Lothar Huber is best known as the former managing director of Bond Colour Laboratories, later Bond Imaging, in Richmond, Victoria. On his time away from running arguably the largest professional film laboratory in Australia, Lothar travelled the world, photographing some beautiful and exotic locations, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
Prior to starting Bond Colour, Lothar was an accomplished photographer in his own right. He also collected significant works by other photographers, many of whom became life-long friends. Now in his retirement years and looking at downsizing, Focal Point is honoured to have been entrusted with exhibiting and selling Lothar’s private collection of photographs. Naturally, there is a substantial array of his own work, including many landscapes, jazz musicians (which were a particular favourite of his) and other works.
One of the highlights of the collection, though, is a range of works from one of Australia’s most celebrated industrial photographers Wolfgang Sievers. Wolfgang had been a successful photographer in Germany in the 1930s, being particularly influenced by the Bauhaus school. On arrival in Melbourne in 1939, he found local photography still steeped in a Victorian pictorial style and he set about his industrial and commercial photography with a keen emphasis toward modernism. In doing so, Wolfgang changed the face of industrial photography in Australia, becoming world-renowned for his work. Today his photographs are highly sought after and collectable, particularly those which he signed. Wolfgang's collection of negatives and a substantial number of prints, as well as his personal archive and records, family photos and other ephemera, is held by the National Library of Australia. Some of his photos are held in libraries and art galleries across Australia, but the opportunity to purchase any is fairly rare. That's why having close to 20 of his works available for this exhibition, all of which are for sale, is so exciting for us at Focal Point.
But, if that isn't enough to get you along to the exhibition, maybe nine 1m x 1m full-colour high-gloss prints from the Apollo 11 moon landing, photographed by Neil Armstrong, will excite you.
Q: Why are you in Douro St, Nth Geelong, of all places?
A: We are actually very well located. If you are coming by car, we are only 45 mins from the Westgate Bridge, 7 mins from the Geelong Bypass (take the Midland Hwy exit) and only 10 mins from the centre of Geelong. We are 800m from North Geelong train station and 300m from a bus-stop. So, overall, very centrally located with good services.
Q: Okay, but why are you in an industrial area, rather than an art precinct?
A: The building suits our needs perfectly. We have a very large space. The gallery alone is over 200 sq m. That means we can put on fantastic exhibitions that otherwise only a public gallery would have the space for, which means we can bring some of the best exhibitions Australia has to offer to Geelong, like the Nikon-Walkley Press Photography Exhibition. Without being in an industrial area, we simply wouldn't have the space to do everything we want and are able to do here.
Q: What is parking like?
We have two parking spaces on-site, but there are no parking restrictions or costs on Douro St. That's another good reason for being where we are. There are no time restrictions, so you can spend as much time as you like to leisurely enjoy the current exhibition, or you can work in the studio or darkroom without stressing over either the cost of parking or any time limits.
Q: Can we come as a group?
Absolutely. We would love to have groups visit. As there are no parking restrictions on Douro St, you can park a bus with confidence, or plenty of cars. We have a large enough space inside to cater for groups. If you give us plenty of notice we can even put on tea/coffee/milo for everyone (COVID and health restrictions permitting). Camera clubs are encouraged to visit to see our various exhibitions. Call and ask us about group discounts.
Q: Do you welcome school groups?
Absolutely. We would love to see school groups visit, particularly as some of our exhibitions have very good educational value. We are also happy to give an introductory talk, explaining about the current exhibition and/or the gallery. Please contact us for discounts for school groups.
Q: Apart from the gallery, what services do you offer?
We have Australia's largest and best-equipped public access darkroom (and currently the only one in Regional Victoria); Geelong's only fully-equipped photo studio for hire (with a cyclorama); a research library with over 700 photography books covering every genre of photography, instructional books and biographies on specific photographers; and a small shop offering equipment sales, analogue photography supplies, book sales, developing and printing services (currently black-and-white only), scanning and copying services and much more. We can also provide photography services for event coverage, advertising, editorial or feature work, product photography, archival scanning and more. Please see the various pages on this website covering all aspects of the business.
