Acclaimed photographer and Kerikeri resident Jane Ussher is a finalist in New Zealand's most prestigious book awards. Photo / supplied
Acclaimed photographer and Kerikeri resident Jane Ussher is a finalist in New Zealand's most prestigious book awards. Photo / supplied
A Northland photographer has made the shortlist for New Zealand's most prestigious book awards.
Finalists for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, which were announced yesterday, include Nature – Stilled by Jane Ussher.
The Kerikeri photographer's book, which captures specimens from Te Papa's natural history collection, is one of four in the category for illustrated non-fiction.
The judges said her ''sumptuously beautiful'' book was ''brilliantly photographed and produced''.
''It highlights not just the breadth of these collections but also the knowledge and passion of those who care for them. Jane Ussher is one of Aotearoa's most accomplished photographers and she has clearly approached this project with great respect and enthusiasm for the exhibits which represent our vanishing natural world,'' they said.
Pages from Jane Ussher's book, Nature - Stilled, published by Te Papa Press. Photo / Te Papa, Maarten Holl
Ussher, chief photographer at the New Zealand Listener for 29 years, has lived in Kerikeri for the past four years though she continues to work in Auckland.
Her love for the Far North was sparked by exploring the district with writer Fiona Kidman for her first book, Gone North.
Pages from Jane Ussher’s book, published by Te Papa Press, showing kākāriki from the museum’s collection. Photo / Te Papa, Maarten Holl
The idea for her latest book came while she was working on another project with publisher Nicola Legat in the bowels of Te Papa.
''As we were chatting to the conservators they were showing us some of the specimens in their collections. We had no idea they even existed, or how extensive the storage areas were. That was the germ of an idea to get in there and document these collections that are very rarely seen,'' she said.
Choosing which of the many thousands of specimens to photograph came down to what Ussher found most interesting, what would photograph well, and what the conservators thought would be valuable to document.
The book was a ''hugely collaborative'' project with the conservators writing descriptions of each item and the designers even creating a new typeface.
A photo from Jane Ussher’s shortlisted book showing detail of a kiwi from Te Papa’s natural history collection. Photo / Te Papa, Maarten Holl
It's not Ussher's first time in the awards — Coast, with text by Bruce Ansley, won the illustrated non-fiction category in 2014 — but making the shortlist again was ''sensational''.
''Especially this year, the longlist had such a fine selection of finalists.''
Ussher hoped a future project would involve photographing the Far North.
Nature — Stilled is up against books about naturalist GV Hudson, modern Māori cuisine, and the artist portraits of Marti Friedlander. The winner will be announced on May 12.
Last year another Northlander, Alaskan-born David Vann, then based at Taupō Bay, was a finalist in the fiction category for his novel Halibut on the Moon.
Photos in Jane Ussher’s book, such as this array of butterflies, are ordered by hue rather than by biological classification. Photo / Te Papa, Maarten Holl
2021 Ockham NZ Book Awards finalists
Fiction: Bug Week & Other Stories by Airini Beautrais; Nothing to See by Pip Adam; Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey; Sprigs by Brannavan Gnanalingam.
Poetry: Funkhaus by Hinemoana Baker; Magnolia by Nina Mingya Powles; National Anthem by Mohamed Hassan; The Savage Coloniser Book by Tusiata Avia.
Illustrated non-fiction: An Exquisite Legacy: The Life and Work of New Zealand Naturalist G.V. Hudson by George Gibbs; Hiakai: Modern Māori Cuisine by Monique Fiso; Marti Friedlander: Portraits of the Artists by Leonard Bell; Nature — Stilled by Jane Ussher.
General non-fiction: Specimen: Personal Essays by Madison Hamill; Te Hāhi Mihinare |The Māori Anglican Church by Hirini Kaa; The Dark is Light Enough: Ralph Hotere A Biographical Portrait by Vincent O'Sullivan; This Pākehā Life: An Unsettled Memoir by Alison Jones.
Pages from Jane Ussher's book, Nature - Stilled, published by Te Papa Press. Photo / Te Papa, Maarten Holl
