Putting Women in Front /
Ashburton photographer Emmily Harmer is asking us to ‘exist’ more when it comes to capturing moments in time.
Photographer Emmily Harmer is propelling women into the spotlight
Click, edit, post. Sound familiar? Not you? Then maybe it’s your daughter, your grandson, your husband, a friend. In a day and age rampant with social media and visual communication, snapping and sharing our photos has never been easier. A digital filter here and a production edit there has seen a deluge of images that are promptly shared and often never seen again or even remembered beyond the moment.
We’re swamped with images of pouting and posing, sadly forgettable, often heavily edited, rarely printed and never organised into an album or framed for the home. Even sadder, how many of these photos are real women? Women who multi-task throughout their days as they care for family, hold down careers and strive for success.
It’s a dilemma for Ashburton photographer Emmily Harmer, who is on a mission to see real women in front of the camera for printed photos that will be treasured for generations to come. ‘Most women fly under the radar,’ she says. ‘We’ve worked hard towards getting to where we are. Why should we be quiet and unseen?’
Proudly feminist, Emmily is saddened that women are usually the ones behind the camera, not in front of them and is adamant ‘we need to exist in photos. It’s not about you. It’s about your kids, your grandchildren. It’s about your future.’
Clearly passionate about female portraiture, the spirited and vivacious photographer is a laugh a minute. However, she’s also incredibly aware of the impact of media and expresses disappointment that social media photos are ‘always about youth’. However, instead of lamenting the rise and saturation of this form of media, Emmily is doing something about it, currently working towards an exhibition that is about making ‘older women shine’. In her I am the Revolution project, women over the age of 50 are invited to experience a portrait shoot that will ensure they take away a beautiful legacy that Emmily hopes will be treasured for generations to come. It will also give these women the opportunity to explore Emmily’s studio.
The fore of her studio has street frontage that looks onto Ashburton’s State Highway 1. Adding to her business offering, she purchased a local framing business and utilises the space as a framing studio, an occasional pop-up shop and a space for exhibitions. There’s an intriguing collection of inspirational photography books, including the works of Marti Friedlander, one of Emmily’s photography heroes. It comes as no surprise that Marti was a staunch feminist whose documentary style recorded many of New Zealand’s historical protests as well as portraiture of mid-century Māori women. For Emmily, Marti’s work ‘makes people think. I want my photos to make people ask questions. Any photograph that makes the viewer want to know more is a successful photo.’
Beyond the framing and commercial space there is a workroom, and then it’s into her photography studio, a large warehouse space perfect for photography but also a wonderland of magical props and incredible costuming. There’s a glamourous sofa, rattan peacock chairs and a beaten old leather armchair with stuffing bursting from its ripped arms. There’s a changing room for an unparalleled game of dress-up with sequined ballgowns, frocks of floating chiffon, pearl chokers and the glamour of old-school vintage furs. Impressively, the studio even includes a hair and make-up station. Emmily has collaborated with local Ashburton business Tanglez Hair Studio to ensure women are looking and feeling their best for their photo shoot. In addition, a mannequin models a black T-shirt emblazoned ‘I am the REVOLUTION #theoverfiftyrevolution’. It’s biker chic and every woman who takes part in the project will take away a tee of her own. As Emmily affirms, ‘Life is too serious; this is a time to forget. I’m here to photograph you, not judge you, and it’s about having fun.’
However, this isn’t the first project of Emmily’s to focus on women. A black and white series of female entrepreneurs in 2018 formed a well-received exhibition at the Ashburton Museum that Emmily describes as ‘you saw them for them’.
She was also the artist behind the museum’s Suffragette exhibition, held for the 125th anniversary. Funded by the Ministry for Women, Emmily’s photographic portraits focused on women working in roles traditionally aligned to men. Among others, there were Ashburton’s first female mayor, a truckie, an irrigation designer, a farm manager and a mechanic, all successful women in their chosen fields.
Shot in their workplaces, it was an exhibition of raw beauty celebrating women being women in roles habitually affiliated to men.
While photographing women is a passion of Emmily’s, her work isn’t restricted to just females. In fact, she is currently working towards the publication of a book loosely based on that of John Gillies, a New Zealand painter, entitled In my Chair: Portraits by John Gillies. Fascinated by people, Emmily has photographed 100 random people, many strangers she has spied from her shop frontage. The oldest was 102 years old, the youngest just nine months. There is Miss Ashburton of the 1950s, a husband whose wife was transitioning to a male, and a woman who was waiting on Subway takeaways. ‘Everyone’s got a story and these motivate me to tell their story through photography,’ affirms Emmily. A chair found at a local second-hand shop seats her subjects. ‘I wanted it rough,’ she explains. ‘It’s an extension of people’s lives because nobody leads a perfect life. I wanted it real.’ Usually bubbly and energetic, even hilariously honest at times, tears well up as Emmily considers some of her models. ‘There are some pretty rough stories. You just don’t know what’s around the corner. I feel very privileged and very lucky to photograph people.’
For readers of latitude who aren’t familiar with Emmily’s beauty, boudoir and lifestyle photography, they’re probably more acquainted with her work than they realise. Emmily’s work regularly graces the pages of latitude, telling a visual story that complements the written one. It’s a relationship that works well for Emmily, who asserts ‘I need to know the back story to get the photo.’
Shot in their workplaces, it was an exhibition of raw beauty celebrating women being women in roles habitually affiliated to men.
Emmily’s own back story is one of hard graft and persistence. Schooled at St Kevin’s College in Oamaru, she always held an interest in photography but the opportunity to formally study photography never arose. Instead she married her husband Kurt and they went dairy farming, although Emmily laughs she was always taking photos on the farm, not doing what she was meant to be doing! When their eldest daughter, Madilyn, was 18 months old, Emmily enrolled her into preschool and opened her business, giving herself just six months to make a go of it. ‘I decided to do it and I did it,’ she laughs. Flynn soon followed and seven years after his arrival, Emmily’s business continues to grow from strength to strength. There have been endless online photography tutorials, international workshops and a mentor based in the United States.
Impulsive, funny, creative, savvy, tenacious and passionate, Emmily is so much more than just a successful businesswoman with a great eye for composition. She’s also a strong women intent on seeing others take the time to feel good about themselves. Her take on the future of photography and social media is pronounced and encouraging. Setting her personal business aside, she advocates women step out in front of the camera and be in the photo, whether it’s on a professional or an amateur basis. Emmily’s message is clear: ‘The best camera is the one you’ve got and photos are so, so important. What are you going to do with them on your computer or your phone? Print your photos!’