Q: What are your prices like?
Focal Point is Geelong's centre for creative photography and we want to be as accessible and affordable as possible. All our prices are aimed to give the best possible value, while retaining the highest level of quality and customer service.
For example, here are just some of the services we offer and associated prices:
Darkroom hire: $15 per hour ($10 per hour for students or concession holders) - Focal Point membership is required to access the darkroom.
Studio hire: Only $50 per hour - and that includes the use of all lights, stands, backgrounds, brolleys, difusers, soft boxes, reflectors, remote triggers, etc, etc. In fact, anything you need. There is a deposit required, but that is fully refundable as long as everything is looked after, with no breakages.
Darkroom training: one-on-one for only $40 per hour; small groups (up to four people) only $30 per person per hour.
Workshops: starting from as little as $90 for a three-hour workshop (these are only run on certain dates. Check the calendar to see what is coming up).
Photo restorations: $40 per hour. Plus printing. Additional costs apply if you want a digital negative and/or darkroom prints, or if you require a digital file of the repaired photo.
* Check out the appropriate pages on this website for more details.
Q: Is there an entry fee?
We do charge a small entry fee to see any of the exhibitions. $10 for adults and $8 concession. Children under 15 years, disability or support carers' card holders and Focal Point members are free.
Q: But surely entry to a gallery should be free?
Focal Point is a private commercial gallery and we spend a great deal of time and sometimes a fair bit of money to bring some of the country's best exhibitions to Geelong. We do not receive any government grants or funding and rely on entry fees to remain viable. While photos in some of the exhibitions are for sale, sales are modest and alone cannot cover the costs of the exhibitions. From time to time we may hire out the entire gallery to community groups, individual artists or companies and it is up to those hirers if they want to charge an entry fee. As a result, there may occasionally be a free event, but all the exhibitions we curate do require the payment of an entry fee. We hope you understand that as a commercial enterprise, this is a necessity, though we make it as affordable as possible. If you feel that the exhibitions are not worth spending money on then we request that you don't attend. However, if you do attend and for some reason are disappointed with the exhibition or feel it wasn't worth the entry fee (which we feel is very unlikely) then we will happily refund all or part of your entry fee.
Q: I visited recently but wasn't happy with something to do with the service or exhibition. What should I do?
Customer service is a priority at Focal Point. If you have any complaints at all, or there has been a problem with any service we have provided, please reach out to us as your first port of call. We will do whatever we can to ensure you are happy with your experience dealing with Focal Point.
Q: Focal Point sounds amazing and I would really like to see what you can offer me, but do I have to pay just to have a look at what the business offers?
No. If you would like to see what we can offer you, to check out the darkroom, studio and library, or you just want to have a chat about photography, please feel free to call ahead or just pop in and we will happily give you a free tour of the business. You will only need to pay if you decide to stay and check out the exhibition or if you want to hire the darkroom or studio. If you just want to chat, that's great, but please keep in mind we have a business to run. If you would like any technical details about shooting or printing, please organise some time for professional training or consulting to ensure you get the most out of our time.
Q: You mentioned Focal Point membership a few times above. What's that all about?
Focal Point members get a range of benefits, including the following:
FREE entry to see ALL of our exhibitions
FREE access to our library of over 700 books on photography
FREE access to our kitchen
FREE use of our lockers
Access to the darkroom at $15 per hour ($10 per hour for students/concession)
50% off the cost of hiring the studio (provided it is for non-commercial work)
Discounts on most items in the shop, from 5% to 20% (not including display prints)
Discounts on the cost of some workshops.
Discounts on digital printing. (Does not include film developing or darkroom printing.)
Q: Sounds great. How much does it cost and how do I join?
Focal Point membership is only $60 per year full price. That's only about $1.15 per week. Concession holders pay only $40 and students pay only $20. Proof of concession or student discount eligibility is required.
You can join in person when you come in or join and pay online through this website. Click HERE to join.
