itself. Also included is an introduction written by Reg Graham and an essay by the ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂLandscape GuruÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂàhimself:BeaumontÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs essay covers his photographic career, associations with George Chance, Brian Brake, Ansel Adams and others, and ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂon landscape as subjectÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ. First published November 2006.

Author description

Matheson Beaumont is considered to be one of NZ's foremost landscape photographers and is known as a 'quiet legend'. Beaumont has a long and distinguished career: his photographs are held in public collections in the US, UK, Brazil and Singapore as well as NZ and Australia, and in private collections all over the world. His work has been published internationally and exhibited widely. He's a Hon Fellow of the Photographic Society of NZ, a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain and the US and has been awarded the prestigious Fenton Medal.