Trent Light's exhibition Visions of Theirs and Mine opened in Narrandera last night and showed his talent for portraiture, as well as raising questions about tourism and the representation of Fiji in holiday pics.
It's a refreshing look at Fiji that goes beyond travel photography. The works cleverly hung to split the gallery with contrasting perspectives.
On one wall were Light's portraits of Fijians, often in domestic or suburban settings but also in schools and nature. Use of fill lighting added a sense of glamour that brought radiance to faces and subdued the settings, pushing the litter and basic utilities into the background.
On the other wall hung pictures taken by Fijian school kids when Light had handed out a dozen disposable cameras. While there were a number of blurry digits and a few feet, there were faces smiling in ways that can be challenge for a photographer to inspire and capture yet is effortless for kids shooting pics of each other.
Once again I found myself poring over details in the edges of the frames, looking at the school yard and the teachers and the visiting students -- some of whom were also looking at the exhibition at that time, leading to a couple of disorienting moments.
Light's skill as a photographer stands out when contrasted against the 'selfless' and happy snaps of kids but I think his skill as an artist shines in presenting these contrasting perspectives.
The idea of getting beyond glossy brochure images of the country's resorts was a great step but the idea of also collecting images from the people being photographed shows a level of consciousness about the craft.
