Getting to the heart of people

By SHAREN WATSON

Lee Harrop, forensic and abstract art photographer, is a powerhouse of talent in a small package. At 34, she has a photographic career in both the police force and the artistic field.

Recruited as a police officer 10 years ago, Harrop was offered her dream job in Gisborne when the police required a forensic photographer. Recording evidence that may help a criminal inquiry and then the prosecution, she documents homicides, sexual assaults, robbery, arson, drug scenes, burglary, serious car crashes and suspicious deaths.

There are about 40 police photographers in New Zealand and Harrop is not the only woman. Formal training in photography to NZQA standards is part of the job while extended experimentation and development of the camera's artistic side is now an off-duty passion.

"I can see the abstracted image long before I pick up the camera," she says.

This ability allows her to work with an image that is "done in the camera", requiring no further manipulation: "It's what photography is all about".

So the final images are a result of getting up close, using different speeds and film, various angles, multiple exposure and "in camera" techniques. The final image is often abstracted, angled and unusual; the ingredients of film, camera and discerning eye replacing conventional canvas, brush and medium.

Two years ago Harrop started a reportage-style series of works in black and white photography. London St, Gisborne, is home to the Mongrel Mob and she wanted to capture the impact of gang headquarters on the neighbourhood. It was not her intention to idolise a cult, but to de-stigmatise those who live in close proximity.

She visited a conventional suburban house some distance from the high wood fence surrounding "headquarters" and spoke with the gang president to discuss any objection to the intended series. There was none and, in fact, considerable interest was shown in the ensuing works.

She stationed herself at a small group of shops and in off-duty time, over seven weeks, gang members, family, neighbours, and shop owners came under her lens.

Harrop noticed how children with links to the gang seemed to form their own little family. They congregated outside the shops to buy lollies and "hang out" after school - happy, friendly and accepting, a strong contrast to the staunch, racial and non-accepting public image conveyed by their elders. The children were inquisitive, too, all wanting to look through the camera lens, and Harrop spent some time taking photos of "me and my cousin" and "me and my friend".

Finally she gathered them together and took a group photo. "It takes many proofs to select just the right image for exhibition and these were displayed at one of the London St shops. They created great interest, as many of the children had never seen their own image in print." Eventually they were invited to take home the ones they wanted.

The completed series was exhibited in Gisborne two years ago and was attended by patched members. This series of photos also came to the attention of Simon Woolf, a leading photographer who teaches, judges and lectures here and internationally. Woolf, from Wellington, has become something of a mentor for Harrop. The London St series of photos was included in the Ronald Woolf Memorial exhibition in the St James Theatre in Wellington last year.

During the 1999 America's Cup racing Harrop was overall winner in a photo competition for her interpretation of "Kiwis' love for water" and her work featured in International Photography. This year six of her works have been accepted to tour Austria as part of the 12th Austrian Super Circuit 2003.

Her photography can also be seen on a limited-edition calendar published by the YMCA in Gisborne. It features contemporary portraits of Maori role models, proud of who they are, and what they do.

Showing

* What: Works by Lee Harrop

* Where: artStudio Gallery, Mt Maunganui

* When: July 12-25