Photography returns to Christchurch

Christchurch has been a city on the mend ever since it was struck by devastating earthquakes several years ago.
As one of Aotearoa’s largest urban centres gets back on its feet, one of the country’s foremost photographic organizations plans to bring the gift of photography back to Christchurch.
Every year, the Photographic Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) hosts its national convention in a different town, and next year it will bring the show to Christchurch for the first time in 14 years. Dubbed 2020/Vision: The Art of Seeing, the convention boasts a programme of exciting guest speakers, workshop and field trip opportunities, and plenty of socializing.
The venue that was used last time the convention was held in Christchurch might no longer be standing, but, according to Ian Walls, chair of the organizing committee, the host club, Christchurch Photographic Society, is more than ready to welcome photographers from all over the country.
“Change brings opportunity,” he says, “and St Margaret’s College, the venue for the 2020/Vision Convention, has been completely rebuilt since the earthquake and is state of the art. A short distance away, the city centre is now merging heritage restoration with exciting new developments.”
The resurgent city will be far from the only attraction at the 2020/Vision event; black-and-white-art photographer Cole Thompson and digital fine art photographer and educator Julieanne Kost, both from the US, will speak about their successful careers. Cole is a self-taught artist who lives on a small ranch in Colorado, and creates beautifully expressive monochrome imagery. Julieanne is the Digital Imaging Evangelist Director at Adobe Systems, and teaches photographers to harness their digital creativity when she isn’t creating her own fine art works. These guest speakers will be supported by local experts Craig Turner-Bullock and Scott Fowler, and Australia’s Karen Alsop. Workshops on video, food photography, portrait lighting, and dog photography are planned, along with trips to the Botanic Gardens and Orana Wildlife Park, a vintage car display, and an architectural journey through the city. 
To cap the event off, the annual honours dinner will be held at the Christchurch Transitional Cathedral, more commonly known as the Cardboard Cathedral.
“That will be something special,” Ian promises. “It is time to come back to Christchurch.”

The 2020 PSNZ National Convention
Theme: 2020/Vision: The Art of Seeing
Date: 11–13 October 2020
Location: Charles Luney Auditorium, St Margaret’s College, Christchurch
Contact: 2020chch.org.nz