Simplicity didn’t compromise quality

Warkworth photographer Tudor Collins’ passion for photography resulted in his leaving a legacy of superior photographs documenting 60 years of New Zealand history. A self-taught photographer, he recorded his daily activities – life as a kauri bushman, his naval experience, architecture, deep-sea fishing and, as a stringer for the NZ Herald, many nationally significant events such as the 1931 Napier earthquake. The Kauri Museum is lucky enough to have been gifted his collection of bush photography, depicting the lifestyle of bushmen in the 1910s, ’20s and ’30s and the techniques used to harvest and transport the huge kauri logs.

Collins came from humble origins and was one of 10 children. He was born in Towai in 1898 but his family later moved to Glen Eden in Auckland. As a youth, he was sent to Batley to help family and he attended two schools in the Kaipara. At 15, he was working as a bushman in Glenbervie. It was at this time he developed his interest in photography. Saving up, he bought himself a camera on a trip to Auckland.

Collins purchased his camera around 1913 –a period when photography was in its infancy and cameras were very simplistic. The Kauri Museum holds one of his cameras.

In the 1910s, cameras comprised two simple sections joined with flexible, fabric “bellows”. The front had one standard lens and a mechanical shutter to let the light in. The rear section was box-like, and capable of holding either glass or film negatives.

The camera was held at waist height. This type of camera was able to process both glass and cellulose film negatives.

The Royal NZ Navy’s Torpedo Bay Museum was gifted his collection of naval records. Their website states “[His] negatives show a mobile photographer at work, rapidly shifting level and view point, interacting, shooting often. The image-making was essentially complete when the exposed film left the camera; the 6 x 10-inch prints show minimal dark room intervention.”

In 1921, when Collins was working at Kauaeranga, Thames, the chief photographer at the NZ Herald, George Bourne, urged him to buy a tripod and start developing his own negatives in his bush shanty. The exceptionally high standard of his work commands even more appreciation given the location in which the photos were taken and developed.

Call for volunteers

Collins would have had to compensate for the low-light levels in the bush and combat high dust levels during processing. Collins, total photographic collection comprises more than 55,000 photographs.

The Kauri Museum is seeking volunteers to assist with the running of the museum. If you are interested in joining the volunteer team, working in any department, please phone Marion Walsh on 021 823 944 or email marion.walsh@kaurimuseum,com