If I asked you ‘who is Peter Jackson?’ would you know? What about Gallipoli? What do they have in common?
Sir Peter Jackson (yes, he’s been knighted by the Queen) is the New Zealand genius behind the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies. He is Disney and Lucas rolled up into one and comes from a country the size of Alabama.
On a recent assignment trip to New Zealand I actually heard the Prime Minister on television discussing the current economic/budget process say, “Well, Sir Jackson alone is worth several billion dollars to our blossoming economy.” Wow.
What does this have to do with photography? Peter Jackson has taken his significant special effects studio and video resources and created two major exhibitions which are a joy to photograph.
First, is a centennial exhibit of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli at Te Papa, the national museum in Wellington. You can easily research both the history of the landing and this exhibit. But here’s a couple of shots of the exhibit which was specifically designed to allow the public to capture nuance and impact with any digital camera. These statues are over 20 feet tall and presented in the round. He directed they be lit to make virtually anyone’s images memorable.
Second is the creation of the film set for Hobbiton. Again, with a specific eye for what a camera captures, Jackson and his team designed the entire set for long term tours and took care to make every vista reminiscent of his films. Here’s a sample of a shot I took at Hobbiton in April 2015.
“In the Land of the Hobbits” featuring a collection of photos from New Zealand and Hobbiton will be on view at England Run Library (Fredericksburg, Virginia) in September 2015 and available on my website www.focusbyhenderson.com as well.
Looking forward to seeing you at the show opening on Thursday, Sep 3 from 6-8 PM at England Run Library, 806 Lyons Blvd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
BONUS – for those of you who’ve stuck with it this post so far…..mention the word “Jackson” for a 10% discount on any purchase from the Land of Hobbits exhibit either in person or online. Gotta take care of our peeps!
