ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Larry has seven children from five women. He used to play baseball in San Francisco in his youth and now sings Jazz and Blues in a local pub. He has lived in New Zealand for the past 30 years, running run businesses including fashion shops and a meat company.
This portrait is part of an extensive portfolio called 'Bare Truth', showing brave, sensitive and vulnerable men, posing in a very humble way, looking straight into the camera and revealing who they really are.

AUTHOR
In 2014 Wittenberg has been given the wonderful opportunity to present three themes of photography on Auckland’s scenic waterfront. Titled Black, White and Colour, it was his first opportunity to share his creations with the public in a solo exhibition. The exhibition featured portraiture, landscape and fine art. He says it has been an invigorating experience to delve into, exploring his competence in creating abstract pieces. Wittenberg aimed to break through the clutter of the thousands of images we see daily by telling a story through his work, emphasizing the potential photography has to touch peoples’ lives.

During January 2015, Wittenberg had the opportunity to pursue his true passion: documenting people in the Old City of Jerusalem. His exciting journey took him across twisted and narrow streets where merchants are proud to market their goods. Ilan’s unique eye and his ability to create quick rapport enabled him to produce a beautiful portfolio of monochrome photographs, capturing their character and atmosphere using ambient light only. Their proud portraits reflect the rich culture and turbulent history of Jerusalem.

Commencing in 2014, Bare Truth is a captivating collection of portraits of New Zealand men who are humble, courageous and vulnerable. The portfolio was exhibited at the 2016 Head On Photo Festival in Sydney as well as the Signature Programme of the 2016 Auckland Festival of Photography.

Ilan won the Portrait category and the Grand Prize at the 2018 Sony Alpha awards. His winning photo was featured on the cover of D-Photo magazine together with a feature story from his travel to Morocco. Ilan is an active judge in photo competitions by the Photographic Society of NZ and the NZ Institute of Professional Photography. Ilan is 2015, 2016 & 2018 NZIPP Auckland Photographer of the year.

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